RE: Wheat Grass for celiacs: garden of life products, primal defense

[Guest guest]

Pam,

Dr. Grey said at the last Stanford

Conference that NO one – no human – breaks down gliadin. And that

70% of celiacs don’t have gastrointestinal symptoms.

I’m still giving it a pass.

Connie

From:

[mailto: ] On Behalf Of Newbury

Sent: Friday, May 26, 2006 12:38 PM

Subject: [ ] Wheat

Grass for celiacs: garden of life products, primal defense

To my knowledge, the problem with wheat

grass is that when it is harvested, the potential exists for some of the wheat

grains to end up in with the grass. That is where the contamination

occurs. I would be especially concerned with any product produced in a

large factory, as that would have a greater potential for contamination due to

large batches and mechanical harvesting. I know celiacs that take wheat

grass juice, but they cut the grass themselves to ensure that no grains are in

with the grass. I do know of a celiac who had some wheat grass juice that

made her sick due to accidentally-included grain. As with any facility

that processes wheat products, some batches may be fine while others may be

contaminated.

I think that it is generally accepted that

wheat grass that is uncontaminated by the grain is safe for celiacs. That

said, I don't know of any specific studies that have analyzed wheat grass juice

to see how much or what kind of protein is in it. The specific qualities

of the protein in the wheat is what makes it toxic to celiacs. It is our

lack of enzymes to break it down coupled with the consequent triggering of

autoimmune defenses that causes celiac symptoms. It makes sense to me

that the grass grown from the wheat would not necessarily contain that protein;

but then I haven't any background in plant chemistry. Perhaps someone

with more expertise could explain this better.

Pam

Newbury

Santa

Cruz Celiac Support Group

831-423-6904

pknewbury@...

-----Original Message-----

From:

[mailto: ]On Behalf Of Alice Yoon

Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 12:33 PM

Subject: [ ]garden of

life products, primal defense, fyi

I just wanted to know

what people think of this letter

from Garden of Life. Their Primal Defense product

and

FYI (For Your Inflammation) have wheat and barley

grass juice. I'm not sure I believe that these

products are safe for celiacs. Anyone else know for

sure?

Thanks, Alice

" Dear Alice,

Thank you for contacting Garden

of Life. Safety is our

primary concern.

We grow our raw materials using strict guidelines to

maintain

consistency and ensure our end products do not contain

allergens;

however, it would be extremely difficult for any

company that uses

grasses in their product to provide a 100% guarantee.

We cut the

grasses

when they are young before the gluten head forms; we

don't include

gluten in our products, however we can't guarantee

that our products

are

gluten-free. There may be trace amounts due to the

large number of

suppliers we handle. For those that are extremely

sensitive to

allergens

such as gluten, they need to be cautious with any

product they consume.

I hope this information is of help to you. Please let

me know if I can

be of any further assistance. Have a blessed day.

For new and current product updates, sign up for our

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Wishing you health and wellness,

Joy

Garden of Life, Product Support

www.gardenoflife.com "

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