Gluten free has gone mainstream. The multibillion dollar gluten-free food industry has exploded over the last few years, to the point that you now can go to just about any restaurant or grocery store and find a gluten-free alternative for whatever food you seek. From gluten-free breads, pastas and pastries to gluten-free shampoos and lotions, "gluten free" has become ubiquitous in our culture.
A recent survey from market research firm the NPD Group finds that America is cutting gluten in a big way. The survey estimated that around one third of US adults wanted to decrease or eliminate gluten from their diets, a record high. It's undeniable that for a growing number of the population, gluten-free foods are the best thing since sliced bread — so to speak.
Gluten, the protein that is found in grains such as wheat, rye, spelt and barley, can be highly inflammatory for a lot of people. Gluten exposure triggers a 70% increase in intestinal permeability (leaky gut syndrome), and spikes inflammation in the body for as long as six months.
Gluten affects people in extremely different ways. From the horrible autoimmune attacks of celiac disease and the allergic responses from a wheat allergy, to the estimated 1 in 20 Americans who have a gluten sensitivity, gluten is the center of a lot of research when it comes to chronic, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
With that said, "gluten free" is not synonymous with healthy. The major problem, in my opinion, is that the gluten-free alternatives that millions are eating with good intentions are highly inflammatory themselves. For example:
Gluten-free grains: Gluten-free foods typically contain corn, oats and rice. The problem is that these grains can all have potentially damaging inflammatory effects on the body
Pseudo-grains: Quinoa and amaranth are two other ingredients used in gluten-free foods. These foods are high in saponins, which act as a defense mechanism for plants, and can cause gut inflammation and contribute to leaky gut syndrome.
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I think this is a well written and informative article. However, I think its title is misleading. Going gluten free is not an unhealthy thing to do, and it's not even what you're talking about. You're actually saying that gluten-free products can be unhealthy, and those are two completely different things.
ReplyDeletewasn't my intention to have a misleading title. with the millions of dollars in sales of gluten free products that replace gluten with the other inflammatory foods I mentioned, I think there are two versions of going gluten free. its not synonymous with health. replacing one problem with another is not healthy. that's all I was insinuating. thanks for comment!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you that there are two versions of gluten-free. I initially tried the first one of eating gluten-free products, so I know from first hand experience that it is not a way to eat better, feel better, or look better. In fact I actually found myself feeling worse when I ate gluten-free products than I did when I ate gluten. So now I am gluten free AND gluten replacement free, and it's made a big difference in how I feel (and look). I am convinced that the best thing that any of us can do for our dietary health is buy a juicer and start juicing vegetables every morning.
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