[Sca-cooks] [Bulk] Re: Allergies

[Stefan li Rous]

Bear commented:
<<< I think Hrothny's solution to the problem is good planning, which is what 
you need to handle a range of allergies.  The "Wow" goes to her. >>>

I agree. However, for most normal headcooks, that is really asking too much of them.

Several years ago, when we last discussed allergies and feasts in detail, I thought the general consensus was not to try to make separate dishes, often for folks who don’t show up, but to:
1) Create a variety of dishes
2) Avoid putting the same ingredient in every dish
3) Make an ingredient list available
4) Don’t make substitutions or additions to the food, from what is given on the list.

ingred-lists-msg (18K) 4/ 6/07 Posting ingredient lists at SCA feasts.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/FEASTS/ingred-lists-msg.html

Several months ago, I started reading books on nutrition, your internal micro biome, probiotics, prebiotics etc. I’ve just barely gotten into it, but it looks like there is more and more evidence that most (all?) autoimmune diseases are caused by the body reacting to various compounds, likely those that manage to get through our intestinal walls into the bloodstream. The body reacts, creating antibodies to these undigested food particles, bacteria, other poisons. Maybe these antibodies themselves or because the body can no longer get rid of the antibodies after they capture the bad things fast enough, the antibodies start attacking the body’s cells. Part of the problem may be turning off the immune system after it has been turned on for too long.

This “leaky gut” theory, says that various poisons and more likely, a lack of certain gut organisms cause the intestine to start leaking these food particles and other things through the lining of the intestines. Those who have food allergies or autoimmune diseases might want to think on whether they had a lot of antibiotics as a child, especially when they were only a few years old. Apparently this is when the immune system is training itself, and it may train itself to attack the wrong things.

Our greater and greater use of factory food processing, some genetic manipulation and making our living environment “too” clean may be causing our accelerating numbers of allergies (both food and environmental) and autoimmune diseases.

I thought that we were seeing more autoimmune diseases simply because we had eliminated a lot of the easier ways to die (viruses, bad bacteria, injury) and we were living longer. But the increase on some things like autoimmune diseases and food allergies is increasing faster among the young.

Again, still reading. But I, personally have started modifying my diet and adding things like probiotics and certain mineral supplements. For instance, some things you eat (or should eat) are not for you, but for the microbes in your gut. Indigestible plant fiber has been one thing pointed out. i.e.: cabbage. And if you make it into sauerkraut, and don’t kill the microbes by heating (pasteurizing) or adding preservatives, then those microorganisms help replenish those that have been destroyed by antibiotics.

A lot of this is "getting back closer to nature” and minimizing the processing of the foods you eat. A couple of months ago, i thought folks that were into this were nuts. Now, I’m not so sure. It is just very difficult, and inconvenient to give up my packaged, ready to eat foods.

Okay, not very organized. this is the first I’ve tried to collect some of my thoughts on this. Plus different books emphasis things a little differently.

Some of my recent reading, which I recommend:

The Microbiome Solution: A Radical New Way to Heal Your Body from the Inside Out
M.D., Dr. Robynne Chutkan
978-0-399-57350-7
Avery - 2016
Paperback - 304 pages


The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life
PhD, Rodney Dietert
978-1-101-98390-4
Dutton - 2016
Hardcover - 352 pages
(Not an easy read. Less than 1% of you is human genes. Over 99% of your genome is in the micro biome in your internal organisms.)


Eat Dirt
Axe, Dr Josh
978-1-5098-2095-5
Bluebird - 2016
Paperback - 352 pages
(Much more comprehensive on the “leaky gut” idea of how the bad things getting into the bloodstream from the intestines are overloading the immune system and causing autoimmune diseases.

Mark Harris
(Stefan, if he thought of disease at all, would think of humors being out of balance. An idea that will likely be thought of soon as just as ignorant as the idea that we should sterilize everything and kill all microorganisms inside and outside of our body to be healthy and safe)

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THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
   Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at gmail.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****