Why gluten is not as bad as you think!
In the past decade, gluten has become a hot topic in online communities of supporters of healthy lifestyles. However, many people still do not know exactly what gluten is. In fact, gluten is a protein complex found in cereals, mainly wheat, as well as barley, rye, spelled, oats, kamut, etc. Gluten gives the dough its characteristic elasticity and helps give us the familiar structure of fresh baking.
Let’s see what gluten is and eliminate the confusion regarding this protein complex and its role in nutrition.
Gluten is an integral part of a healthy person’s diet, but some people with celiac disease cannot eat gluten-free foods.
Celiac disease is a severe autoimmune reaction – it is a multifactorial disease, a digestive disorder caused by damage to the villi of the small intestine by some food products that contain certain proteins: gliadin is the alcohol-soluble fraction of gluten and cereal proteins (avenin, hordein, etc.) soluble in alcohol. This disease has nothing to do with allergies or intolerance to wheat.
The percentage of people who cannot eat gluten is negligible: this is less than 1% of the total population.
Although only 1 in 100 people should avoid gluten, the popularity of gluten-free diets has grown over the years, based on advertising, not on facts. But plenty of evidence proves that this may be an inappropriate decision.
If you are not sure, you need to consult with a gastroenterologist to get a final diagnosis. Not medically necessary, giving up gluten can be harmful and increase the risk of certain chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. A recent study by Harvard Medical School also found that adherence to a gluten-free diet without medical indications can cause heart problems, causing atherosclerosis.
An expert in the field of healthy nutrition, Dr. Hartley, noted in a report on research into the effects of gluten-free products on human health, that many gluten-free products are significantly processed and contain less nutrients than their gluten counterparts. In fact, complex carbohydrates contained in foods containing gluten are vital for the body. They provide the fiber necessary for a good nutrition of the body, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eliminating gluten from the diet can even slow down the metabolism.
Think with your head and do not be fooled by fashion trends in nutrition, you should not demonize certain foods without having sufficient facts about their functions in metabolism. Be healthy!