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

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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 YoonSent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 12:33 PM Subject: [ ]garden of life products, primal defense, fyiI just wanted to know what people think of this letterfrom Garden of Life. Their Primal Defense product andFYI (For Your Inflammation) have wheat and barleygrass juice. I'm not sure I believe that theseproducts are safe for celiacs. Anyone else know forsure?Thanks, Alice"Dear Alice,Thank you for contacting Garden of Life. Safety is ourprimary concern.We grow our raw materials using strict guidelines tomaintainconsistency and ensure our end products do not containallergens;however, it would be extremely difficult for anycompany that usesgrasses in their product to provide a 100% guarantee.We cut the grasseswhen they are young before the gluten head forms; wedon't includegluten in our products, however we can't guaranteethat our products aregluten-free. There may be trace amounts due to thelarge number ofsuppliers we handle. For those that are extremelysensitive to allergenssuch as gluten, they need to be cautious with anyproduct they consume. I hope this information is of help to you. Please letme know if I canbe of any further assistance. Have a blessed day.For new and current product updates, sign up for ourFree ExtraordinaryHealth monthly e-newsletter, please click on thefollowing link:http://www.gardenoflife.com/eh_signup.shtml.Wishing you health and wellness,JoyGarden of Life, Product Supportwww.gardenoflife.com"__________________________________________________