The Truth Behind the Gluten Free Phenomenon
Posted by Kirill Storch on 2/14/2011
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A lot of us love the grain: Pizza, Beer, Donuts...all of these are glorious bits of gluten goodness. But what you may not realize is the terror this passion incurs upon your digestive system.
It can be a struggle jumping into the world of gluten free. Today we take an honest look at diet’s latest bad boy: Gluten. Clearly gluten is the culprit behind aggravation of Celiac Disease. But even while health gurus are cheering the advance of gluten free foods on the shelves, some doctors remain skeptical. We at Girolami Farms decided to investigate once and for all the claim that Gluten-Free is better for your health.
The gluten free fad is here to stay. PF Chang’s and Outback Steak House are focusing on gluten free options, and alternative health doctors are constantly telling people they have gluten intolerance. However they may not always have rational basis for doing so. Let’s examine the claims.
THE CLAIM: Gluten is hard to digest. True, bran and germ especially can be difficult to digest. However, does that mean it is bad for your digestion? Often times gluten can help by clearing out your intestinal track.
THE CLAIM: Gluten free diets burn pounds. True, gluten is commonly found in processed foods so cutting out gluten automatically correlates with weight loss.
THE CLAIM: Our bodies don’t know how to process gluten well. Gluten is one of the newest additions to the human diet. As it entered dietary circulation 10000 years ago. It is now so prevalent that its found in lotions, chapstick and on envelopes. Studies vary on whether or not its age affects processing.
THE CLAIM: Gluten has melamine. Unfortunately some Chinese companies were accused of slipping melamine into pet food, and the melamine was hidden in gluten. But no humans were exposed to it.
Gluten allergies will provoke an immediate response, whereas the one in three thousand living with Celiac disease will see that it increases their risk of a flare up.
The increase in Celiac Disease is really due to better detection methods. And more people believe they might have a problem with it so they get checked out.
The most common test for Celiac is a kind of blood test that measures your antibodies. Peolpe with Celiac disease lose the lining in their small intestine and cannot absorb nutrients well. The final proof of having this disease is improvement on a gluten free diet.
In the past you could not predict Celiac in this way because the symptoms varied so widely.
Celiac is on the rise because the West has overdoses on wheat. We are eating so much of the stuff, that sensitivity becomes more prevalent, almost as a genetic prevention measure. So what to conclude? The jury is still out. It is obvious that gluten free helps some and does little for others. Try it and see what you think.
