Jul
18
Should You Choose Gluten Free?
I’ve recently become really intrigued by the concept of gluten-free foods. What is it? What foods are and are not gluten free? What are the health benefits? Should you consider going gluten free?
First, let’s establish exactly what gluten is. Gluten is a protein found in wheat that gives elasticity to dough, establishes a chewy texture, and helps dough to rise and maintain its shape.
The main reason people choose to go gluten free is because they have been diagnosed with celiac disease, characterized by an intolerance to the gluten in wheat, barley, and rye. Those with celiac disease experience intestinal trouble and malnutrition because their body sees gluten as an invader (much like our bodies view milk as an invader!) and rejects it instead of absorbing it as nutrients. It can develop at any age and lasts for a lifetime, commonly beginning after major emotional events such as surgery, infections, or pregnancy. Approximately 1% of Americans (or about 3 million people) have celiac disease, but only 10% have been diagnosed.
So, what foods contain gluten?
Chocolate Chip Muffins, Gluten Free and Yummy
Well, there are the usual suspects: bagels, beer, bread, pasta, pizza, cookies, cakes, crackers, and pretzels. However, after doing some research, I was shocked to discover that pickles, Twizzlers, hot dogs, pudding, blue cheese, curry powder, soy sauce, and some chocolates also contain gluten! Who would have thought?
It can be a bit difficult when shopping or dining out to find foods that are both vegan and gluten free. However, the combination is on the rise and there are some great products out there to purchase. Bob’s Red Mill and 1-2-3 Gluten Free both make great mixes that meet the needs of vegans and gluten-intolerant folks alike. Babycakes NYC, a bakery owned by Erin McKenna, is also vegan and gluten free and is becoming quite popular. Erin has been featured on the Martha Stewart Living Show and even opened a Babycakes location in Walt Disney World.
If you are looking for recipes, check out XGFX, a newly opened site that only features recipes that are both vegan and gluten free.
Should you go gluten free if you are not intolerant to wheat? To show the benefits of going gluten free, I have compiled a list, seen below:
- Wheat is a pro-inflammatory agent (wheat rapidly converts to sugar, which causes your body’s insulin levels to rise and therefore inflames your blood cells)
- Most humans don’t digest wheat fully (undigested wheat ferments in your body and causes gas)
- Refined wheat has little nutritional value
- Gluten can decrease a woman’s ability to ovulate and is linked to a decrease in fertility
- Grains make you crave sugar because they break down into sugar
- Avoiding gluten can improve mental health (and decrease the symptoms of schizophrenia, depression, and autism) and energy levels
- A diet low in gluten is also low in carbohydrates (anyone dieting? This can be a good thing!)
- You’ll eat fewer junk foods because gluten free convenience foods cost more ($4 for six cookies makes you think again before eating the entire box)
It was a lot harder for me to find negatives for eating a gluten free diet, but what I did find, you can see in the list below:
- Gluten free food can be expensive. (But so can vegan foods, which we should be used to be now, right?)
- GF foods can be hard to find.
- It can be hard to eat out at restaurants without badgering the waiter or waitress about their menu.
If you know of any other negatives for gluten free, I’m all ears!
Personally, I see no real negatives for choosing to eat GF. There are a lot of nutritional benefits to avoiding the stuff, plus you’ll have more energy, fewer sugar cravings, and automatically lose a bit of weight. What could be better?
Although it can be a challenge, I definitely recommending going GF and vegan. Although I’m not GF myself, it’s something I would love to work towards. Even if I’m not 100% GF, avoiding most gluten containing foods will benefit my body and help me feel a lot healthier.
What do you guys think?
Rachael Harris is an indecisive vegan college student with a passion for cooking, blogging, eating, and studying nutrition. She believes that all life is beautiful, and that having compassion for the people (and animals) around you is one of the most important things in life. Her blog, Passing Daisies, showcases vegan recipes, plenty of memories, and healthy living tips on a regular basis.
After graduation, Rachael hopes to open a bakery, publish a cookbook, and be a free-lance writer and food journalist.
[line]Rachael has been previously featured on Your Daily Vegan! Check out her other posts (and more) by visiting the YDV Contributors Hall of Fame.
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Thanks for all the feedback! :)
I have autoimmune disorders (including celiac) so I follow a gf diet (and vegan by choice). Your article was really good but I do have something to add: you’ll only lose weight on the gf diet if you don’t replace the gluten with gf products such as bread made from white rice. That’s not a complex carb and will cause weight gain eventually. A lot of gf breads and snacks are made from simple carbs so its best to save them as treats. That’s how I go about my diet and I’ve lost weight. People who are intolerant to gluten or who have celiac will lose weight by going gf but weight loss won’t be automatic for people who aren’t allergic
Great article Rachel, just an observation: most negative points about gluten/amid consuption are related to a high insulin impact on blood, that causes most of these problems. Lets substitute refinated (sugar, wheat) for whole grain foods, nice for you and your health.
I am not intolerant to gluten but I do have autoimmune disorders. Since going gluten-free several months ago, I have noticed dramatic differences – I have more energy and less fatigue, my digestion has improved and I am definitely less bloated.
As you mentioned, gluten can lead to inflammation. Everyone could benefit from consuming less gluten.
Yes, it’s a bit harder to buy things but because of the increased awareness of gluten intolerance, there are more and more items available everyday. And while it may seem like gluten is in everything, there are actually more gluten-free foods than one might think. And just like being vegan opens one up to trying a wider variety of foods, so does going GF. I’ve always used chickpea flour but now I also try amaranth, tapioca, brown rice flour and more!
To me, the greatest challenge is eating out. Thank you for addressing the issue!
Whilst I am fascinated with the potential health benefits of a lower gluten diet, I personally think that having a restrictive diet such as a vegan diet is hard enough and cutting out extra foods unnecessarily can make it harder for us to meet our nutritional requirements. There are tests that determine gluten (in)tolerance and I would always suggest seeing a doctor and/or nutritionist before making large changes to the diet.