Considering a Gluten Free Diet? Get the Facts Here

Gluten 101: What it Is and Why it Might be Bad for You

By now, most of us are (at the very least) aware of the fact that gluten is some sort of dietary issue or concern. Some of us have long known about its potential issues, while many remain unaware of why gluten awareness is so prevalent. So who should go gluten free?

But just what is gluten? Why is it such a dietary villain that products have to be labeled when entirely free of it? Those are questions we are going to answer in this article. By the end, you’ll know what it is, why some people must avoid it, and whether or not everyone might benefit from going gluten free. We’ll find out about some alternatives, and if going gluten free can help you shed weight (whether or not you have a problem with it). Lastly, we’ll quickly go over some of the biggest mistakes people make as they shift into a gluten free lifestyle.

So, let’s begin with the most significant issue: Just what is gluten, anyway?

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Gluten Explained

You bite into a slice of hot bread and you enjoy the doughy texture and chewiness it offers. That is gluten at work. As Healthline’s dietary experts explain, “often thought of as a single compound, gluten is a collective term that refers to many different types of proteins (prolamins) found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (a cross between wheat and rye).”

It is an elastic substance, the protein in gluten, and it is why it makes such great bread. As those same experts explained further, “gluten in the form of a powdered product called vital wheat gluten is often added to baked goods to increase the strength, rise, and shelf life of the finished product.”

Gluten, however, does not appear in just bread alone but in any food that contains grains. That means pasta, most baked goods, many snack crackers and a long list of surprising options like salad dressings, candies, and more. The Western diet is full of gluten, and the protein in gluten is fairly resistant to the enzymes that break it down during digestion. This is a form of incomplete digestion, and this is where trouble starts for some people.

Why? The protein that is not broken down “allows for peptides — large units of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins — to cross over through the wall of your small intestine into the rest of your body. This can trigger immune responses that have been indicated in a number of gluten-related conditions, such as celiac disease.”

Many people assume that celiac disease and gluten intolerance are one and the same, but they are not. There are three ways that people may be intolerant of gluten in the diet. They are:

• Celiac Disease – Also called celiac sprue, it is an autoimmune condition in which the body has an inflammatory response in the small intestine whenever grains containing gluten are encountered. The lining of the small intestine is damaged and it causes malabsorption and weight loss as well as diarrhea, “anemia, osteoporosis, neurological disorders, and skin diseases, such as dermatitis.” However, some with it may have no symptoms, at all.
• Allergy – Some people have full-blown wheat allergies and this is a “normal” allergic reaction to a food that they should not consume. Typically, it is a wheat allergy and causes the same response that any food allergy might trigger, ranging from “mild nausea to severe, life-threatening anaphylaxis.”
• Sensitivity – You can be sensitive to almost any food or substance, and “non-celiac gluten sensitivity” is a distinct possibility for many. It is often the diagnosis for someone who does not have celiac or an allergy and yet still has unpleasant reactions to consumption of gluten. It is often referred to using the acronym NCGS. How can you determine if you are sensitive? The experts say that you will always have symptoms whenever even a small amount of gluten is ingested (including something as simple as a splash of soy sauce with gluten), and experience “headache, fatigue, and joint pain,” at such times.

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So, it is bad for people with any of those conditions, but it is also potentially harmful to many others, including those groups in which research indicates that a gluten-free diet may reduce symptoms. This includes people with:

• Any autoimmune disease
• IBS or Irritable bowel syndrome
• “People with other conditions, such as fibromyalgia, endometriosis, and schizophrenia”

With so many people benefiting from it, it begs the question: Should everyone stay away from gluten regardless?

In other words, is gluten ever something that a human being might benefit from ingesting, or is it just something that makes lots of foods tastier and chewier?

Is Gluten Ever Healthy?

There are many who benefit from avoiding gluten at all times. That has led millions to wonder whether or not it is a wise idea to skip it altogether. For example, the whole “Wheat Belly,” trend following the publication of the book by that same name argues that humans cannot have evolved enough and rapidly enough to eat grains in the super-processed and hybridized versions we eat today.

Others say that some wheat proteins are a real problem in general, and experts do not lean towards one side or the other. Instead, they say “the only way to know if you would personally benefit from a gluten-free diet after ruling out celiac disease and wheat allergy is to avoid gluten and monitor symptoms.”

Of course, there are some obvious answers to whether or not it is ever healthy if you put it into the context of the ways in which we consume it. For example, look at what Medical News Today lists as the most “common sources of gluten in the diet,”:

• Wheat
• Spelt
• Rye
• Barley
• Bread
• Pasta
• Cereals
• Beer
• Cakes, cookies and pastries

Gluten also appears as an ingredient in a shocking number of hidden ingredients. Beer, as a prime example, is not gluten free. And the experts at Celiac.org warn about the ingredients in which gluten appears in the form of one of the “big three,” which are wheat, barley and rye. For example, sauces, salad dressings, roux, malted ingredients (including vinegar and extracts), food colorings, soups, Brewer’s Yeast supplements, and more.

This means it is a main component in most processed foods, and that means that anyone who seeks to avoid gluten may also find themselves easily avoiding processed foods.

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Does this also mean that gluten is not a necessary nutrient, and that almost anyone can benefit by looking for ways to eliminate it from the diet? That is not as clear. In fact, the medical experts at Harvard Medical school have dug deep into it, and posed the question: Ditch the Gluten, Improve Your Health?

What they found was that is not likely to harm anyone opting for gluten free, this only applies if they do it properly.

As they explained in their report, “Gluten-free foods are commonly less fortified with folic acid, iron and other nutrients than regular, gluten-containing foods. And gluten-free foods tend to have more sugar and fat. Several studies have found a trend toward weight gain and obesity among those who follow a gluten-free diet (including those with celiac disease). Meanwhile, gluten-free foods tend to be more expensive than conventional foods.”

In other words – if you go gluten free, you’ll want to do it in a “whole foods” approach rather than looking for straight exchanges of things like breads, pastas, and all other processed items.

And, as one study noted, “The reason health professionals don’t want to see people on gluten-free diets unless absolutely necessary is that, for the 98 percent of people that don’t have gluten issues, whole grains—including the gluten grains wheat, barley and rye—are health promoting, linked to reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, and other chronic diseases.

Because some people have a peanut allergy doesn’t mean everyone should avoid peanuts. There is no evidence to suggest that following a gluten-free diet has any significant benefits in the general population.”

Except in one…weight loss.

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Will Gluten Free Eating Help You Lose Weight No Matter What?

In fact, it seems fairly obvious that almost anyone is going to enjoy a bit of weight loss if they try to cut out most of the processed foods and gluten-containing foods in their daily diets.

And the foods that are naturally free of gluten also happen to rank as some of the healthiest, too. Consider the grains you can consume without also exposing yourself to gluten:

• Corn
• Rice
• Quinoa
• Flax
• Millet
• Sorghum
• Tapioca
• Buckwheat
• Arrowroot
• Amaranth
• Oats

On top of that, the whole foods entirely free of gluten are:

• Meat
• Fish and seafood
• Eggs
• Dairy products
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Tubers
• Fats, such as oils and butter

If you are asking yourself about gluten alternatives, though, you may find lots of “alternative” foods made to emulate traditional foods (i.e. breads and snacks) made with gluten-containing ingredients. As the medical experts warn, though, “it’s better to choose foods that are naturally gluten-free, rather than processed gluten-free products. These tend to be low in nutrients and high in added sugar or refined grains.”

The Cleveland Clinic’s medical experts summed the entire issue of the benefits and risks of going gluten free, and whether or not you’ll lose weight if you stick to a healthy diet in this way: “There is no harm in avoiding gluten, but remember to consume a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables and legumes. Make sure your gluten-free choices are still 100 percent whole grain, such as buckwheat, quinoa or brown rice.

You lose weight when you expend more calories or energy than you consume – not by avoiding gluten.  Diet and exercise are both important components of weight management and a healthy lifestyle.”

So, that means we’ll want to quickly review some of the mistakes others have made when going gluten free.

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The Worst Gluten Free Mistakes to Avoid

There are a lot of articles and lists of tips for going gluten free, but not many that address the avoidable errors along the path to health and a gluten free existence. Let’s consider some of the biggest:

Misunderstanding the Signs –  A lot of people believe they can only require entirely gluten free living if they have been diagnosed with celiac disease. We learned that you can also have gluten intolerance and wheat allergy. In fact, you can have all three. You may have tested negative for celiac disease, but that does not mean you can safely eat gluten. If you experience any of the key symptoms of an intolerance or allergy (bloating, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, headache, fatigue, skin issues, depression, weight loss [unexplained], anemia, anxiety, autoimmune disorders, muscle and joint pain, numbness in the arms or legs, and unclear thinking) it may be time to consider 100% gluten free.

Wheat free is NOT gluten free – Remember that gluten appears in a long list of whole foods and an almost endless list of processed foods. Going wheat free does not ever imply that you are gluten free and safe from harm

Gluten free eating is not going to help you lose weight – Just cutting gluten is never an automatic assurance that weight loss will follow. You can still eat many foods loaded with carbohydrates and unhealthy ingredients that can cause weight gain instead of weight loss. It is when you go for whole foods, whole grains, lots of water, and a balanced diet and exercise regimen that you’ll lose weight

You’re not counting calories – No matter how you eat, you cannot lose weight if you ignore your caloric intake versus the number of calories you burn. A gluten free diet full of whole foods is the first step, but be sure that you also monitor just how much food you enjoy daily.

Gluten may or may not be the “enemy” for some. It is not necessarily bad if it is consumed via the healthiest routes, such as whole grains. Never assume you are or are not sensitive to it. Instead, watch your reactions to certain foods and drinks. If you find you don’t respond well to some foods, it is time to talk to your doctor about a gluten free diet.

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More Great Gluten Resources:

THE GLUTEN-FREE DIET: FACTS AND MYTHS

The Surprising Truth About Gluten-Free Food and Weight Loss

Going gluten-free just because? Here’s what you need to know