January 3 - 6: Naturopathic Physician Brooke Kalanick Answers Your Questions About Detox

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mary E. Witzig on January 3, 2011 at 12:01am

Hi Dr. Brooke - I'm a nursing mom and I'm aware that there is a concern of toxins being released into breast milk when losing weight too quickly (i.e., more than 1-2 lbs per week). Other than making sure that I'm not losing weight too quickly while participating in this detox, is there anything else I should be concerned about? Thanks!

Permalink Reply by Dr Brooke Kalanick on January 3, 2011 at 3:28pm

Hi Mary,

Yes, losing weight too quickly is not a good idea for the reason you mentioned. And while this plan did not recommend supplements to bolster detoxification, there are many products available over the counter and you should avoid all of them while breastfeeding.

 

You do not want to push detox too hard while breast feeding (such as with supplements), but the food plan and even the allergy elimination aspect, is safe for you. Just be sure you are eating enough, when we cut out food groups like dairy or gluten we can end up skimping too much on calories - so just be sure you eat enough and often enough to sustain breastfeeding.

 

And of course, drink lots of water!

 

Dr Brooke

Permalink Reply by Sandra on January 3, 2011 at 8:47am

Is long cooked oatmeal considered a gluten?  I was planning on cooking it in water and adding chopped apples & cinnamon to it for all my breakfast's this week.

 

I was going to start my day with green tea......is there caffein in green tea?

Thank you

Permalink Reply by Dr Brooke Kalanick on January 3, 2011 at 3:34pm

Hi Sandra,

Oats grown in the US have unfortunately been contaminated with gluten (there is also some people who cross react to gluten like proteins in oats even if the oats are technically gluten free). So oats make the "no go list" for a gluten free diet. Unless however, they are the Irish oats - which still are considered gluten free.

 

Green tea has some caffeine in it, however there are many varieties of decaffeinated green tea available. Black tea has the most caffeine, followed by green tea, with white tea having the least - and then of course there are herbal teas which are typically caffeine free.

 

One final thought, most people feel better energy from including a protein with breakfast rather than a cereal or other starchy carb on it's own...something to consider as you find your breakfast options for the week.

 

Good Luck,

Dr Brooke

Permalink Reply by tunibell on January 3, 2011 at 7:30pm

Hi Dr. Brooke,

 

I think your information regarding oats and gluten might be outdated.

 

Irish oats (which I believe is another name for steel-cut oats?) are NOT considered gluten free. Most oats that individuals can pick up at the supermarket (including McCann's Irish Oatmeal, Country Choice Organic Irish Steel Cut Oats, Quaker Oats, etc.) are contaminated with gluten, either in the fields or in production. The ONLY gluten-free oats are those grown in dedicated gluten-free fields and processed in gluten-free facilities. Both GlutenFreeOats.com and Bob's Red Mill (note: look for the oats specifically marked gluten-free) offer oats that meet these criteria and are tested for purity. Studies have shown that most individuals with celiac disease (like me) can tolerate pure oats. For more information, I recommend checking out celiaccentral.org.

 

Along these same lines...both the website and the magazine advise participants to avoid "wheat/gluten," as though they were the same thing. Gluten is the elastic protein in wheat, BARLEY, and RYE.

 

Sincerely,

Jessika (tunibell.com) 

Permalink Reply by Dr Brooke Kalanick on January 3, 2011 at 10:53pm

Hi Jessika,

We may have opened up a can of worms here with the gluten topic, haven't we? It is a complex issue and experts disagree on many issues, including oats. You are corrent that oats can be contaminated during farming or processing. And the plan, for ease sake does not delve into the variations of wheat, gluten, gliadin, wheat allergy, wheat intolerance, gluten intolerance and gluten allergy - it is truly much more complex than we had time to cover in the 28 day plan.

 

For most people, following the elimination as laid out will be enough to show a sensitivity - even if every molecule of gluten is not removed. For others with more significant reactivity, they may need a more comprehensive elimination. It may also be difficult for some to discern if a reaction is happening as not all gluten reactivity is digestive in nature. In fact 60% of people reactive to gluten do not have digestive issues - which means a reaction like insomnia may be related to gluten. 

 

Also, for many people it may take months for their system to calm down from gluten - longer than the 28 day plan allows for.  So my advice here is if you think you may have an issue with gluten and are doing an elimination diet such as this without professional supervision, avoid grains entirely and get your carbs from root veggies, pumpkin, winter squashes, fruits, etc. And you may want to consider doing a longer elimination than just 28 days - or better yet, seek the help of a professional to help you.

 

There are many, many sources of gluten in our diet - well beyond wheat, other grains, etc; and this may be in an issue for some people, those with celiac obviously, but for many others such as anyone suffering from autoimmune disease. Diagnosed celiac patients are merely the tip of the gluten iceberg.  For most however, this 28 day plan serves as a great starting point.

 

Finally, the issue is unfortunatly just not clear cut - even among one celiac patient to the next as there are issues of cross reactivity (to other grain protiens), multiple food sensitivities, etc. I have celiac patients that react to even rice protein for example, which is assumed "hypoallergenic". And still others that can eat wheat not grown in the US, but in Europe for example, with out issue.

 

I hope this reply is helpful and not more confusing!  Thanks again Jessika for your input.

Permalink Reply by Sandra on January 3, 2011 at 8:34pm

Thank you for the info.  But I am having a really hard time coming up with an idea (protein, or otherwise) for breakfast.

I purchased the Diamond Almond milk suggested earlier and might make a smoothie using that almond milk, ice, blueberries, and a little pomegranate concentrate.  Sounds good and keeping with week one?

Sandra

Permalink Reply by Micaela Preston on January 4, 2011 at 9:23am

Millet is gluten free and makes a great breakfast cereal.  I cooked some up today with apples, raisins, unsweetened coconut and a bit of cinnamon.  Instead of milk I used unsweetened coconut milk.  It was delicious.  The millet I purchased was from Bob's Red Mill.

 

Micaela

www.mindfulmomma.com

Permalink Reply by tunibell on January 4, 2011 at 11:40am

Quinoa also makes a great breakfast cereal, and it's high in protein.

 

This website is my all-time favorite for gluten-free cooking. Most of the recipes are also dairy-free and egg-free. Check out the Teff Banana Pancakes. My kids and I eat these all the time, sometimes exchanging the banana for applesauce or pureed pumpkin and the teff for sorghum. (Note: Baking powder usually contains cornstarch, but you can make your own corn-free baking powder by combining 2 parts cream of tartar, 1 part baking soda, and 2 parts arrowroot powder.)

 

Jessika

www.tunibell.com

Permalink Reply by Michelle Clancy on January 3, 2011 at 11:42pm

 

Dr. Brooke,

 

Do you have any guidelines to help me determine which if any vitamins I should take? I am 36 and have recently decided to stop eating dairy. I have had it suggested that I add Cal/Mag and Omega3 as part of a vitamin rountine daily. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thank you,

 

Michelle

Permalink Reply by Dr Brooke Kalanick on January 5, 2011 at 1:51am

Hi Michelle,

For general health a high quality multivitamin and fish oil/omega 3 supplement are what I consider the basics to add to a healhty diet. The only over the counter fish oil I recommend due to it's high quality processing and low contamination is Nordic Naturals.

Daily recommended intake for calcium is 1200mg - so eat a diet high in green leafies and then supplement to make up the difference. A cal/mag supplement in a 2:1 ratio is a good general recommendation, although magnesium deficiency is quite common.

The one other nutrient you're getting from diary is Vitamin D, which is a common deficiency.  I do recommend having your 25 OH Vitamin D level checked by your doctor before supplementing, however most people can tolerate 2000-4000IU per day as most people are deficient. If you start supplementing without beign tested, simply get the test done within 3 months.

 

Good Luck,

Dr Brooke

Permalink Reply by Kim Hose Everhart on January 4, 2011 at 9:02am

Hi Dr. Brooke,

I am also a nursing mom.  Are there any foods you can recommend within the limits of this plan that will help me reach my caloric and fat needs to keep my milk supply healthy?  My aim in this plan is not to lose weight but to replace sugars and junk with more nutrient rich foods.

 Thanks!

 

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