Gluten: Friend or Foe?

Gluten has been getting a lot of attention over the past few years as Celiac disease is becoming more prevalent. People with allergies or gluten intolerance, and those with various health issues, are making the choice to go gluten free. So what exactly is gluten? Gluten is a protein found primarily in wheat, barley, rye and triticale and can also show up in some other places. We primarily think of pastas, breads, and baked goods, and it also shows up in soy sauce and many processed foods. If  you have Celiac disease, gluten ataxia, a wheat allergy or an intolerance to gluten, cutting it out of your diet can be a critical part of your health. Dr. Selvi Rajagopal of John Hopkins Medicine offers some additional breakdown on gluten, its function and who should avoid it here. 

So how do you know if you have a medical condition which absolutely makes avoiding gluten important and even critical to your health? Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder determined by a blood test and important to diagnose. If left untreated, it can lead to damage of the small intestine, malabsorption and other complications. Gluten ataxia is a rare autoimmune disorder where gluten causes the body to attack the central nervous system. A wheat allergy is when the body produces antibodies when wheat is ingested. Like other allergies, the severity can vary from person to person, ranging from mild irritation to anaphylactic shock. A wheat allergy can be determined with a skin test or blood test. Gluten intolerance or sensitivity can be challenging to definitively determine as there is no test for it. Symptoms associated with it, such as headaches, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue and brain fog, to name a few, may be symptoms associated with a variety of conditions. A simple (not necessarily easy) way to determine if gluten might be the cause of these symptoms is to try an elimination diet with gluten and note any changes in symptoms. 

Whether you fall into one of these categories and avoiding gluten is a necessity, or you are simply choosing to cut gluten from your diet, the idea of eliminating gluten can feel a bit daunting. After being made aware of Celiac disease over a decade ago and more recently gluten sensitivity, I choose to eat gluten free myself although not medically necessary. It started as a convenience so as not to prepare separate meals and now it is my way of life—much like choosing to be vegetarian, pescatarian or vegan. The gluten free market has come a long way and there are now some amazing gluten free pastas and gluten free flour blends which make some of my favorite recipes hard to differentiate from their glutenous form. I also found it was a natural gateway to eating more whole foods because once you navigate which whole grains to avoid for gluten, most whole foods are naturally gluten free. Dining out can get a bit tricky and I continue to see progress in labeling and awareness around gluten in restaurants. Be sure to ask your server if you’re unsure.  

So if you need to go gluten free or choose to go gluten free, rest assured it can be done! The Celiac Disease Foundation can be a great resource to start with if you are navigating being gluten free. I would also like to note that if you are choosing to go gluten free because you think it is simply healthier, take care to make sure you are choosing nutritious gluten free options. The food industry now offers a plethora of processed foods which are gluten free and low in nutritional value. It’s worthwhile to become a label reader when it comes to packaged foods. Just as being vegetarian does not equate to a healthy diet, gluten free does not either. While it’s still unclear if everyone would benefit from steering clear of gluten, and regardless of your reason for being gluten free, taking time to read labels is important. Letting the nutritional value of foods help guide our choices is absolutely beneficial.