Nutrients & Celiac Disease
Essential Nutrients if you are Gluten-Free
Julie Reinstein November 9, 2013
Basic Nutrient Guideline
If you are recently diagnosed with celiac disease (CD) you may be suffering from nutritional deficiencies that are compounding your symptoms. Seventy percent of our immune system lives in our gut. CD can severely damage the lining of the small intestine creating a blunting effect of the villi that absorb nutrients. The lining of the gut is our 1st line of defense against many viruses. What follows is a guideline of real food that should be at the top of your grocery list that will help boost your vitamin levels and immunity.
Nutrients to help boost vitamin levels & immunity
Here's a blueprint to help you target foods containing high levels of the particular vitamins and minerals you may be lacking.
Vitamin B6: many following a GF diet are low in B6; we need B6 to fight infections; to increase your B6 levels eat 1 cup of garbanzo beans in a salad or as hummus, choose tuna, salmon, chicken and turkey, bananas also have some B6 vitamins (20% of what you need each day).
Folate (Vitamin B): We need this vitamin to help make new cells; Think “green” to boost your folate levels: spinach, asparagus and brussels sprouts all are high in the nutrient, as are green peas and broccoli.
Vitamin D: Few foods naturally contain much vitamin D; exceptions include cold water fish like swordfish and sockeye salmon, which contain substantial amounts. Fortified O.J. and milk contain Vit D; An egg yolk contains about 10% of the vitamin D you need each day. Decreased Vitamin D levels increase risk of cold & flu.
Dairy: Many celiacs avoid dairy but since calcium helps to build strong bones and osteoporosis is a major risk for celiacs, it could pay off to up the calcium in your daily diet. If you eat dairy, there are multiple options for milk products with ample calcium. (The probiotics in yogurt help increase the immune function in the gut.) But, if you avoid dairy, you still can find calcium: just look for tofu or canned fish with bones.
Iron: many celiacs are iron deficient due to damage of the small intestines; Iron is easy to get if you eat meat: beef and turkey contain plenty. Oysters also are high in iron, and tuna contains some iron. If you follow a gluten-free vegetarian diet, you can obtain iron from soybeans and legumes — one cup of soybeans has half the iron you need in a day, while one cup of lentils has 37% of your recommended daily intake.
Vitamin B12: Vitamin B12 helps maintain your nerve and blood cells, and those who are particularly deficient in B12 can find themselves fighting constant fatigue. Research has shown that people with celiac disease don't tend to get enough of vitamin B12 in their diets. If you’re a vegetarian than choose salmon, trout, hard cheese and milk.
Immune Boosting Foods
Mushrooms: white button, shitake, reishi have been shown to increase immune system cell activity.
Tea: choose tea over coffee; studies show that 5-6 cups of black tea for 4 weeks showed that the immune system cells were quick to fight germs. Black tea and green tea are rich in phytochemicals.
Salmon: previously stated salmon is rich in Vit D; low Vit D levels increase risk of cold & flu.
Apples: High in antioxidant quercetin which helps strengthen ability to fight infection & disease.
Oysters: High in zinc which helps us fight off germs; other sources of zinc are beef, crab, lobster and red wine!
Garlic: you get the most from raw garlic but cooked will also give you the bacteria fighting compounds.
Butternut Squash: high in beta-carotene which our body converts to Vit A; this vitamin is crucial in the development of infection fighting cells; also red pepper, kale, spinach, green leaf lettuce, mango & pumpkin.
Yogurt: The probiotics in yogurt and kefir increase the immune function in the lining of the intestine; look for yogurts that contain “live & active cultures”
Sources: http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/sideeffectsofthediet/ss/Nine-Nutrients-To-Boost-Gluten-Free.htm
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