What is Gluten?

Good question, for it is the central question that this site seeks to provide answers to. Gluten is a special kind of protein found in many members of the grain family. It can commonly be found in bread and cereal products. Gluten does a host of things that make it important. Including providing, for instance, pizza dough with its doughy and elastic characteristics. But some individuals simply can not digest this protein properly and therefore it is recommended that they avoid gluten altogether - more on that in a moment.

How do I know if I am gluten intolerant?

That’s a good question. Because unlike Celiac Disease, which is an immune reaction to gluten which can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening complications when gluten is eaten, gluten intolerance often develops slowly. Worse yet the most common gluten intolerance symptoms can be confused for countless other intestinal tract conditions. I have even heard of gluten intolerance being misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome and, occasionally, as post-pardum depression. Even today doctors are not at their best when it comes to identifying a gluten intolerance because, as I said, the symptoms can be misidentified as a number of conditions.

But, and I know you were waiting for this, here are some of the most common gluten intolerance symptoms:

* Changes in weight
* Iron deficiency.
* Constipation, Diarrhea, Bloating
* Stool containing fatty parts
* Depression and fatigue
* Skin disorders such as eczema
* Irritability and difficulty focusing
* Problems in childbearing - such as miscarriage and irregular menstrual cycle.

Obviously, this doesn’t sound like anyone’s Christmas list. These are serious symptoms. But the good news is that treatment is available that can, essentially, eliminate each and every one of the above symptoms. The main component of any gluten intolerance treatment plan is to avoid gluten and live a gluten free lifestyle.

This may mean drastic changes in your diet, but I have found that with a little getting used to, these changes don’t really impact my life in any powerful way. I am just more careful in what I eat, and, as a result, I get to avoid all the horrible abdominal problems that I was having over the these last few years.

So, I hope that starts to clear up the confusion on just what is gluten intolerance. If you think that you may be suffering from a gluten intolerance, I recommend that you see your doctor as soon as possible for an antibody test.

Now remember, that gluten is commonly found in grains and cereals. Gluten is a special kind of protein that gives many foodstuffs, like bread for instance, their defining characteristics like elasticity and chewiness. Some of the foods on our gluten containing list will not shock you, however others will take you by complete surprise.

Foods Containing Gluten:

• Pasta (whole grain and processed)
• Pretzels
• Yorkshire pudding
• Bread and rolls
• Pie and pastry crust
• Stuffing
• Muffins
• Bagels
• Pancakes
• Apple topping
• Pizza dough
• Breakfast cereals
• Bran
• Sponge pudding
• Cake
• Certain alcoholic beverages
• Ketchup

Because so many people are gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease, gluten can be a health hazard to a significant portion of the population. It is estimated that between 1.5 to 4 million people in the United States alone have significant problems digesting gluten. Therefore, one would think that if you just avoided the foods above you would be okay. Unfortunately, there are many other foods containing gluten that are not so obvious. These foods often trip up gluten intolerant individuals who are not aware that they contain gluten in the first place.

Here is a list of so-called hidden gluten foods:

• Boxed soups
• Imitation meat, such as soy-based meat-substitute products.
• Soy sauce
• Chicken and beef stock cubes
• Gravy powders
• Sausage processed with filler
• Malt Vinegar
• Pickles

All of the above food items either always or usually contain gluten. Obviously, as you can see, gluten is an extremely common ingredient in the foods that we eat either as a part of grains or as a food additive. Therefore it is essential that you continue to stay on your toes if you are adhering to a gluten free diet.

Food packaging companies are increasingly aware of the problems posed by gluten to a significant minority of their customer base. As such they have gotten much better about being clear, easy to understand, and direct when and if one of their food products contains gluten. Still, it is no picnic having to check boxes to make certain that a particular food does not contain gluten. However, now that you have a partial list of foods containing gluten you will be much more capable of making an informed decision.

Things started off well enough. I felt like some of the symptoms were starting to go away quickly after I started on my gluten free diet which was difficult enough to maintain for the first few weeks. I have to say that I never really believed that I was a big carb person. Now my daughter is a big carb person but that’s a story for another post. All I really thought was that I liked bread a little but I didn’t think it would be too difficult to give up, especially if it would alleviate all those damn gluten allergy symptoms. Little did I know I was in for a shock.

It turned out that I really have a strong attachment to grains and cereals. I never realized that just be eliminating gluten from my diet, I would also have to eliminate so many of the foods that I am just flat out used to eating. (That would be the toughest part!) Because I really always thought that if I was having these incredibly difficult gluten allergy symptoms that I would be willing to do what it took to get rid of them and I knew that meant starting a gluten free life. And, to be honest, I was excited about it all at first, I thought why not live as a healthier me. But I didn’t know it would be so hard, even if it is easier on my intestines.

Well, the first few days went pretty good. I was diminishing with the gluten related allergy symptoms and starting to feel much better day in day out. But things got tough pretty soon thereafter when my wife ordered a pizza for her, the kids, a few of the neighborhood kids, and our babysitter. So, I’m sitting there on a gosh darn gluten free diet and they are eating all these carbs and everything and just basically inhaling gluten and not having any problems with it. Well I got mad!

I thought and I know this sounds a little hokey but I was upset I said, “Why me, God?” Ya know. I am the one who was suffering from the gluten allergy and was having all these problems. Now I’m starting to get rid of the gluten intolerance symptoms and I have to sit there and watch my entire family (and half the neighboorhood) eat pizza that I bought while I just sit there and watch. I was more than I could take, I’m sitting there with a bunch of gluten free products that taste okay at best while they are snacking on Dominos. Really I felt like, “The Nerve!”

Anyway, that day ended soon enough and I started to think that I wouldn’t always suffer with gluten intolerance afterall. What if the doctor had been wrong. I guess I just started to blame a lot of people because I had always thought that no matter what at least I had my health. But with this gluten intolerance, I simply did not. And it was frustrating. Frustrating as heck! Afterall three months ago I’m like, “what is gluten?” and today I’m not enjoying a crispy, fresh pizza with my wife and kids because I am living a gluten free life. It really was one of those moments for me. I thought what am I doing here! Why can’t God just let me live my life like everyone else. I was really upset. So, I finally talked to Sarah and we made a decision that we would avoid wheat products as a family for a while while I adjusted to a diet that was gluten free. The gluten allergy symptoms were beginning to go away as I stayed with my gluten free diet and I realized that I simply felt much better eating gluten free products. I did not suffer with those darn gluten intolerance symptoms in the middle of the night like I had been so often before. In a way it was refreshing to think that just because I couldn’t eat a pizza with my wife and kids that did not mean that I couldn’t behave sensibly ya know.

In the end I learned a lot in the first few months after doing something about my gluten allergy symptoms. I realized that not everything in the world has to be about me - which was a huge realization because let’s face it we all can be sort of self centered from time to time. I realized that my gluten sensitivity is not a punishment from God because I don’t believe God works with food. I think he sticks to other things.

But the main thing that happened was I stayed on my gluten free diet and got rid of these crazy gluten allergy symptoms which was a good thing. Now, next on my list is to be looking at all the ways that I drive my wife crazy with nagging about food and blaming things on my gluten allergy symptoms. I know that that will be an awakening of sorts for me.

However, in some individuals gluten poses a problem. For individuals with a gluten sensitivity there is a difficulty in digesting the gluten found in bread or grain containing products. For these individuals it becomes important, in order to avoid intestinal problems, that they maintain a gluten free diet. In this type of enteropathy gluten can not be properly digested, sometimes due to Celiac disease which affects no less than 0.5 percent of the population. Such persons either have a gluten sensitivity (which is like an allergy) or Celiac disease. Estimates suggest that nearly fifteen percent of all persons in the United States have either the gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease. However, be advised that many of such people are able to live healthy and happy lives providing that they remove the gluten from their diet and see their doctor regularly. If you believe you may be afflected with a gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease please see your doctor as soon as possible.

Another important factor to remember when considering gluten sensitivity is the history of the disease. To be frank about it, gluten allergies are well understood even today. For many years, before advanced medical screening made the detection of gluten intolerance easier for doctors, people were uncertain why some individuals had trouble with their intestines as well as certain skin disorders. Some time ago, there were more questions regarding what is gluten. However, by world war II many in the medical profession were slowly sensing the connection between a gluten sensitivity and the claims of distress that were being presented by many patients. Through a process of elimination (a gluten free diet really) the gluten intolerance was ascertained and treated.

Because gluten is present in many of the grains in the grain family as well as cereals, many individuals with a gluten sensitivity feel that they must miss out on their favorite foods of yesteryear due to this complication. While it is true that in order to comply with a gluten free diet certain grain staples such as wheat and cereal must be eliminated from your diet, there are many gluten-free alternatives for each and everyone of these products. Since the detection of a gluten sensitivity has become so much easier for doctors, we have discovered that a much larger percentage of individuals struggle with some form of a gluten allergy or even Celiac disease. These changes in detection really only came to light in the last several years and as a result of them we have learned that there are many individuals, much more than previously thought, who struggle with gluten issues.

New websites have sprung forth to address the gluten issue and more people than ever have come to discover that they have a gluten sensitivity. For many, the news that have a gluten sensitivity is actually welcome news. For a long time they had been struggling with certain symptoms such as intestinal difficulties and fatigue and simply had no clue what was wrong with them. For these individuals there is now light at the end of the tunnel. They see that having a gluten allergy isn’t a death sentence, it is, in fact, far from it. With some changes in diet and a commitment to live gluten free these individuals are finding themselves healthier than ever.

The other question that comes up is whether people with a gluten sensitivity will have to give up some of their favorite foods that contained grains or cereals or were heavy in carbs. In some cases the answer to this question is yes. Certain foods, those with gluten will have to be eliminated in order to be healthy and at peak performance. However, as I alluded to earlier recent advances in medical detection have yielded interesting results. We have learned that many more people have some form of gluten sensitivity than was previously thought. As a result of this new, healthier food choices have become available for individuals who are gluten intolerant.

For instance, if you were to go to your favorite search engine and type in “gluten free beer” or “gluten free pizza” you would discover that many alternative options have sprung up in recent years to try to cater to the gluten free crowd. That’s how many people suffer with some form of gluten sensitivity. So many in fact that a cottage industry has sprung forth in order to allow people who have chosen to live gluten free to do so without giving up some of their favorite things. You can even find gluten free bread these days. Who would have thought that that was possible.

Also, a lot of these products without gluten taste fantastic. Sure your gluten free bread won’t be exactly like how you remember fresh baked bread but it will have it’s own qualities that you may grow to enjoy. It won’t have the elasticity of glutenous bread and therefore will be easier to digest as well. The point is that these gluten free products have really improved in the last few years to the point that, in many cases, there is no discernable difference in quality between a product with gluten and one without it.

I know that for a few individuals out there it seems like a lot to sacrifice to lose gluten. I can assure you that not only will you feel healthier, but you won’t have all those negative side effects that are caused by a diet full of gluten. As a result you will be more effective and efficient. Now who wouldn’t want that. Plus as I said the new products really aren’t all that bad. There are now some great gluten-free possibilites.

I hope you realize that having a gluten sensitivity doesn’t have to be a bad thing. For many a gluten sensitivity is the motivation for them to start living a healthier lifestyle.

Just exactly what is gluten? Good question, sir. Gluten is a unique kind of protein that is usually present in wheat, rye and barley among other things that are considered carbs. There is a perception among some people that gluten is bad for you or unhealthy because some people can not properly digest it. However this can be labeled a myth or untruth about gluten. When dealing with your health or nutrition it is best to stick to facts and facts alone.

Because gluten is present in several of the mainstays of the grain family, it is most often found in bread as well as cereal ,many people are of the mistaken belief that gluten means grain. Again this is untrue. However, simple inclusion in the grain family does not ensure that a food stuff will contain gluten. For instance, there are several types of grains that do not include gluten at all. Examples of these include wild rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa, oats, soybeans, sunflower seeds and buck wheat. Still, one can be certain that many of the most popular grains and cereals contain gluten. This is true.

So just what is gluten? Gluten has many unique characteristics. For instance it is not water soluble and can be eliminated from wheat flour by a thorough rinse of the dough followed by a vigrous knead of the dough. The dough must be kneaded until all of the starch has been removed from it. Thus it is a somewhat difficult process and many with a gluten sensitivity choose to avoid glutenous grains all together rather than endure this process.

Gluten, in bread, causes many of the distinguishing properties that are inherent in the food stuff called bread. In bread it is gluten that causes elasticity which gives the bread its malleable, chewy texture. Because of this when gluten is removed from dough it possess a puddy-like, sticky composition. Another characteristic of gluten is that is tough. It is gluten that gives certain bread products such as pizza dough and bagels their dense, chewy characteristics. Gluten also retains gases that are released during the process of fermentation that bread undergoes when it is still in its dough form. As a result of this retention, bread will rise before baking taking on an airy form. Another facet of gluten is that it, along with starch,  serves to hold the shape of a cooked loaf of bread. Gluten is also party responsible for the “staling” of bread.

But that alone does not answer the question of what is gluten. It has other features as well. Another characteristic of gluten is that it can take on fluids, allowing it to “soak  up” liquids. It is this quality of gluten which gives bread its absorbent features. Due to this gluten can serve as an imitation meat and is frequently used in that capacity by vegetarians. Because of this many individuals who follow a gluten free diet do not eat imitation meat or imitation meat products. Many of these products contain significant amounts of gluten.

Approximately .5% - 1% of the general population suffers from a disease called celiac disease. Celiac disease can result in serious complications and even death.This disease causes an improper immune reaction to gluten and as a result gluten must be eliminated from the diet of individuals who suffer from this disease.  Therefore, only diets can that are 100% gluten-free will suffice for this substantial minority.

So in a nutshell that answers the question of what is gluten.