Why Is Gluten-Free Food So Popular?
It seems that in the recent period, there are more and more stories about diets that don’t contain gluten and even those who don’t have allergies are increasingly using gluten-free food. That’s why many people are wondering whether this is some kind of trend or eating gluten-free food is really good for the health.
This trend is very popular among celebrities. Many of them like the actress Gwyneth Paltrow and tennis star Novak Djokovic claim that this food has literally helped them feel reborn. Now let’s find out what we should know about gluten.
Gluten is a protein component that is found in cereals (barley, wheat, rye) which means in most foods that we use on a daily basis. Gluten is highly respected in the baking industry because it provides stickiness and elasticity in products. In addition, gluten has a role of emulsifier and stabilizer in the food industry.
The intolerance or inability to digest gluten is known as celiac disease. This disease can be kept under control only if the sufferer removes all products that contain gluten which is very difficult and demanding task. However, the story about gluten has not started because of this relatively rare disease, but because of the many scientific studies that have shown that the human body is unable to digest gluten completely and that almost every person suffers from some type of intolerance to gluten.
If you are suffering from celiac disease, your body treats gluten as a poison and tries to attack and eliminate it from the system. For celiac disease patients, gluten can damage the work of the small intestine and prevent the body to absorb nutrients. If you notice that wheat products cause discomfort, make sure to consult your doctor because celiac disease can lead to more serious diseases like neurological disorders, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer.
If you don’t feel any disturbance and difficulties when you consume grains and you still don’t want to take gluten, this can be good because you will include more fresh fruit and vegetables in your diet. But, if you give up on grains, you will miss many important nutrients like iron, zinc, fiber, vitamin B etc. Products that don’t contain gluten or gluten-free food usually have larger amounts of sugar in order to enhance the taste.
In conclusion, if you don’t have celiac disease and you don’t suffer from any type of intolerance to gluten, there is no scientific evidence that gluten-free food and a gluten-free diet is better for your health. If you believe that you feel better when you use gluten-free products feel free to increase their intake, but don’t eliminate grains from your diet completely.