What is Gluten? Is it just Wheat?
Gluten is actually a mixture of two proteins (gliadin and gluten) present in cereal grains; it is a type of tissue that is found in seeds to make flour. To be honest, I thought gluten was just found in wheat, but it is found in barley, rye, bulgur, couscous, farina, semolina, spelt, triticale and others.
Here are some examples of foods that often contain gluten: some soups, processed cheese, ketchup, mayonnaise, soy sauce, salad dressings, canned baked beans, cereals, breaded foods, gravy, tabbouleh, ice cream, energy bars, even some shampoos, cosmetics, medications, and vitamins contain Gluten. We need to be in the look out of the ingredients in everything we eat!
Is it really bad for us?
I remember that when I was in Venezuela, I was never worried about Gluten We had pizza, bread (a lot!) and I did not have any problems with my tummy, or feeling bloated, or anything like that. I was OK until I moved to Puerto Rico that I started to experience some changes in my body every time I had flour foods.
What happened? I started my research then and I found out that most foods containing gluten are stripped of their nutrients, the bread or the pasta that we buy at the supermarket today have been heavily processed substituting nutrients for gluten, and that’s why it is bad for certain people.
What we know now as Genetically Modified (GMO) is what harms Gluten these days, because modifying the DNA of the wheat crops could increase the inflammations in our body and they also spike our sugar levels. I have a lot of friends (including myself) suffering from Celiac Disease, which is an immune reaction to eating gluten. When someone with Celiac Disease consumes gluten, it immediately triggers an immune response that damages intestines, preventing them from absorbing nutrients.
Another condition that is affected by Gluten is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) this one can cause gastrointestinal reactions as well.
I was reading an article a few days ago that said that even non celiac or IBS people are taking a Gluten-Free diet. However, always talk to your Doctor before making changes to your diet, sometimes we might think that because it is bad for some people it is bad for all of us, and then we end up putting our health in jeopardy .
The good news for all of us that cannot eat Gluten is that not all grains contain gluten. So we can choose from brown rice, buckwheat, wild rice, quinoa, corn, millet, some oats are also gluten-free. And now going to the supermarket we have an entire section for Gluten Free food, including Beer ha! It’s so tedious sometimes that you have to check all the labels, all the ingredients, look to see if its gluten-free or not, but I would rather do that than eat something and feel horrible later.
Hopefully one day we won’t have to worry about Gluten, or GMO!
Great weekend everybody, Trick or Treat yourself!
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