For the average eater, the words "gluten-free" are horribly confusing.
This protein made up of the peptides gliadin and glutenin is found in grains such as wheat,
semolina, rye and barley.
It's known for giving bread its airy and fluffy substance and dough its sticky texture.
But recently it's become notorious for sending dieters, restaurateurs, and the medical community
into a tailspin.
Why?
Because every time you eat a Cronut or a turkey sandwich, your body either decides to break
the gluten down and absorb it, or produce antibodies to attack it.
The latter is known as celiac disease, and to a lesser extent, non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
Avoiding gluten completely is, as of now, the only known treatment to help heal these
conditions.
But what about the rest of us who haven't been diagnosed?
What really happens to the body when you give up gluten?
You could lose key nutrients
While gluten itself does not contain unique nutritional benefits, the whole grains that
contain the protein often do.
Wheat-containing products like sandwich bread and cereals are fortified with B vitamins
and iron.
But many gluten-free food options are not.
Which means that, for people who keep to a limited diet of eating just cereal, sandwiches,
and pasta, wheat is often the most nutritious thing they eat all day.
Dietician Andrew James Pierce, in-house nutritionist for the app SugarChecked, warns that traditional
gluten-free diets often rely heavily on highly processed and low nutrient-dense starches,
such as white rice, potato and tapioca flours.
He told us,
"It is certainly not impossible to meet the fiber and other nutrient needs on a gluten-free
diet.
It just requires a higher level of diligence."
Diligence could come in the form of B vitamin-rich legumes, calcium-rich cottage cheese, iron-rich
turkey, and a whole bunch of vitamin-rich fruits and vegetables.
You could have a calmer, happier stomach
Whether you believe in gluten-free diets or not, it is scientifically proven that out
of all the carbohydrates, whole grains are the hardest to digest.
In a blog post for The Healthy Home Economist, Certified Nutritional Consultant Monica Corrado
talks about five ways that whole grains can wreak havoc on your tummy.
From the presence of sugars that are difficult to digest to the theory that grains were not
meant to be ingested in the first place, she believes that temporarily eliminating all
grains can help heal the gut.
Margaret Romero, an integrative nurse practitioner, finds most of her patients' stomach symptoms
improve with a gluten-free diet, even if they don't have celiac disease.
She told The List,
"If a patient has no signs or symptoms, I don't put them on a gluten-free diet.
But even minor symptoms such as a little gas or bloating or persistent diarrhea/constipation,
is more likely to be improved on a gluten-free diet."
You may have a more upset stomach
While Romero sees improvement for patients who ditch gluten, it's not the same for everyone.
An article in US News and World Report explains that, typically, gluten-free foods — especially
processed gluten-free foods, do not contain as much fiber as grain-based foods.
And according to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, more than 90% of Americans are
not meeting the recommended daily amount of fiber.
Fiber keeps things running smoothly.
It's the roughage that your body can't digest that helps bulk up your poop.
That same US News article cites fiber as essential for maintaining regular bowel movements, preventing
colon cancer, and supporting friendly gut bacteria.
Thankfully, fruits, vegetables, potato skins, and legumes are all great alternative sources
of fiber.
If you decide to go gluten-free, make sure to stock up on those.
Anti-inflammatory benefits
Medical News Today defines inflammation as the body's attempt to bring more nourishment
and immune activity to a site of injury in the body.
In other words, it's a healing response.
The problem, however, is when inflammation persists without reason.
Chronic inflammation is at the root of America's most prevalent illnesses – heart disease,
cancer, Alzheimer's, and a whole host of autoimmune conditions.
According to Romero, because gluten creates inflammation in the bodies of those who have
allergies or sensitivities to it, they'll quickly notice a significant reduction in
symptoms when they remove gluten from their diets.
These can include rashes, GI issues such as IBS, autoimmunity, and pain/fibromyalgia.
Withdrawal
One of the first things that members of Food Addicts Anonymous give up is gluten.
They recognize that eating wheat tends to spark compulsive eating.
A scientific review from the Food Addiction Institute showed that self-assessed food addicts
in Overeaters Anonymous were successful in losing weight by dealing first with physical
craving and abstaining completely from their major binge foods, like the ones that contain
wheat.
Some food addicts cannot stop bingeing until they eliminate all wheat from their diet.
Believe it or not, Dr. Leslie Korn goes so far as to suggest that detoxing from gluten
can be almost as difficult as getting off heroin.
In her book, Nutrition Essentials for Mental Health: A Complete Guide to the Food-Mood
Connection, she talks about the prominence of people suffering from psychosis that are
gluten-sensitive.
She told us,
"[This is] not good news, given so many of these individuals are homeless and eating
at shelters serving gluten rich foods."
Fluctuating processed food intake
With a gluten-free diet comes plenty of pre-packed, sugar-packed, crunchy, crispy, ooey-gooey
gluten-free treats.
So it's quite easy to feel like your choices for processed foods are justified as soon
as you see the gluten-free label.
As a result, your processed food intake may rise higher than you expected.
Pierce puts it this way:
"At the end of the day, a gluten-free cookie is still a cookie."
But not all people reach for the brightly colored boxes of gluten-free munchies.
Some people find themselves spending more time in the kitchen, roasting vegetables,
chopping salads, and blending smoothies.
This evidence comes from the many food bloggers out there sharing their journey and cooking
up a storm of unprocessed gluten-free food.
Protect yourself from leaky gut syndrome
According to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition, the cells in your gut form tight
junctions that determine what comes in and what stays out.
They're the "gatekeepers," if you will.
They keep out pathogens, antigens, and toxins, and welcome in nutrients and water.
If not treated properly, those gatekeepers develop holes that keeps them from doing their
job.
This allows microbes, toxins, proteins, and partially digested food particles to get through
and flow freely into your bloodstream.
This is what the scientific community has come to call "Leaky Gut Syndrome."
And it's as gross as it sounds.
According to another study published in PubMed.gov, continually eating gluten will keep your junctions
open — and your gut leaky.
Your body may mistake your own tissues for gluten and remain in a chronic state of inflammation
which could lead to a host of autoimmune conditions.
Cutting out gluten reduces this risk.
You could clear your head
There isn't a whole lot of scientific evidence to support it, but the anecdotal evidence
is all over the internet.
According to sources such as Allergic Living and Entrepreneur: many people report clearer
thinking after they give up gluten.
The reason being?
While they were ingesting gluten, they were experiencing "brain fog."
Although there is no official medical definition, people describe it as feeling tired, lethargic,
and fuzzy-headed.
And often, they didn't realize how bad they felt until they gave up gluten and started
thinking much clearer.
One study found an increase in depression symptoms with a diet containing gluten.
Another found that when they gave participants a pill containing gluten or placebo, their
symptoms were more severe when they swallowed the gluten-containing capsule.
To gluten or not to gluten?
So what's a gluten-fearing girl to do?
In the current war-torn state of the food industry, you're not going to get a clear
answer.
But if there's one thing that you can always rely on, it's yourself.
Blindly eating whatever's within reach — without paying attention to its nutrition label or
how it's making you feel — is setting you up for heartache and heartburn.
Does your Wednesday night spaghetti frequently end in tummy aches?
Do you feel a lot better after eating a bowl of steel cut oatmeal than a bowl of cinnamon-swirled
cereal?
Then follow your stomach.
It's trying to tell you what to do.
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