What the heck is Gluten? (and how to love those who hate it)
One person says gluten is necessary, and the other boasts of its elimination curing their arthritis.
So, what’s the deal with gluten? Do you even know what it is?
If you don’t, you aren’t alone.
I saw this hilarious clip from Jimmy Kimmel of pedestrians answering “What is gluten?” No one could. While it was nearly a decade ago, and the amount of information (and better GF products) have improved, it’s still true.
Most people know the term “gluten-free,” and might even equate to “healthy” but don’t know WHY.
If you’re lost in this HUGE rise in popularity, you’re in the right place. Let’s get into it.
Gluten is a family of peptides (proteins) found in grains like wheat, barley, rye, and spelt. The “family members” are: gliadin, glutenin, hordein, secalin, all of which activate Celiac disease with those whose genes permit.
Photo of the Gliadin molecule (Gluten peptide found in wheat) courtesy of Hygina.com
What is Celiac disease?
Celiac is an autoimmune disease that nowadays with the rise of “gluten-free” culture, is generally accepted as the “most legit” reason to abstain from gluten.
This serious disease wreaks havoc on the small intestine and releases a plethora of inflammatory processes in the entire body.
About 1 in every 100 people have it, and it runs in families - so your risk jumps to 1 in 10 if your mom or dad has it.
Whether it’s diagnosed or not, the reality of Celiac greatly affects the quality of someone’s life when untreated. The only way to treat Celiac is to follow a strict gluten-free diet.
Since it is an autoimmune condition, an anti-inflammatory approach to eating, and focusing on whole food nutrition within being gluten-free will also help someone heal.
So why do so many people that aren’t celiac feel better without gluten?
Well, sadly 80-90% of Celiac cases are undiagnosed. (Yes, you read that right.)
That means that there are more people you know who are celiac than you think. Because THEY don’t even know it yet!
This means that entire families could be suffering from Celiac without realizing it. This information has the potential to help heal you, your partners, your kids, your parents….
One common problem with diagnosing is that…
…many of the symptoms people experience with Celiac disease are not gastrointestinal, so it is often misdiagnosed.
The gut is central to overall health, and the way Celiac creates small intestinal injuries can lead to joint pain, skin issues, and oral health problems. That AND any autoimmune disease elicits a cascade of inflammatory processes in the body, contributing further to joint, tissue, skin, brain, and mouth issues.
People who may have never had access to this type of information will end up in the offices of rheumatologists, psychologists, dermatologists and dentists, many of whom do not think to look into Celiac disease.
The traditional way of diagnosing Celiac is through blood serum tests and biopsies. Getting a test can be challenging depending on the information that you have and what your doctor is aware of.
The other consideration for false negatives is the group of people who have already cut gluten and found relief from their symptoms. In order for accurate test results to show, they need to be eating gluten in abundance. Many of these people are not able to go through a month of eating a lot of gluten without it dramatically affecting their ability to attend work, school, or carry out their daily responsibilities.
Genetic testing for the high-risk genotypes of Celiac disease is now largely available and even offered right here in Lethbridge through my Nutrition business, Roots & Fruits Wellness. That means you don’t have to eat gluten, as we will be testing your genetics, not antibodies.
Through Nutrigenomix, I am able to peek into your HLA genotype and assess your risk for Celiac. It’s not a confirmatory diagnosis, but it is beneficial information to estimate the possibility of you having Celiac, either confirming or debunking your speculations.
This test is also helpful for delaying more invasive tests for kiddos and those who want to avoid a biopsy. If you have a medium or high-risk genotype AND symptoms, you may decide against further testing for an official diagnosis.
If you have the risk variants for Celiac, it doesn’t mean you have the disease. Though there is a possibility for non-Celiac gluten sensitivity.
This cannot be diagnosed or confirmed through any of the tests outlined, but we could look at doing an IgG food intolerance test to see if eating specific gluten proteins is contributing to an adverse response in your body.
Some people who are sensitive to gluten work on healing the gut and find they can incorporate gluten again, usually in the form of a high-quality sourdough bread, or something like that.
Others may choose to eliminate gluten forever, despite their lack of a Celiac diagnosis.
This should be respected, not mocked, by medical and nutrition professionals alike. Ideally, the loved ones of those who choose to abstain from gluten would learn to enjoy life with less gluten-filled products in their life to help make a safer social environment for their gluten-free person.
Contrary to popular belief, non-Celiac gluten sensitivity is also a legitimate health concern that can contribute to symptoms of IBS, mental illness, hormone imbalances, and more.
There are a growing number of non-celiac individuals and families choosing to go gluten-free.
Whether it’s due to their undiagnosed Celiac disease, their strong gluten sensitivity, or just finding improvements without the inflammatory peptides floating around in their body, it’s not in their head.
Some scientists believe that anything but Celiac is a psychological issue, with a strong placebo effect. While there may be some truth to that, that is not the only problem.
I’m all for gluten-free diets for anyone who is wanting to improve their health, and here’s why.
The QUALITY of our sources of gluten has decreased drastically in the past century. Especially in North America. Most of our grain products are heavily processed and do not contain the enzymes necessary to break down the proteins.
There are also extra additives and chemicals in gluten-filled (and gluten-free breads for that matter) that are harmful as well. Most accessible gluten-filled grain companies are also spraying their crops heavily, and contributing to compromised nutrition by genetically modifying the plants. Gluten-free products may be modified and sprayed too, so be watchful, but it’s more likely to find gluten-free products that are also certified organic and being crafted more mindfully.
Another reason I advocate for going gluten-free is that our God-given method of breaking down protein is an enzyme called protease. Unfortunately, it can’t completely break down gluten. Most people can poop out undigested particles, but if you have any damage in your intestinal lining, which is more common than we would like to admit, these undigested particles, like gluten, can float through the bloodstream, and even cross the blood-brain barrier, contributing to many adverse health consequences.
So no matter where you land in this whole conversation, it's important to remember the following things about gluten and those who do not eat it:
Many people do not do well with gluten and choose to abstain. Respect that, learn from that, and believe the best about others. Do not shame them for not being Celiac, and “still choosing” to abstain. Do not make them feel like they are missing out on the “normal” things.
Normalize the many grains that exist without gluten. Many individuals who abstain from gluten feel social stress, and sometimes even anxiety around eating away from home. Keep that in mind and serve them with humility, not making a big scene about the thing you made for them that was gluten-free. This helps kids especially with Celiac disease (or gluten sensitivity) preserve a healthy relationship with food.
Gluten-free does NOT mean healthy or nutritious. There are plenty of inflammatory, garbage ingredients in most packaged foods, gluten or not.
Gluten products also do not all get written off as bad. There are lots of healthful locally made organic sourdough breads that have so much nutrition and even benefit to healing the gut if you can handle it.
If you feel better without gluten, don’t eat it. Pay attention to non-GI related symptoms too. Skin, joints, muscle issues, etc.
Even though it’s not a happy topic for many people, I think it’s a happy cause to be intentionally speaking about this popular word that hopefully you now know more about.
So, Happy Celiac Awareness Month.
If you’re interested in booking an appointment with me to discuss this further, you can do so here. I’d be happy to help you on your journey. We can accomplish all the tests mentioned without meeting in person, so if you’re in Canada we can work together!
