“Like trying to rid your bathing suit of sand, it can be tough to remove this ubiquitous food (wheat) from our eating habits, this thing that seems to cling to every nook, crack and cranny of American diets.” — Dr. William Davis
Gluten: The word was virtually unheard of a generation ago and now it seems we hear a lot about gluten. Gluten-free, gluten intolerant and gluten sensitivity are terms that are becoming more common. What is gluten anyway? It is the protein component in wheat, rye and barley. You might be thinking, “Wheat? We’ve always eaten wheat. What’s the problem with wheat?” Well, unfortunately wheat has changed. A lot.
Wheat has been hybridized during the last 50 years to such an extent that it has increased the gluten content exponentially. Not only that, hybridization has created new strains of gluten — one study found 14 new ones.
Why was wheat hybridized? Originally it was to increase production and create hardy, pest-resistant wheat with a long shelf life. This in an effort to avoid famine and minimize world hunger.
The man credited with breeding the high-yield dwarf wheat that is grown today is Norman Borlaug, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his work. Through this hybridization process, the gluten content increased but no testing was ever performed on animals or humans. The problem with gluten is that is hard to digest and with wheat now containing so much of it, it is becoming a problem for many people. Some researchers and doctors are questioning whether or not it may be a problem for everyone. Maybe today’s wheat isn’t really fit for human consumption; maybe it is too hard on our digestive system. How do you know if you have a problem with gluten? The symptoms are many and varied. Digestive problems, headaches, migraines, canker sores, arthritis, poor memory, fatigue, delayed puberty, infertility and skin rashes around the joints are signs of gluten sensitivity. On the far end of the gluten-intolerance spectrum is celiac disease, which is considered an autoimmune disease. The body sees gluten as a foreign substance and the body makes antibodies against it; unfortunately those antibodies also attack the tissues of the body.
Celiac disease is particularly troublesome because it is considered a gateway autoimmune disease. That means it can create a pathway for other conditions to be triggered. Conditions like Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Type 1 diabetes, osteoporosis, ADHD, miscarriages, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid issues all can be triggered by celiac disease. Many people are diagnosed with the secondary condition and may never be diagnosed as having celiac disease.
Another concern is that we are far too reliant on this grain in our diet. We eat cereal and toast for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch and pasta with Italian bread for dinner. This is far too much wheat and far more than we consumed only a generation or two ago. Most of our parents or grandparents ate eggs or oatmeal for breakfast, a hot meal for lunch then meat and potatoes for dinner, with the occasional bread or sandwich thrown in. All of this wheat consumption would have been too much, even without the extra gluten from hybridizing. Anther issue is that food companies now use gluten as an ingredient in many products you would never suspect. Ice cream, soy sauce, hot dogs, chocolate and pickles all can contain gluten. These companies are not required to list gluten as an ingredient. To confuse matters, gluten, wheat, rye and barley have derivatives that are known by other names. It turns out you almost have to be a scientist to decipher gluten on a list of ingredients. Food companies aren’t the only ones using gluten. It can be in toothpaste, shampoo, medications, cosmetics, envelope and stamp adhesives, lip balm, cupcake liners, hairspray, latex gloves, glue, modeling dough, medications, vitamins and myriad other products. The good news is that as we are becoming more aware of gluten, companies are starting to label their products if they are gluten-free. Gluten-free food companies are offering a wide array of products and even the big food companies are starting to come up with gluten-free alternatives. Many restaurants also are offering gluten-free menu options to patrons. Gluten intolerance is something of which we all need to be aware. While it is a difficult diagnosis to accept, the positive side is that we can treat ourselves by changing our diet — no medical procedures, no medications, no hospital visits. You can adapt to a gluten-free lifestyle and, with new products coming out every day, the gluten-free choices will continue to improve. There is continuing research about healing gluten intolerance, special diets that can heal the damage gluten creates and ancient wheat that some gluten-intolerant people seem to tolerate, still is available. If you are newly diagnosed, get some support. It is not easy to navigate this new gluten-free world on your own. Gluten-intolerance counseling is a part of my practice. If you need some support, call for a complimentary consultation.
Grosse Ile resident Theresa Edmunds is a certified health counselor who works with individuals to create health through natural living principles. Contact her for a free initial consultation attheresaedmunds@hotmail.com. She also teaches adult enrichment classes at Monroe County Community College. Visit monroeccc.edu to learn more. Information in this column should not be considered medical advice.