Thinking of going gluten-free? If you are, you have plenty of company. Interest and enthusiasm around gluten-free diets continues to grow dramatically. You can find plenty of books, diet experts, and advertisements supporting the idea. But does it really improve your health or sense of well-being? Or might it just be a widely amplified health fad? As mentioned, people with celiac disease avoid sickness and maintain much better health if they follow a gluten-free diet. For them, a gluten-free diet is nothing short of essential.
In simple terms, gluten is a protein substance found in wheat, rye, barley, brewer’s yeast, malts (malt vinegar, malt flavoring) and a wheat-rye hybrid called triticale. It works like a glue, giving bread and pastas their spongy, chewy texture. Gluten is what helps doughs stretch and thickens sauces and soups Gluten is most often associated with wheat and wheat-containing foods that are abundant in our food supply. Negative media attention on wheat and gluten has caused some people to doubt its place in a healthful diet. There is little published research to support these claims; in fact published research suggests the opposite.
Many do so in hopes of curing migraine headaches, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and other maladies — even though research doesn't show gluten causes these problems. Many people also think gluten in hopes of fast-tracking weight loss. When gluten first became a buzzword a few years back, it was a common misconception that gluten had something to do with weight gain. Not true. Although some who ditch gluten do drop pounds, their weight loss is rarely a direct result. In most cases, what really happens is the elimination of gluten greatly reduces the variety of foods they can eat, especially packaged foods. With fewer choices, many turn to fresh fruit and vegetables, lean proteins and low-fat dairy products. Diets rich in these foods usually reduce total caloric intake, and guess what? People naturally lose weight.
And then there are people described as gluten-sensitive. Their tests for celiac disease are negative (normal), yet whenever they eat food containing gluten, they experience symptoms like bloating, diarrhea, or crampy abdominal pain. One cause is wheat allergy, a disorder that can be diagnosed by skin testing. But for many others, the diagnosis remains uncertain.