TO GLUTEN OR NOT TO GLUTEN?
This is the food-related question of the decade it seems…
A better question might be; just why have we been asking that question over the past several years? Why is it such an issue now? Cuz, I’m pretty sure my parents and their parents didn’t chew over that six-letter word back in the day.
Ahhhh…What it must have been like to enjoy food without thinking about what you were eating…I bet those were the good ol’days.
OK, since we are asking questions...What is gluten?
Gluten is a simple protein found in wheat, barley and rye, for example pasta, bread, pizza, cookies, cakes, etc. (Please note, the foods mentioned above are now made available in many gluten free varieties).
The various conditions/diseases associated with gluten are:
Celiac or Coeliac’s (Sprue) disease
Gluten Sensitivity
Gluten Intolerance
I was tested for Celiac’s, but the test came back negative, although my doctor said I might be gluten sensitive or intolerant…so I gave up the stuff…well not completely, I would estimate my diet is 80-90 percent gluten-free. And boy could I tell a big difference after changing my diet! If what my body was experiencing while eating gluten was just “intolerance”, God help those poor souls who actually have the disease.
But I get sidetracked…where was I…oh yes…Why does it seem more people are experiencing this aversion to gluten? Many say it is because our current food source containing wheat, barley and rye has been genetically modified with an exorbitant amount of gluten. The food of today seems to be tainted with more gluten than what our bodies can handle...therefore, growing up, our parents lived in an era where they did not have to worry about any possible poisonous proteins. I am not sure if the over glutenous wheat theory is accurate. I am sure however, genetically modified or not, cutting back on my intake of gluten has made a huge improvement in my overall health.
Including the varieties I've already mentioned, FOOD is a pretty big deal to most of us, so, my dear thyroidians the difficult question still remains – To gluten or not to gluten? Good luck on your decision.
Love
The Crazy Thyroid Lady
Years ago I was diagnosed with Fibro. My doc recommended I go gluten and preservative free. I felt better pain-wise. Then the Graves came along and now I don't notice any difference as far as the pain goes. When out of my cave and forced to eat outside my safe domain, I eat gluten and pay for it with intestinal ills mostly. Takes a good week to feel better. I get an urge for comfort foods and I just give in.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard I know. I give in sometimes too
DeleteThe theory that today's wheat etc has more gluten is thought-provoking, to say the least. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that were the case.
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously considering going the gluten-free route myself. It might help with my hypothyroidism (possibly Hashimoto's. Still waiting on a diagnosis!). Wouldn't hurt to try!
Marie
Yes, you are right. It doesn't hurt to try.
DeleteNot to gluten I say, it's not worth it. This is what the book living gluten free for dummies says: "the first thing that goes wrong at this point is that wheat causes the body -in ALL humans not just celiacs- to produce too much of the protein zonulin. This excess of zonulin causes the junctions between cells in the small intestine to open too much, and next thing you know, there's a party in the bloodstream and all sorts of things get into the bloodstream that shouldn't be there - things like toxins and gluten fragments. when stuff leaks through the intestinal wall that normally shouldn't be able to, it results in a condition called leaky gut syndrome."
ReplyDeleteWow, I did not know that Renate, I am going to purchase the book. Thanks
Delete>The theory that today's wheat etc has more gluten is thought-provoking, to say the least. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that were the case.
ReplyDeleteI asked a wheat scientist recently if this was true and he said, yes the gluten content of wheat has been increased one hundred-fold by selective breeding (not genetically modified as we understand the term BTW).
My body responds well to a gluten free diet. I had testing and found a gluten intolerance. Thankfully there are alot more restaurants going GF. If you are not at one of those restaurants simply eat meat and veggies. Great blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and thanks for reading.
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