Gluten is a protein found mainly in wheat, barley and rye. A gluten-free diet is directed at people with celiac disease to steer clear of severe intestinal inflammation. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a lesser illness that a gluten-free diet may help too.
Gluten-free labels pop up more frequently these days. WebMD says that it may be one of the healthier trends in the last decade. The confusion is whether it affects everyone the same, or if it is only beneficial to people with certain medical conditions.
Experts in the health and wellness industry suggest a gluten-free diet for everyone, even if you aren’t intolerant. It can help you lose weight, improve your mood and get healthier.
What is Gluten?
The first thing you need to know is that it is not a single compound. It is a collective of proteins called prolamins. Varieties of prolamins exist, are related and have similar properties and structures.
Wheat’s main prolamins are gliadin and glutenin, and barley has one primary prolamin called hordein. Glutenin and gliadin are very elastic and suitable for baking bread and other goods.
Grains and foods containing gluten are popular in modern-day diets. Gluten proteins protease enzymes and break down proteins in your digestive tract. As a result, incomplete digestion produces peptides (the building blocks of proteins made of large units of amino acids) and enters the wall of your small intestine and then the rest of your body. It triggers immune responses found in many related conditions, including celiac disease.
Gluten-free diet
According to Mayo Clinic, minimal evidence showcases a gluten-free diet with particular health benefits. However, it can be healthy if you choose the right gluten-free foods, eat them regularly and if your other food choices have health benefits too.
Natural, gluten-free foods include lean meats, low-fat dairy, vegetables, fruit, as well as whole gluten-free grains and healthy fats. Experts advise to not replace gluten-containing foods with more red meat, full-fat dairy, etc. It may lead to high cholesterol and more intakes of saturated fat, sodium and unnecessary calories.
Amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, teff, millet, corn and rice are gluten-free whole grains. They are natural sources of folate, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, iron, protein and fibre.
Wheat allergies
Wheat allergy is more frequent for children but can impact adults too. If you are allergic to wheat, your immune response to specific proteins in wheat and wheat products is abnormal.
Your symptoms include mild nausea to life-threatening anaphylaxis, which is an allergic reaction that causes difficulty breathing. A wheat allergy is not like celiac disease, but you can have both conditions at the same time.
Wheat allergies are found through blood or skin-prick testing.
Non-celiac issues
Symptoms come up in many people that don’t have celiac disease or wheat allergies. It is best known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) – people who experience intestinal and other symptoms including headaches, fatigue and joint pain after intake.
You must have ruled out celiac disease and wheat allergies before being diagnosed with NCGS.
The hype behind the famous diet
Harvard Health suspects that there are a few factors that made a gluten-free lifestyle so popular:
- Maybe it is intuition and sounds like the right idea for you.
- Logic tells you that because people with celiac disease can’t have gluten, then it may be bad for you?
- Celebrities are doing it! Someone that you admire eliminated gluten in their diet, so you want to try it too.
- You hear testimonials from people who once had issues with gluten and now don’t because they removed it from their diets.
- Marketing persuaded you! Products or books featuring gluten-free recipes convinced you to jump on the bandwagon even if little science backs up the theories.
The downside
Every health intervention has risks. Going gluten-free may end negatively for you, but it is even worse for your bank account.
Many people believe that these diets offer more nutrients and contain more minerals and vitamins than conventional foods. Unfortunately, that information is often false. These foods usually come up as less fortified, especially with folic acid, iron and various other nutrients found in gluten-filled foods.
The food has less fibre but more sugar and fat. Studies show many gluten-free diet trends resulting in weight gain and obesity. This applies to people living with celiac disease too.
Overall, many people choose to pay more for food they believe is healthier. With little to no proof on this topic, it is hard to say that gluten-free food is better than conventional foods.
Do some research and speak to experts or your doctor. It is crucial to find out what works best for you.
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