The G word. GLUTEN. What's the deal?

Gluten free, gluten intolerant, non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Gluten, gluten, GLUTEN! Is it really THAT bad for us? Are so many people actually intolerant to it? And why is it made so available to us if it is not that nourishing? You’re not the only sceptical one asking if it really is that much of a big deal & imo, rightly so. 

Here’s the thing.  In my line of work I test for food tolerance if it comes up as a priority, and waaaay too often, (I actually haven’t done the numbers but I’m guessing it’s high up in the 90 percentages somewhere) clients show up gluten intolerant.  But WHY?

With a husband that suffers from an autoimmune disease which affects his gut & a daughter that developed eczema at 18 months which cleared up with removing gluten from her diet, I was inspired to dig a bit deeper & find out exactly what the deal is with this protein that so many have a low tolerance to.    

So let’s go there & talk about WHEAT. 

In just the last 100 years this grain has been genetically changed and modified SO many times and then mass produced in such large amounts that its makeup has changed hugely.  And in this time the enzymes that we need to digest this food haven’t adapted.  

A grain of wheat historically, is no longer the same as the grain of wheat that is mass produced today.  You see, a grain is made up of 3 components, (the endosperm, the bran & the germ – not important & no quiz later 😉).  In the 1800’s the way the wheat was milled changed so only 1 part of the grain, (the endosperm,) was used to produce the beautiful pure white flour that we know of today.  This part of the grain (the endosperm), contains the protein & carbohydrates but all of the goodness from the bran & germ is left out.  That is the fibre, the B vitamins, the minerals, the polyunsaturated fats & the antioxidants! So basically, we’ve already started off on the wrong foot. 

Like that wasn’t change enough, the preparation of our wheat has altered.  We used to ferment it, soak it or long cook it & it used to take days & days to make a loaf of bread, feeding the bacteria with the flour to make a lovely sourdough.  The process of fermentation actually helped to break down the gluten so it was already partially digested before we even ate it.  But nowadays a loaf of bread in the supermarket can take only 20 minutes to make & by speeding up this process we have lost a load of the nutrients & are ultimately left with the gluten & a whole lot of added ‘stuff’ that is used to make the bread look nice.  Then we expect to be able to enjoy it and digest it like our ancestors could. 

A big issue today is that this form of gluten can trigger an abnormal immune response in our body by activating a molecule (called zonulin but again – not important) which opens up gaps in the gut cell lining, allowing the gluten molecules to leak in.  Because gluten doesn’t belong in the lining of the gut, our body does not recognise it and therefore forms an immune attack against it.  Now, whenever you eat gluten, your body sees it as a threat creating that same immune response Every. Single. Time.  And what does this do? It inflames your system. Not just your gut, but your WHOLE body.   This is why for you it may affect your skin, joints, bones or liver, not just your gut or your bowel motions.  (I actually googled ‘symptoms of gluten intolerance’, probably shouldn’t have done that… but feel free to go there if you want to go down that rabbit hole and your curiosity gets the better of you).  The problem is, is that those minor sensitivities or intolerances can be just as destructive and debilitating as a full gluten allergy. 

Nope. Not done yet.

Finally, in the 1900’s, wheat started getting put into everything (because it was getting produced for the high yield remember).  It was in 75% of packaged foods.  Not only as wheat but it could be an additive or a preservative, add flavouring, a filler a starch, a binder.  It can also be an excipient in our medications & our vitamins & minerals.  It is in our personal care products, our cosmetics, our shampoos & conditioners so you can see that we have become exposed to it continuously without even knowing. 

So actually, wheat and gluten aren’t necessarily bad foods, it’s just that in the past 100 years we’ve changed it & messed with it so much so that something that everyone has been able to enjoy & tolerate for the past thousands of years, can no longer be enjoyed by many. 

This beautiful locally made loaf of bread has a list of simple ingredients that looks like this: Stoneground brown rice, Buckwheat, Corn, Tapioca, water, sea salt & a teeny tiny bit of yeast. Delish.

And what can be done about it?  We need to understand how our foods are produced, look at the agriculture of our foods, go back to the farmers market & ask the farmers what are they doing with their foods, what chemicals are they spraying or not spraying. 

What does make me do a little happy dance is that people are becoming more & more aware of themselves, how different foods make them feel & how different foods nourish & heal them. They are aware of their own strengths & weaknesses with different foods.  So if you think wheat or the whole gluten family might be an issue for you, then take it away for 6 weeks & see if your symptoms improve.  Then eat a challenge meal at the end of those 6 weeks, with lots & lots of gluten in it, & see how you feel.  I’m not going to say ‘I told you so’.

And finally, if you want to get yourself or your family tested for food tolerance or intolerance so you can be aware of any foods or toxins that might be negatively impacting your body - you know who to call 😉. 03 265 3129.

Who doesn’t love an eggy brekkie served on some fresh as GF toast?