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Zevia All-Natural Diet Soda Review, with some added “food for thought”

I have found myself with a bit of spring fever lately and cannot seem to get myself back in the kitchen. Although I haven’t been outside as much as I would like because the New Mexico winds can be rather ferocious in the spring time! I have lived here for 12 years, and I still cannot get over the tumbling tumbleweeds that blow everywhere, they get stuck underneath my car, I get piles of them in my backyard, I even have to run away from them when I am out for my daily walk… crazy!  I saw this picture on Google Images and had to share it, it’s funny but so true!

Anyway, Sam, Luke and I were out and about yesterday afternoon and we stopped by one of my favorite places to buy gluten-free products, R. Downs Nutrition Center. Mike was out of town on a business trip so I decided we would do something different for dinner, to make it fun for the boys because they were missing their dad (he really is like a 3rd child when it comes to playtime) and so I didn’t have to do any dishes!. We splurged on some gluten-free packaged foods for dinner (will be doing reviews of those soon), and I “kicked it up a notch” by trying a new product (new to us anyway), Zevia All Natural Diet Sodas. I can’t say I was optimistic about this, as I have tried many “Natural Sodas” over the years, while trying to kick my nasty Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi habit, but my curiosity got the best of me.

I didn’t start drinking diet soda because I wanted to lose weight, but my dad has battled Type-2 Diabetes for years and when I was growing up, if there was soda in the house, it was diet soda. I developed an affinity for that artificial taste at an early age. I was never a big plain water drinker as a teen/young adult (although I am now… is it just me or does your craving for water only increase the more you drink??), I guess I thought it was too boring. Because of my own experience, my kids drink mostly water, milk or I allow them a juice in their lunch box (no more than one a day). I want better for them and I know that if you start kids young enough eating and drinking healthfully (and naturally), that is what they will prefer, at least in the long run.

My diet soda consumption only increased as I aged, especially after I started developing more serious health problems. I put on some serious poundage after my thyroid was ablated (Graves’ Disease) but before my “hidden” Celiac Disease and Dermatitis Herpetiformis were discovered. No joke, I was essentially without a thyroid for over 6 months, my TSH levels were in the 150′s at one point! I was probably putting on 2 – 4 lbs a week, despite being on Weight Watchers, drinking 4- 5 diet sodas a day (needed the caffeine for energy because I was so lethargic from the severe hypothyroidism) and exercising like a mad woman (when my energy levels were up enough to do so, which is why I drank so much diet soda and coffee). Looking back in hindsight, I believe I was only contributing to my weight gain by drinking so much diet soda! It was a vicious cycle. Check out this article on one of my favorite new blogs: Fooducate, I HIGHLY recommend subscribing to it, they do a great job helping to break down the complexity of processed food ingredients! Here is another one from Fooducate: Phosphoric Acid.

Anyway, after my brilliant endocrinologist (you need to scroll down a bit on the page I linked to, for a great article on endocrinological disorders and celiac disease), returned from a medical conference (after being at his wits end as to why I was not absorbing my thyroid replacement hormone) and gave me the blood test for celiac disease. That was in 2005, when it was exceptionally unusual for doctors, especially non-GI doctors, to do a random blood test on someone without the classic GI symptoms of celiac disease. I really do love that man, well, after 2 years of therapy I do, because before that, I cursed his name for handing me that diagnosis!

Anyway, on to my review (Warning: this has turned into more than a simple review for me. I apologize in advance for my tangent ).

I have tried many natural soda alternatives over the years, including Oogave but it wasn’t close enough to what I craved to work for me. Oogave soda still has 17 grams of sugar, regardless of the fact that it is lower on the Glycemic Index, it is still sugar and diabetics especially, need to watch their sugar intake. I eventually gave up hope for finding something that would fill that diet soda void and after many fits and starts, I decided to suck it up and go a completely different route. Sparkling water with lemon or lime juice. It took a while to adjust to it, but now it is my beverage of choice when I want something bubbly. However, a cold, crisp sugar-free soda would be a really nice occasional treat (especially with some popcorn!). Zevia fills that void for me. I also think this soda would be helpful if one is trying to wean off of mainstream diet sodas (hopefully on the journey to drinking more WATER!). I am excited to see what my dad thinks of these.

First, a little bit about Zevia All-Natural Diet Sodas:

Based in Seattle, Washington, Zevia LLC is the creator of the world’s first all natural zero calorie soda: Zevia® Natural Diet Soda. Zevia® is branded Nature’s Answer To Diet Soda™ for one reason: the ingredients. Zevia® contains none of the chemically processed artificial sugar substitutes found in other diet sodas because Zevia® is sweetened with stevia. Other diet sodas also contain artificial flavors and colors. Zevia® does not. All seven delicious Zevia® varieties – Zevia® Natural Cola, Zevia® Natural Orange, Zevia® Natural Twist , Zevia® Natural Root Beer , Zevia® Natural Black Cherry , and Zevia® Natural Ginger Ale – are healthier and taste better than regular diet soda. Click here to read about the passionate and inspired history and people behind Zevia®, the world’s only truly all natural zero calorie soda. Click here to meet the management team at Zevia LLC.

I want to re-post something from the Zevia Website, that I found really interesting and wanted to see what others thought, my emphasis is added in bold, red type (remember my warning)!

Because stevia has no effect on blood sugar levels, it is attractive as a natural sweetener to people who must control their intake of certain carbohydrates. But, in 1991, responding to an anonymous complaint, the United States Food and Drug Administration labeled stevia as an “unsafe food additive” and restricted its import. Many believe the complaint came from Monsanto, owner of Nutrasweet® artificial sweetener. Stevia was later approved for use as a dietary supplement but not as a food additive. >Learn More. That meant we could offer ZEVIA, but we could not call it a “soda”. From January, 2007 until February, 2009, ZEVIA was labeled as a “carbonated stevia supplement”, consistent with the FDA requirements.

**Is it just me or do you suddenly find yourself hearing a lot about Monsanto these days? The above information re: Nutrasweet® may be common knowledge to a lot of people, but I only recently heard about Monsanto for the first time, after watching Food, Inc! I am amazed by all the products or political figures that seem to have a Monsanto connection. If you have not seen Food, Inc. yet, PBS will be airing the film on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, and I cannot recommend this film enough!!

I am still just completely dumbfounded and disturbed by what I viewed on Food, Inc. (as well as other food documentaries). I am just seeking the truth about the food I put into my mouth, not only for maintaining my disease, but for the overall health of my family. I just want the facts so I can decide what I want to buy or not buy. I have tried to have an open mind with both sides of the issue, but what I cannot get past, is that IF biotech food products are completely “safe” then WHY isn’t there a label on the product that tells me, that what I am about to purchase and consume, is not really what I think it is?

According to Bio.org, here is the reason:

Myth: Biotech crops increase food allergies.
Fact: There is no evidence that biotech crops increase food allergies; in fact, researchers are working to develop biotech foods that are free of known allergens, such as peanuts. In fact, according to the FDA’s labeling policy, biotech foods are required to be labeled if the product is significantly changed nutritionally or uses material from a potential allergen. Today, the majority of biotech products in the marketplace are not labeled since they are not derived from known allergens.

Okay, so what does that mean? The top 8 known allergens or ALL known allergens?

And what about this in regards to the Increasing Prevalence of Celiac Disease?

I am not a conspiracy theorist by any means, but I do have to say that the connections that have been made between Monsanto and certain US government employees, definitely raise my eyebrows. If you are interested, click here for more on Monsanto (Wikipedia article). Click here for Monsanto’s statement regarding the claims made in the film Food, Inc.

What are your thoughts on this issue??

I always worry about posting things like this because one, I do not want to come off as a person “on the fringe,” because I am not, and I usually just “tune out” people that I think are extreme. Second, I don’t have any real answers because I do not know what the “truth” is. I just hope to encourage people “to ask the next question.” Our health and well-being is a matter of personal responsibility, but it is difficult to make the best decisions for ourselves when there is so much hidden, incorrect or conflicting information out there.**

There really is no “quick post” with me, is there? LOL! Moving along…

About Stevia

Stevia is an herb in the sunflower family, native to subtropical and tropical South America and Central America. For centuries, the Guarani Native Americans of Paraguay and Brazil used stevia as a sweetener in native foods and medicinal teas. The extract from the stevia leaf has no calories, no effect on blood sugar levels, and is hundreds of times sweeter than sugar.

Stevia Has Other Health Benefits

Research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry concludes that stevia could also be a rich source of antioxidants and may protect against DNA damage and cancer. <click here for an abstract of the research.>

Stevia also has shown promise in medical research on high blood pressure <Research Link #1> , inflamation <Research Link #2> , insulin efficiency <Research Link #3> , cellular immuntiy and nutrition <Research Link #4> , and healthy cell growth <Research Link #5>.

Purdue University’s Dental Science Research Group concluded after two studies that stevia “significantly” inhibits the development of plaque and may help to prevent cavities.

Here is another article that is just plain educational on how the food industry works. The article is on artificial sweeteners, including Splenda and it also mentions Stevia. Some of the information is outdated as the article is from 2007.

As for how Zevia All-Natural Diet Sodas taste? While the Cola is not exactly like Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi, I think it is really darned close!!! The Ginger Root Beer and Orange flavors were our favorites. The Twist was good too, but it has a much more pronounced lemon lime flavor than say Diet 7-Up or Diet Sprite, and I presume that is because the lemon lime flavor is derived from lemon and lime oils, which are more pronounced (if you have ever used oil flavorings in baked goods, instead of extracts, you will know what I mean). Mike thought it tasted like the “old” Gatorade, only carbonated. Mike is excited to try the Dr. Zevia if I can find some. There is also Black Cherry and Ginger Ale, which we haven’t tried yet.

Have you tried Zevia All-Natural Diet Sodas yet? If so, what did you think of them?

Gluten-Free Pizza Lunchables

So you knew “it” had to be coming at some point, right? I must say this first, Mike and I are REALLY working with Sam to embrace his “differences” (as we all have them), and I think it is starting to catch on. He is not asking for GF Lunchables all that much anymore (YEA!!) but it is nice to know that if I need one for a deposit in his self-esteem bank, I can do it!

So here is what I did, I got the Lunchables in the Green package (they are easy to disassemble so you can throw away the offending gluten components, then clean and reassemble and slide the wrapper back on so it looks almost store-bought, the Press’n Seal kind of gives it away, but that’s okay.)

Another GREAT Udi’s gluten-free product… pizza crust! I love this thin crust and it is super easy in a pinch! Here is how I normally make mine: I place it in the oven, directly on the rack, in a preheated 425° F. oven for about 5- 6 minutes. I then add my toppings and place back in the oven, on the rack, and heat for an additional 6 minutes or so. This keeps the crust nice and crispy, which is how I like it!

For the GF Pizza Lunchables though, I did not cook it (keeping with the Lunchables theme…). The Udi’s pizza crust is actually quite tasty when simply thawed to room temperature! I might have to try these to make GF “pita” chips! After I thawed the crust, I went on a scavenger hunt to find the right size cookie cutter to fit the Lunchables tray section.

I settled on a large cup.

Cut out your crust, then freeze the remaining portion… I will figure out something to do with it and post an update later… no waste!

For the cheese, I just used shredded mozzarella. For the pepperoni’s, I used Hormel’s Pepperoni Mini’s, which I found a huge bag of at Costco.

I tossed out the Tombstone Pizza Sauce Packet that came in the Lunchables because I could not find any solid information on the ingredients, processing, etc. and opted for filling a little disposable container that I snagged from a recent dinner at Boston Market (and in case you didn’t already know, Boston Market’s Poultry Gravy is Gluten-Free).

Now here is an example of one of “those” product labels that are just downright confusing! When I bought it, I did so (sheepishly) because I only targeted one section of the label:

So my husband called me one day when I was out and about to ask me if I had bought this by mistake because he targeted this section of the label:

This is a two photo shot, it’s hard to take a picture of some labels!!

Huh.

So let me ask you, would you take the risk and buy this product, just based on the label information??

Bottom compartment of the GF Pizza Lunchables: the water is the only thing I kept from the original Lunchables components.

And there you have it!! A Gluten-Free “Mom” Pizza Lunchables!

Now, just in case you are interested, check out the ingredient label for the Original Lunchables “edible” components:

Holy Moley! You know what’s funny? Truth be told, if Sam and I did not have celiac disease, I would probably have bought these for him!! Before my gluten-free journey began 5 years ago, the furthest I went into “label investigation” was to the fat and calorie content!! I didn’t understand ingredient labels back then and I am only marginally better now! I always assumed that if it was sold as “food” in the grocery store, it “must” be safe, right? LOL! Have you watched Food, Inc. yet??? IF you haven’t, it will be airing on PBS on April 21, 2010. I viewed it for the first time back in December, and it set my view of the food world on fire. There is something more to this movie, that I think celiacs and folks with food allergies and gluten intolerance, in particular, might see as a “not as obvious correlation” to this film. Maybe it is just me, but I am curious as to what others think…

Do you know what your child’s daily maximum intake of salt should be? And believe you me, I know that my “assembled” gluten-free pizza Lunchable is probably not much better, it any at all. This is why I am hoping and praying that SOMETHING is changing. Between this economy (people eating at home more or packing their lunch) and Food, Inc. and Jaime Oliver’s Food Revolution (more awareness)… that packing healthy sack lunches (or even if schools get involved by gardening, etc. and kids can “see” what real food looks and tastes like… kids are highly influenceable, they WANT WHAT THEIR FRIENDS ARE EATING!!!! If one’s friends are eating healthy whole foods, then it is cool! Not to mention… most whole foods are naturally gluten-free!

Vivagave Fiber Supplement Review

Did you know that we should be getting 20 – 35 grams of fiber a day and that the average American’s mean fiber intake is around 14 – 15 grams a day??  Check out this article on the importance of fiber from WebMD.

20 – 35 grams of fiber can be tough to achieve if one dines primarily on fast and convenient food!  I think back to my days at Ohio State and my daily meals of Ramen Noodles and Taco Bell (typical “food” on a college budget), and it makes me shudder to think of it!  Anyway, fast forward a couple of years (okay, 12) and things are much much different!  I have now have this “little” thing called celiac disease so Ramen noodles and fast food are definitely off the table (which is one benefit of having celiac disease!!) but I am also older, and somewhat wiser.  I try to learn something new everyday, and when I was going through my medical odyssey with Sam and Luke a couple of years ago, I learned quite a bit from their pediatrician and pediatric GI on how the human body works, especially the GI tract.  Sam and Luke were on opposite ends of the spectrum though, one needed fiber and one needed Miralax.  Here is a link to an article on the Basics of the Digestive System on KidsHealth.org.  I have been going over it with Sam to help him better understand celiac disease and the importance of a gluten-free diet so he can absorb important nutrients.

Since this is a fiber post, I will stick with fiber (gotta resist the urge for a major ADD tangent!).  I prefer that my family and I get as much fiber as possible from whole foods.  You always hear how hard it is to get fiber on the gluten-free diet, but I really don’t think that is true.  The problem, I think, is how we eat.  I can only speak for myself, but at the time I was diagnosed with celiac disease, I was relying a lot on all the “fortified” foods at the supermarket to get my “nutrients.”  Even Wonder Bread has fiber and vitamins added, but that does not necessarily make Wonder Bread a wise food choice!  Or all the sugary kid cereals that are fortified with vitamins and minerals, or are labeled that they are made with “Whole Grains” but contain so many other questionable ingredients.  I am much more aware today than I was even a year ago, heck, 3 months ago, when I saw Food, Inc. and King Corn for the first time!  If you are not looking for the information, you certainly will not find it labeled on all the brightly colored packages at the supermarket!  I STILL cannot go into the grocery store without hearing the music from the intro of Food Inc. in my head!!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I&hl=en_US&fs=1&]

Apparently, I still managed to sneak in a tangent… but seriously, if you have not seen either of these documentaries, I cannot encourage you enough to watch them.  If for no other reason, it may speed up your acceptance of the gluten-free diet!

When I was newly diagnosed with celiac disease and didn’t know the first thing about gluten-free cooking (which really isn’t hard if you go naturally gluten-free), and was still craving the foods I grew up on; I relied a lot on gluten-free processed foods.  Back then at least, GF processed foods were not only horrible in taste, but they weren’t fortified with vitamins and minerals the same way mainstream gluten-containing processed foods are.  I am thankful now (5 years later), that my taste buds have changed for the better (so if you are newly diagnosed… I promise, it DOES get easier!), and we eat a diet that is primarily naturally gluten-free; whole fruits and vegetables and lean proteins. It is healthier and a LOT less expensive than buying gluten-free processed foods.  It took me time though, to get to this place, in terms of taste and emotional acceptance.

So, from the point of my diagnosis to where I am today, I relied a lot on supplements, and I still take them as added “insurance.”  A couple of months ago I found a new fiber supplement to try and we love it, even Sam and Luke, just by the fact that they don’t know I have put it in their food or beverage! It is called Vivagave, an Organic Blue Agave Inulin powder (read the health effects section on the Inulin link). Here is a bit of information on Vivagave from their website:

As a soluble fiber, this versatile Prebiotic can be used to aid in the growth of “good” intestinal bacteria.

Agave Inulin has a minimal impact on blood sugar, is not insulemic, will not raise triglycerides; making agave inulin a low glycemic product. Inulin also increases calcium and magnesium absorption.

A diet rich in soluble fiber, such as inulin, helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract and may help promote regularity

10 grams of fiber in 1 tablespoon!

I found Vivagave at my local Whole Foods. It was not in the vitamin/supplement section of the store, but in the grocery section near the agave nectar. A 7-ounce package is $8.99, a really good price compared to other fiber supplements and 7-oz. goes a long way! Mike and I each take a tablespoon a day, and I put one teaspoon’s worth in Sam and Luke’s milk, juice, yogurt or something else that I can blend it in, like the chocolate “pudding” below or mashed potatoes, etc. Just for reference, here is a good article titled High-Fiber Foods for Gluten-Free Diets. On the first page is a guideline for how much fiber children need. There are also some great suggestions for foods with high-fiber content.

Vivagave is a superfine white powder and it dissolves well without giving you that “texture” common in some fiber supplements:

I like to add a tablespoon to my Chobani Greek Yogurt:

This morning, I put some in Luke’s chocolate pudding (wait till you see what this “pudding” is made of! I will post that next):

The powder totally disappears!

The “proof is in the pudding!”

Vivagave also comes in Vanilla and Chocolate, but we haven’t tried those yet.

There are also other ways of adding fiber into your diet.  I have been experimenting a lot lately with replacing eggs in my baked goods with flax gel for added fiber and less cholesterol.  I have also been putting beans in my baked goods, like black beans in brownies or the chocolate chips cookies with garbanzo beans/chickpeas recipe I posted back in October.  Beans “hide” very well in baked goods!!

Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup

GF Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup

1 cup Gluten-Free Magic Mix

1/4 tsp. Onion Powder

3/4 cup Tomato Juice (see below)

• Add Magic Mix, onion powder and tomato juice to a saucepan. Mix well.

• Turn heat to medium and stir constantly until the mixture thickens (this does not take very long).

Use one recipe of this for each can of Condensed Tomato Soup called for in your recipe.

Comparison to the “real” thing:

The texture and consistency of the Campbell’s is quite a bit thinner than what I came up with. The Campbell’s version is more like a thick Tomato Sauce. I will tinker around and see if I can come up with something more like the Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup (eventually, I am a bit backlogged at the moment ). Any which way, I have been using the GF Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup in all my recipes that call for Condensed Tomato Soup and we have liked it all the same, even if it does lend a creamier consistency to the finished product. Besides, it’s been 5 years… I have essentially wiped out any real memories of casseroles in my former gluten-life!

Okay, I couldn’t stop myself. Monopotassium Phosphate (this is only a clip from Wikipedia, click on the link for further info):

is a soluble salt which is used as a fertilizer, a food additive and a fungicide.

I love how they sandwiched “food additive” in between “fertilizer” and “fungicide.” Couldn’t they have at least put “food additive” first??

What I used in the Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Tomato Soup Recipe (this is actually rather funny in an ironic sort of way!):

Click here for a list of Campbell’s Gluten Free Products.

Since I do not drink tomato juice and I do not use condensed tomato soup all that often, I freeze the left over juice in ice cube trays to use as needed. :-)

Gluten-Free Chocolate Chex Power Sticks Breakfast Bars

O.H. M.Y. G.O.S.H.

That is all any of us could say after we tried these, they are that yummy! Think Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Power Sticks, just lighter on the chocolate.

Luke nearly hyperventilated.

I have my very good friend Mary to thank for this recipe, a variation she came up with for her son, K.B. Mary and I were talking last night while she was making the regular Power Sticks but with Rice Chex because she is trying to remove corn from K.B.’s diet. She was also using Vance’s Darifree (potato milk powder) in place of the regular powdered milk. Apparently, this is a pretty good dairy-free milk substitute as K.B. has given it a 7 out of 10 and he has not exactly embraced most of his dietary changes. So I ordered some today for myself! Anyway, Mary, you ROCK for thinking this one up!

Chocolate Chex has peanut flour in it, so if you have a peanut allergy, don’t waste your time looking for this particular flavor of Chex (in case you didn’t know this already) to use with Sunbutter. However, the texture of the crushed Chex cereal worked very well, so using Rice or Corn Chex with Sunbutter would be a great option!

Chocolate Chex Power Sticks Breakfast Bars

1/2 cup Peanut Butter (I used Jif Natural Creamy Peanut Butter)

3 Tbs. Honey (I used 1 1/2 Tbs. Agave Nectar this time… it worked out GREAT!)

2/3 cup Crushed Chocolate Chex cereal

1/3 cup Nonfat Dry Milk Powder (could use a non-dairy powdered milk too)

• Mix everything together in a bowl. Form into 6 sticks and wrap individually in wax paper.

• I store mine in an airtight container in the freezer.

I will be taking the weekend off. We are going to a wedding in Santa Fe tomorrow, where we will be “brown bagging it” to the reception, well, not really brown bagging it per se, but the caterer cannot accommodate our dietary restrictions so we will be getting take-out from the famous Coyote Cafe (See page 259 of the 4th edition of Triumph Dining’s The Essential Gluten-Free Restaurant Guide, an absolute must if you are new the the gluten-free diet. I have had all 4 versions and they just keep getting better and better!).

Sunday, I will be suiting up to play “Farmer Jane.” Mike and I are tearing out the grass from half of our back yard to start our new adventure in gardening! We have long been interested in growing our own fruits and vegetables but have never been motivated beyond the “thinking of it” stage! After playing Farmville on Facebook for a few months now, we finally feel ready! Just kidding.

Mike and I have been watching some compelling films like Food, Inc. and King Corn, as well as reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma and researching the Slow Food Movement, and we feel it is time for us to take the next step. Not sure how it will work out, we have a combined Zero in the green thumb department between the two of us but Mike’s dad is on his way to becoming a Master Gardener, so we are planning on using his expertise quite a bit!

A Changing Environment and the Increasing Prevalence of Celiac Disease

The National Institute of Health (NIH) just released the Fall, 2009 Celiac Disease E-Newsletter and in it is the following article that seriously makes me shudder over the food we put into our bodies and the effect it is having on the human body: obesity, diabetes (among many others) and now possibly even celiac disease?

Research studies in the United States and Europe show that celiac disease is significantly more common now than it was a few generations ago. Recent research by Joseph Murray, M.D., professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, and colleagues shows that this shift reflects an actual increase in prevalence, not merely a new awareness of the disease and more accurate diagnostic tools. Murray and colleagues’ research—reported briefly in the Spring/Summer 2009 issue of Celiac Disease News—compared blood samples collected 50 years ago from more than 9,000 young adults, mostly men, at Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming with current samples from age-matched men. The investigators found that celiac disease is four times more common today than a half-century ago. The increase cannot be a result of changes in the genetic factors that underlie celiac disease, Murray explained. “Of course, human genetics will change in response to the environment, but that change is extremely slow. It’s far more probable that the increase is due to an environmental change, and the most likely factor is a change involving the grain in our diets,” Murray said. “Consumption of wheat has increased steadily over the past 50 years, but it still is less than what it was a century ago, so the issue is not simple consumption,” Murray noted. “It more likely involves the wheat itself, which has undergone extensive hybridization as a crop and undergoes dramatic changes during processing that involves oxidizers, new methods of yeasting, and other chemical processes. We have no idea what effect these changes may have on the immune system.”

A second environmental factor that may be contributing to the increase in celiac disease is what is known as the “hygiene hypothesis,” explained Murray. This theory proposes that the developing immune system has to be stimulated by exposure to infectious agents, bacteria, or parasites in order to develop properly. An increasingly clean environment reduces the number of factors that challenge and stimulate the developing immune system, making infants and children more susceptible to immune disorders and allergic diseases. The hygiene hypothesis may account, in part, for the increases observed not only in celiac disease, but in other allergies and immune disorders. “Diet and hygiene both may play a role in the increase. There no doubt are multiple environmental factors that interact to trigger the onset in people who are genetically predisposed,” Murray said. “The increasing prevalence makes it more important that health care providers and patients are alert to the possibility of celiac disease.”

Check out this video clip from the film Food, Inc.; while it is not about celiac disease, it does give some rather disturbing “food for thought.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqQVll-MP3I&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1]

Makes ya wonder huh? I cannot recommend this film enough. Mike and I watched it a few weeks ago and I have not looked at the food in the grocery store the same since!