Health Hack #3 - What's The Deal With Gluten?
WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH GLUTEN?
Real Food Eatery is 100% Gluten Free and we’ve been so since Day 1. Though our founders don’t possess a gluten allergy, they decided to largely avoid gluten long before “Gluten Free” became a ubiquitous phrase, slapped across every other food label in the snack section of the grocery store. Nowadays, most people are able to associate gluten as being some kind of negative, mostly towards those who harbor a gluten allergy. For those with allergies, gluten can wreak serious gastrointestinal havoc of varying degrees. But what about everyone else? And what exactly is it about gluten that made it such a buzzword?
What is Gluten?
Gluten translates to glue in Latin. It is two proteins bound (“glued”) together found in a variety of cereal grains, most notably in wheat. Gluten’s glue-like stickiness is precisely why it’s valued as such a key ingredient in breads, baked goods, and pastas. It functions as an adhesive of sorts, helping to bind flour together. It helps to lend products an elasticity and fluffiness and is also capable of extending their shelf life. When you bite into a freshly made loaf of bread you can feel gluten at work via the fluffy softness in between the crunchy exterior. It literally makes things taste better. If you’ve ever tasted gluten-free bread, you assuredly know the difference!
Why is there such an effort to push “Gluten Free” everything?
For starters, it’s a common food allergy. Celiac disease is the primary autoimmune condition (there are others) exacerbated by gluten consumption, manifesting in a slew of adverse symptoms. It can be an extremely serious problem.
On the other hand, most of us don’t carry a gluten allergy. And chances are the majority of us who don’t aren’t able to detect any noticeable ill effects after consuming it. But does that make it good for everyone else? Or if not good, at least innocuous? It’s debatable, but not necessarily.
The glue-like properties that make gluten a tremendous asset for baking are the same ones that pose issues for digestion. They interfere with our body’s ability to break down the food being consumed, as well as the nutrients from being properly and fully absorbed. When this occurs, indigestible remnants linger and then trigger an inflammatory response in the body. This is especially potent in those with severe gluten intolerance, but can also affect those with a higher tolerance. Inflammation can arise in ways that we may not immediately detect. It doesn’t always imply agitation in our gut. It could be a faint breakout of acne on our face or as simple a symptom as a sudden wave of fatigue.
Over the last 5-10 years more and more consumers have begun tuning into the gluten debate, promoting more and more food distributors to do the same. And so, we’ve seen an influx in gluten free products virtually everywhere you turn.
So what do I do?
First, develop an understanding of where gluten is found. Breads, cereals, pastas and many products that use grains in some capacity (i.e., pizza). For a more all-encompassing list of gluten-containing foods click here: drperlmutter.com/eat/foods-that-contain-gluten
Beyond that, become a bit more mindful of how your body feels after consuming some. If you polish off a bowl of pasta and are ready for battle, then maybe there’s no need to change your habits. But, if you notice yourself feeling off, then track that and see if a similar meal sans the gluten has you feeling better. If it does, then maybe limiting your gluten intake would be a worthy exploration. Bottom line...listen to your body!
Til next week!
RFE