The whole truth about gluten: what is it and why should you reduce or even avoid it in your diet?

Gluten is an increasingly hot topic in health-conscious circles, and gluten-free labelled products are also becoming more and more common on supermarket shelves. Gluten hides in a variety of baked and ready-made foods, sauces, sweets, and in some cases can even be found in medicines and food supplements. There is often a lot of uncertainty and a lot of questions around it. So what is gluten anyway, and why have so many people chosen to avoid it by inventing gluten-free substitutes for their favourite foods? Should gluten be avoided only if intolerant, or is it better to avoid it even if there is no obvious reason? Let’s start at the beginning and we’ll get right down to the nitty-gritty, based on the information provided by the Medical Media, or Anthony William.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a sticky protein found in many cereals. Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt and in some cases oats. Oats are gluten-free in their original form, but cross-contamination with gluten-containing cereals (in the growing environment or during processing) can also result in gluten residues in the oats. For this reason, when buying oats, always go for the gluten-free label to make sure that the product is truly gluten-free. Wheat is the grain with the highest gluten content, which is why it makes the fluffiest and thinnest pies, as gluten helps the dough to hold together and gives it a fluffy texture.

What is the downside of gluten? Why avoid gluten?

It is widely believed that gluten causes inflammation in the body, leading to a variety of inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s disease, celiac disease and colitis, as well as other chronic conditions. In reality, it is not gluten alone that is responsible for these diseases and inflammations, but various pathogens – viruses and bacteria – that can work their way through the body when gluten is in the diet, causing inflammation and other chronic disease symptoms, while also weakening our bodies. So – gluten itself does not cause inflammation, but it is food for viruses, which are in fact the root cause of chronic inflammatory conditions.

According to medical journalist Anthony William, there is also a lot of misinformation surrounding celiac disease. Namely, celiac disease is not an autoimmune disease of inherited origin, but rather an inflammatory disease caused by specific pathogens again nesting in the body that feed on gluten, triggering an inflammatory process in the intestine. Feeding pathogens with gluten leads to negative reactions in the body, but gluten alone is not responsible. People who have no or very few pathogens in their bodies do not experience a negative reaction when they eat gluten.

The same is true for many other conditions, as most chronic diseases are caused by various pathogens and viruses. If they are consistently fed gluten, they gain momentum to act, and their health deteriorates. Gluten can only be consumed without causing inflammation in the body if there are no pathogens in the body that react to gluten. However, if you are suffering from a health problem, whether it’s constant fatigue, acne, joint pain, thyroid problems, colds or any other symptom, it makes sense to avoid gluten and look for ways to replace it.

What to replace gluten with?

The good thing is that you don’t really have to give anything up by avoiding gluten, because you can still enjoy all the good and better things in a healthy way! Gluten-free cereals include quinoa, gluten-free oats, millet, buckwheat and rice. Almond flour, coconut flour, cassava flour, gluten-free oat flour, chickpea flour, brown rice flour and tapioca starch are also used in baking. You just have to let your imagination fly and be brave enough to experiment. Try for example gluten-free ciabatta or the delicious gnocchi with potato and chickpea flour.

A selection of gluten-free dry goods is also waiting for you in our in our e-shop . From the range you will find:

• Mild cassava flour;
• Mild gluten-free oatmeal;
• Mild tapioca starch;
• Mild gluten-free oat flour;
• Mild chickpea flour;
• Mild almond flour

Find out more about the product range HERE and start testing!

Sources used:

• medicalmedium.com

The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only; it is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. If health problems occur, a doctor or health professional should be consulted. If you would like to use alternative or new medicines to support your health, please discuss this information with your doctor. Bring her a book and discuss whether and how therapeutic foods and supplements could be used in her recovery.