Gluten Free, Rice Free?
The Challenge
Gluten free, corn free and now rice free?
By now we have all heard about being gluten free either by fad, by choice or by necessity. Some of you may also know the dangers of switching to corn, especially GMO corn which can be equally as detrimental. What you may not have heard is rice is also a major player in the gluten free game.
So whats the problem with rice? Arsenic. Don’t think it is affecting you? Well it could be mimicking gluten sensitivity and seeing as it is affecting m millions of people worldwide I would say chance are it could be an issue in your diet. Arsenic exposure can come from multiple sources. There are both organic and inorganic arsenic so knowing the difference may help.
Organic arsenic: (arsenobentaine and arsenocholine) – these forms are relatively non toxic and prominently found in seafood. They are excreted from the body via the kidneys.
Inorganic arsenic (Trivalent or As III) – This form or arsenic is the real danger, and it is the form commonly found in rice based products. It exerts damage by interfering with at least 200 different enzyme systems in the body. Many of these are critical in producing energy and regulating DNA. It is also a known human carcinogen (causes cancer). Constant exposure to even low levels of arsenic can cause systemic multi-organ disease and damage including the liver, kidney, heart, lung, muscles, nervous system, and GI tract (are you seeing a trend here)? this specific type comes from rice (especially brown rice), contaminated drinking water, pesticides, insecticides, and fungicides. It is important to note that even organically grown rice can contain high levels of arsenic, because it can be found at high levels in soil depending on where it is grown.
Does this mean it should be avoided entirely? I prefer to cut it out of my diet whenever possible, especially if there is a methylation issue (gene mutation).
For the newbies out there choosing a rice substitute may seem easy, but the issue lies in the fact that you are already suffering damage from gluten making you more susceptible to damage by arsenic when you transition to these gluten free substitutes.
Fun fact: rice contains gluten! It is also a factor in raising blood sugar levels which is not ideal (high glycemic)
Arsenic can also be found in the following: grains (and grain based products), bottled water, coffee, processed juice, and beer. According to an investigation from Consumer Health Reports, the highest levels of this toxic metal are found in rice (especially brown rice).
The Solution
This applies to all rice even the non gmo and organic ones as arsenic is found in the soil and transfers over in the growth stage. What you could opt for is WILD rice. You see wild rice is actually not rice at all but rather marsh grass. How cool is that?
So what are some pf the symptoms of arsenic poisoning? They tend to overlap and manifest in much the same way as gluten. Many have experienced neuropathy, epileptic seizures, heart damage (cardiomyopathy), abdominal pain, severe diahhrea, skin rashes, nausea, and those common white bands/ridges across the nails.
So what do you do if you think this might be happening? Unfortunately there is no universally agreed upon treatment. What you need to understand is that inorganic arsenic needs to go through a methylation reaction in the liver prior to being excreted by the kidneys, this is why supporting all our systems is so important especially if you suffer from a genetic methylation issue such as MTHFR gene mutation. This puts you at greater risk of arsenic toxicity. Chelation is a preferred method amongst this of us in the functional medicine community by simply incorporating a number of natural chelating agents into your diet you can be on the right track to health. This means they help to bind to toxic metals and remove them from the body. My preference is always food based, such as garlic, cilantro, parsley, broccoli, watercress, and onion. I love juicing with many of these, adding in some chlorella in supplement form to get some extra bang for your buck. Foods high in vitamin C will help as well, a personal fav is Camu Camu due to it being over 1000% higher in vitamin C content than oranges. Again I’m not a fan of anything synthetic so I prefer to stay away from vitamin C in supplemental form (ascorbic acid). Another good one is an addition of alpha lipoid acid (ALA) rich foods such as organ meat (especially red meat), yams, brussels sprouts, carrots, beets, spinach, and potatoes although only in small amounts. ALA is a powerful antioxidant which is vital to cellular energy production and of course being an anti-oxidant it helps fight free radicals.
As a side note, a great test to conduct when looking into gene mutations of any type is the 23&me test.
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