There’s a lot of chatter on this whole gluten free topic lately.
Celebrities losing weight after “going gluten free,” claims that digestive distress, depression, irritability are gone after kicking gluten to the curb.
Is it all it’s cracked up to be?
First let’s get to the goods. What is gluten?
Everyone thinks of bread when they think gluten. Getting warmer!
It’s actually the protein found in wheat.
Many vegetarians actually eat it straight up in a form called seitan — a vegetarian protein — yes, separated out of wheat. I’ve made it myself — an interesting process.
Pronounced “saytan,” some with gluten intolerance will refer to it as “satan.”
Maybe for obvious reasons, but let’s not go there.
The Mayo Clinic researchers are saying that now up to one in 100 people may actually have celiac disease — a digestive disease that interferes with the absorption of nutrients from our food due to damages to the villi (small fingerlike projections) in the small intestine. Those with celiac cannot even handle the most minute amount of gluten.
Where does celiac come from?
Dr. Stefano Guandalini, founder and medical director of the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center, discusses some of the contributing factors from genetics to not being breast fed, introducing gluten too early in the diet (first four months) and stress, are all known to be contributing factors.
And although he agrees that many find benefit from implementing a gluten free diet, he still believes that it is not necessarily healthier for those who don’t need it.
Fair enough.
Some are skeptical that it’s not so much the gluten as it is that our strains of wheat have become so hybridized over the years that it’s becoming foreign to our bodies, hence the almost allergic, inflammatory impact it seems to have.
Since inflammation has been known to be a serious contender when it comes to illness and disease, I personally don’t see a problem in gravitating away from many of the gluten-containing grains.
But be careful with gluten-free products. Many of the commercial forms are high in sugar and fillers. Gluten free doesn’t necessarily mean healthy.
And many of the alternatives grains aren’t either.
My personal thoughts are that there is just an overconsumption in our society of grain and bread products.
So whether our strains of wheat have changed so much that they are foreign to the body or we are just simply over-consuming grains, it’s nice to have some alternatives to wheat products and enjoy in moderation if you don’t have a sensitivity to them.
If trying gluten free, go for coconut flour for baked goods like cupcakes or rice flour for other baked good alternatives.
Almond flour can be quite expensive and quinoa flour has a pretty nutty taste.
A great cookbook to try if leaning towards a more grain free/gluten free lifestyle is Kris Carr and Chad Sarno’s book Crazy Sexy Kitchen. Also try Margaret Floyd and James Barry’s book Naked Foods Cookbook.
And if in dire need of some delicious treats, BabyCakes Covers the Classics: Gluten Free Vegan Recipes from Donuts to Snickerdoodles by Erin McKenna has a pretty amazing gluten-free vegan chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwich recipe that you might need to check out.
Kristin Fraser, BSc, is a holistic nutritionist and local freelance writer. Her column appears every second Thursday. She can be reached at kristin@somethingtochewon.ca.