Big, Bad Gluten

Hello friends!  Please excuse my two-week holiday hiatus, which was taken for some much needed R&R, family, friends, and a bit of indulgence.  I hope you were all able to do the same.  2012 has arrived with a bang, and to stay up to par I will start by addressing a topic that many of you are curious about: GLUTEN.  You’ve all heard about the uber trendy gluten-free diet fad, but you are probably unaware of the underlying reasons and principles.  Here it is…

Gluten is a protein found in some grains (most prominently wheat, also oats, rye and barley) and is incredibly difficult for humans to digest.  On average one in nine people are gluten intolerant, the most severe of these cases manifested in celiac disease.  Gluten intolerance can be genetic or acquired due to damaged intestinal lining, and in both cases causes malabsorption of essential nutrients and allows for the absorption of toxic metals (which is a common cause of dementia).  Gluten allergies are also linked to vitamin B₆ deficiency.  The human digestive system has a tendency to break down with age and overuse, and gluten puts an added strain on this occurrence—in addition to allergies, this can result in chronic indigestion, candida overgrowth (a sugar-induced bacterial infection that causes a multitude of illnesses and weakens immunity), multiple sclerosis, and more severely mental illness.  Overuse of antibiotics, processed and refined foods, and alcohol are all contributing factors to gluten intolerance, as they deteriorate the stomach’s already-fragile intestinal lining.

The truth is that most people who are gluten intolerant are completely unaware of it.  The majority of the population would notice immediate benefits if gluten was removed from the diet, including an exponential increase in energy, stronger digestion, a decline in mucus allergies and illness altogether, weight loss, radiant complexion…the list goes on.  However, those with overall healthy diets and health practices should be able to tolerate gluten in moderation, because they have built up strong digestive function, without having any severe reactions.  A great way to reduce issues of intolerance is to soak grains overnight before preparing; when grains are soaked prior to consumption, the proteins (gluten included) break down and become much easier to digest and the nutrients more readily available for absorption.  Gluten-containing foods are great to experiment with if you are interested in improving the quality of your health.  Try removing them from your diet for two weeks and then reincorporate them for a day or two after; you will most likely notice an immediate reaction, which will serve to inform you of the effects gluten has on your body.  Give it a whirl (and then give me your feedback)!

XO,

E