It is often believed that only if you have coeliac disease should you then remove all gluten from your diet.
However, from my personal experience, testimonials from nearly all of my clients and also taking the latest scientific research into account, removing gluten and wheat from your meals just might make a big impact in improving your health!
So what is gluten and how does it affect your health?
Gluten is a protein that is found in many grains such as wheat, barley, spelt and rye.
Although in today’s world you can find it in almost anything from beauty products to processed foods. The main reason why wheat and gluten is a problem today is because of overconsumption and the genetic modification of the grain.
Wheat used to have 14 chromosomes and now it has 28, meaning there is a larger amount of gluten contained in the wheat causing more inflammation in your body and gut.
Even though you might not have coeliac disease, gluten causes a low-level auto-immune reaction in your body which creates inflammation. When you eat gluten, extra zonulins are created which damage the lining of your gut, making it permeable (creating small holes in your intestinal wall). Undigested food particles then seep through these tiny holes and are exposed to your immune system, which sits just underneath your gut lining.
When these bugs and undigested food particles touch your immune barrier, your body starts attacking them recognising them as foreign invaders and creating an inflammation response throughout the body which long term can lead to diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, allergies, intolerances, mental illnesses, cancer and much more.
Here are some other startling facts about gluten and wheat that might make you think twice before consuming;
- Gluten can make you fat! In fact, two slices of whole wheat bread can spike your blood sugar more than 2 tablespoons of sugar! This spike in blood sugar releases insulin into your system which is the fat storage hormone! It also contains a super starch called “Amylopectin A” which promotes the production of insulin (fat storage hormone).
- Wheat can act like a drug, making you addicted and craving for more as it contains polypeptides (exorphins) which act like endorphins leaving you feeling “high” after consumed and wanting more.
As always, I would encourage you to be your own food detective! Do an experiment and exclude all wheat and gluten from your diet for at least 2-3 weeks. Then slowly re-introduce some of it back into your meals and see how you feel.
Note down any changes physically, mentally or emotionally such as; bloating, constipating, foggy head, moodiness, fatigue, weight gain, depression or anxiety. You can then decide for yourself whether you want it as part of your daily food intake or if you fancy just enjoying in moderation.
Note: It is also important to not consume any gluten-free processed products when you come off gluten, as these products are often loaded with starches and hidden sugars than can be more detrimental for you!
