Gluten appears to be in just about everything, from pasta, bread, and beer to cosmetics and nutritional supplements. That explains the increasing buzz on avoiding gluten. But what is this common ingredient and is it really bad for you? And how long does gluten stay in your system?
Well, gluten is a protein founds in the wheat plan and some other grains. Aside from wheat, gluten comes from barley, rye, barley, and triticale. For those who might not know, triticale is a cross between rye and barley. Sometimes you’ll find gluten in oats, but merely because the oats may have been processed with other foods containing gluten.
You may be wondering about the impact of consuming gluten to your body. Remember, humans have digestive enzymes that help us break down food. Protease is the enzyme responsible for helping our body process proteins, but it can’t completely break down gluten.
Undigested gluten makes its way to the small intestine. Most individuals have what it takes to handle the undigested gluten without encountering any issues whatsoever. But in some people, gluten can trigger a severe autoimmune response or other unwanted symptoms.
There’s a lot of confusion surrounding gluten being an evil food. But it is worth mentioning that gluten isn’t inherently bad for most people. However, grains such as wheat are sometimes stripped down to make processed foods such as snack crackers and potato chips. These refined products have very little resemblance to the actual wheat plant that is actually highly nutritious.
Most people who switch to gluten-free diet but still eat processed foods find themselves continually gaining weight. Moreover, they may make do with blood sugar swings and other health complications. So, it’s not the gluten that is causing their health complications, but the sodium and other additives in processed foods.
Remember, gluten can be harmful to people with celiac disease, wheat allergy, gluten ataxia, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Be sure to talk to a physician if you think gluten could be affecting your health. In most cases, they may recommend blood tests to detect celiac disease or a wheat allergy.
