Let’s Talk Food: What is #GlutenFree?
What is Gluten and where does it come from?
Gluten is a protein produced in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale grains. It is stored in the endosperm of the seed, which serves as a food source for a new baby plant if it were to grow. In bread and pasta, it holds the structure of the food together. The more gluten in a food, the harder it is to bite through, and gets more chewy. Think about cake versus deep dish pizza dough. More info on sources of gluten and about the gluten free diet are available at celiac.org. This website is a great resource for anyone whether affected by celiac disease or not.
How does gluten do the glue?
This video from America’s Test Kitchen shows what exactly gluten does in our favorite grain based foods.
What is Celiac Disease?
Celiac disease is an immune inflammatory response to gluten which can cause a range of symptoms. It starts with the villi in the intestines having a reaction to gluten. Villi are tiny finger-like projections that create surface area for absorbing nutrients. This happens because a celiac affected person’s cells do not produce the enzyme that breaks down gluten. The body perceives gluten as a foreign attacker and starts the inflammation response. Because villi are so tiny and fragile, this inflammation causes them to be dysfunctional and that means they don’t absorb the nutrients a body needs. Visit celiac.org for more info.
#GlutenFree as a fad diet, Pros & Cons
For some people, gluten free is a fad diet because it is supposed to be healthier. It does significantly reduce carbohydrate packed items such as bread and pasta in a person’s meals. Gluten free items are often more expensive so consumers are less likely to buy them. A typical gluten free diet consists of salad and veggies, fruit, and meat.
In a country where more processed foods are the dominant source of sugars over fruits and veggies, this can be a step forward to health. Not because of avoiding gluten, but because of reducing carbs. This gluten free fad has been a boon for those with real celiac disease, as gluten free options in stores and restaurants are expanding. I am sure the celiacs are thankful for these fad dieters who have made life much easier for them.
Beware, fad dieters and celiacs alike, though! Marketers want to make you believe horrible things about your food! Don’t let them! The FDA has labeling regulations for the words “gluten free” but they aren’t very clear. I have seen packages of sandwich meat labeled gluten free. Meat is always gluten free. This makes no sense, but that little label on that package has led to accusations of meat fillers used in processed meats containing gluten. Even Oscar Mayer bologna doesn’t have anything in its ingredients that could contain gluten. That convenient, front of the package “GLUTEN FREE” labeling is designed for nothing more than to get the sale. To make you buy this product based on that little internal voice that causes the brain to twinge with the adage of ‘better safe than sorry.’
Watch the replay of the discussion on gluten free living that that took place on Blab on 9/3/15! We met a couple of amazing people living with Celiac disease, learned something, and had fun along the way!
Because it was brought up in the blab, we learned that slow aged sourdough bread is very low in gluten and may not be a problem for people with celiac disease to eat! Our new friends who have celiac disease didn’t think it was worth the risk of a stomach upset.
Let’s Talk Food is a live show by Lela Perez which provides consumers with a new understanding of their food and the science behind it.
