How do I stop getting sick?

Re: inflammatory foods...

I understand the resistance to the gluten free diet as being "new age" or "not supported."  Having 4 people in my immediate family, Baltimore girl, and an ex-wife all with gluten problems, it's a real thing.  I don't care if you say "its only for people with celiacs," I call BS.  It's a thing.  Just because the pharmaceutical and medical industries haven't put a label on it yet doesn't mean it isn't.  How many years did we lump Cancer, TB, and Flu into one broad category of "consumption" because we didn't know what it was yet? Speaking generally to the population... a few years ago, how many people went to their doctor and got diagnosed with Restless Leg Syndrome?  You'll buy that, but not a food allergy?

I'm starting to look into the research about glyphosate and grains.  I've dug deep enough that Baltimore girl has ordered some wheat flour from Europe (where glyphosate is banned) to try it.

SVreX said:

Sell the kid and use the money to build a Challenge car!

Finally, some real wisdom!

Curtis said:

Re: inflammatory foods...

... some wheat flour from Europe (where glyphosate is banned) to try it.

Bake American Grain Again!

In reply to Curtis :

I would agree there's something to it.  I do wish I could find a better pattern of what aggravates my stomach and what doesn't. I've eaten stuff labeled "gluten free" that causes me indigestion just as bad as "gluten" foods.  Anymore, I've resigned myself to popping a Pepcid AC tablet before bed each night.  Even then, any attempt to sleep on my back causes excruciating pain, tablet or not. 

Curtis said:

Re: inflammatory foods...

I understand the resistance to the gluten free diet as being "new age" or "not supported."  Having 4 people in my immediate family, Baltimore girl, and an ex-wife all with gluten problems, it's a real thing.  I don't care if you say "its only for people with celiacs," I call BS.  It's a thing.  Just because the pharmaceutical and medical industries haven't put a label on it yet doesn't mean it isn't.  How many years did we lump Cancer, TB, and Flu into one broad category of "consumption" because we didn't know what it was yet? Speaking generally to the population... a few years ago, how many people went to their doctor and got diagnosed with Restless Leg Syndrome?  You'll buy that, but not a food allergy?

I'm starting to look into the research about glyphosate and grains.  I've dug deep enough that Baltimore girl has ordered some wheat flour from Europe (where glyphosate is banned) to try it.

I'll buy a food allergy. I just don't think it is gluten in the vast majority of people. I'd think it is overprocessed foods, or some other additive. I think going gluten free gives false negatives. 

In any case, it would behoove you to check out the documentary Sustainable. You don't need to buy flour from Europe, it is grown and milled here in the US. It is just difficult to find. Start by searching for "ancient grains". Actually, start by watching the documentary. Very eye opening for me.

In reply to Ian F :

I had good success reigning in my acid reflux issues by following a Low-FODMAP diet for a while. FODMAP refers to foods that are not well digested and therefore ferment in the gut, leading to inflamation and a host of other digestive ailments.

A low-FODMAP diet is basically an elimination diet, where you remove all foods that are likely to cause digestive problems. Once you have a baseline healthy gut, you can start adding foods back in and note your trigger foods. They will become quite obvious once you go a few weeks with no reflux. 

People who don't have celiac disease but respond well to some gluten free foods may be actually eating low FODMAP foods as a result of trying to go gluten free, but of course not all gluten free foods are low-FODMAP foods, so you can still have trigger foods in your diet. There's a ton of info out there on it, the link above is just the wiki. I no longer need prilosec and I was taking one daily just so I could sleep without reflux. I don't even strictly eat low-FODMAP foods any more, just a month or so got me back on track. I take a multi vitamin and probiotic daily and pretty much can eat whatever in moderation. I also have to keep my stress low, as that sets it off as well.

We have an almost 7 year old boy, and a 2.5 year old girl, both with a tendency to bring sniffles and much worse back from preschool, so I'm 100% sympathetic with the OP's situation.  Our daughter, who is a very light sleeper, tends to wake up at least twice a night, more if sick, and a lot of times we end up having to rock her back to sleep etc. 

Anyway, I think what makes parents so susceptible is the lack of sleep coupled with germy exposure at night, when the kids are at their snottiest/cough the most. We help them blow their nose etc, then rub our own eye or whatever, and bam...  I started taking a hot shower whenever I had to get up with a kid, and it somehow did the trick. My wife refuses to try it, and she now gets sick much more frequently than me.  I have no idea if this shower thing is scientifically supported, but it helps.

In reply to EastCoastMojo :

Thanks.  I'll look into that.  I try to eat better, but actually doing it is proving extremely difficult.

Unfortunately, lowering stress is proving even more difficult, despite my best efforts.

AngryCorvair said:

Curtis said:

Re: inflammatory foods...

... some wheat flour from Europe (where glyphosate is banned) to try it.

Bake American Grain Again!

Your pun skills are second to none.

somehow I managed to miss my sniffles becoming anything worse.  I know this flu is ravaging my department at work, even my supervisor is out with it.

mtn said:

In any case, it would behoove you to check out the documentary Sustainable. You don't need to buy flour from Europe, it is grown and milled here in the US. It is just difficult to find. Start by searching for "ancient grains". Actually, start by watching the documentary. Very eye opening for me.

Haven't seen that documentary, but a number of the wheat varieties that were common in ancient times had more gluten than the currently grown strains, sometimes double what it is in modern bread flour, and way more than other grades. More details here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573730/

There may be some other benefits to older wheat strains, but low gluten isn't one of them. And some of the other "ancient grains"  aren't even in the grass family - quinoa, for example.

All things in moderation.