HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

This is the second of our ‘free’ series, where we discuss what people are always asking us about: the health safety and allergens of soy, gluten and dairy, and the benefits (or not) of going “free” of them. We covered the pros and cons of eating soy last week, and today, we’re taking a close look at gluten. Next week, we will publish the final part of the series: dairy. Like we said before, there is a lot of information supporting both sides of the coin, and what we have to do is keep in mind how this food will behave in our bodies once we ingest it.

Let’s explore gluten.

Gluten
The problem: Gluten is a major inflammatory. It is defined primarily as a protein. So that you get the scope of what is going into your body, you have to understand that gluten is the “glue” that holds bread and pasta dough together. Its elasticity makes cakes rise. During  digestion, our bodies absorb nutrients through this tiny figer-like parts in our intestines called villi. Our intestinal linings are filled with villi. Unfortunately, gluten damages villi so they are not able to properly do their job of absorbing nutrients. When this happens, food will go to and through the small intestine undigested, causing diarrhea, bloating, irritability, increased appetite and fatigue. Most people hear gluten and think bread but there is much more gluten going around – all items made of wheat or a derivative of wheat (like white flour and fermented drinks) have gluten, including (but not limited to) pizza and pasta, Chinese noodles, American beers and burgers – as well as other foods (see list below). The consumption of gluten is so popular  that there is a gluten intolerance condition called celiac disease. This is a genetic autoimmune disorder, and 1.5 to 2 million people in the U.S. have it – but not every person is gluten-intolerant. Having said that, even if you are not gluten intolerant, it doesn’t mean that problems such as inflammation, bloating and indigestion won’t affect you from time to time. The word celiac comes from the Greek word “koila” meaning belly, which is where the most common symptoms originate. Abdominal cramping, severe gas, bloating, oily stools, weight loss or weight gain, and joint pain are just a few of the potential signs that gluten is wreaking havoc all over your small intestine. Dr. Michael Schuffler, a University of Washington professor of medicine and head of the Gastrointestinal Department at Pacific Medical Centers says, “Intestinal symptoms should raise a red flag. Some people who have been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome may have celiac disease.” Besides painful gastrointestinal symptoms, there are cases like that of a woman who had six unnecessary operations, including the removal of her appendix, ovaries and uterus, until a doctor looking for cancer recognized celiac disease. So, you may have it and not even know it. The good news is that the damage to the villi is not permanent, and improvement in health usually begins immediately after adopting a gluten-free diet. No medication is required, just a change in what you eat.

Besides a genetic pre-disposition to gluten intolerance, the problem with gluten grains is that most people eat too much of them, eat them daily, and eat them way too processed. We have to remember that life, food, health and disease never come from just one source, it is the interaction of many things that have an effect or result. This is why a HOLISTIC approach is key in life. We have to analyze all components, go deep in their mechanisms, and understand how they interact with each other. When we are downing four toasts of bread a day or cereal for breakfast + sandwich for lunch + pasta for dinner with a side  of garlic bread + one or two beers, all in one day and repeat a variation of this type of nutrition throughout the week…Not only is this too much gluten, but this diet also lacks major nutrients that we need daily. Also, most people have this type of gluten in a refined state, meaning the nutrients have been taken out, bleached,  it becomes gluten + refined sugar. ON TOP OF THAT, buying bread that has been on the shelf for a while, even if it says organic, is overgrown with yeast, which is something that keeps growing daily and as we ingest it, will go on to produce candida imbalances in our body (whole other monster – check our Dear HLife post about it). Gluten and emotions: It makes you irritable and clingy (it’s a glue, remember?) It’s no surprise that it  would cause stomach aches, affecting the solar plexus, the emotional center of our bodies.

Here is a list of foods with gluten:

- Barley
- Barley Malt
- Beer
- Bouillon Cubes
- Cous Cous
- Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
- Maltodextrin
- Malt Vinegar
- Wheat Pastas
- Rye, Spelt, Kamut, Triticale, Oats (cross contamination is possible)
- Soy Sauce
- Wheat Germ
- Seitan (it’s PURE gluten. This is pronounced “satan”, and I equate it with such!)

The benefit: Not many, except for its high protein count, but we know that we can get quality protein from a variety of other sources like veggies, algaes, legumes/beans, gluten-free whole grains, even bee pollen. Here is what we suggest as an overall general health recommendation for all those who have not been diagnosed with celiac disease: Drastically lower your intake of gluten foods. Instead of wheat pasta, have quinoa pasta (the only complete protein grain) or brown rice pasta (no, rice does not have gluten. Brown rice is a great grain to include in your diet.) If you have bread: 1) have one piece twice a week, buy it freshly made (maybe even make it yourself) and only keep it for up to 3 days. Use organic and gluten-free soy sauce. Remove all sorts of processed gluten products from your diet.  Replace cous cous with quinoa (the mother grain) and for the love of the gods in all of us: Stay away from seitan…pun intended.