The Gluten Debate
Lets talk about gluten. Who doesn’t love cakes, bread pasta and carbs?! Refined carbs containing gluten have been centered in a debate amongst the health and fitness industry. Many trainers advocate for gluten free diets and I will explain why many of us may react badly to gluten and whether or not you should go gluten free.
Why do some people advocate for gluten free diets?
Gluten is a protein found in many breads, cereals and grains. Often, products containing gluten are high in carbohydrates and often refined foods. The processing of refined carbohydrates often means that products containing gluten are processed and also contain vast amounts of sugar. For these reasons, gluten is often demonised as the source of digestive issues. However, unless you have been diagnosed with Coeliac which is an allergy to gluten, most people should be able to tolerate forms of gluten in foods. Some advocates for the gluten free diet have often blamed gluten on increasing the risk of autoimmune disorders and inflammation. Some symptoms such as bloating, cramping, diarrhoea, nausea and poor digestion all relate to Coeliac, IBS and Crohn’s disease. Therefore, if you do experience some of these symptoms when eating gluten, a gluten free diet may be beneficial for you as you may be sensitive to gluten. Unfortunately there are no biomarkers or tests you can do for gluten sensitivity, so it may be something you have to explore yourself if you are having trouble with foods containing gluten.
Another thing you can look into is eating low FODMAPS foods. High FODMAP foods ferment in the gut as they cannot be digested in the gut and cause cramping, bloating and produce gas. It has been suggested that if you reduce some High FODMAP foods, you may be able to re-introduce gluten into your diet.
If you want to check if you are consuming some of these foods, download the Monash FODMAPs app for free and see if some of the foods you are eating could be affecting your digestion. Interestingly, some low FODMAP foods actually contain gluten! Going gluten free may not be the answer for you.
Am I sensitive to gluten?
Gluten sensitivity is theoretically a condition where people believe they cannot tolerate gluten as it causes digestive issues such as abdominal cramping, bloating, diarrhoea and constipation. Often, people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) tend to eliminate gluten as they believe this is the source of their digestive issues. IBS is a condition that is often linked to stress and triggered by foods containing gluten. Meta-analysis studies which take a range of data from a number of studies have concluded that there is insufficient evidence on whether or not gluten free diets can actually be beneficial for treating symptoms of IBS due to the quality of evidence or significance of the studies.
How do I find out if I am sensitive to gluten?
Blood tests for coeliac are often the best indicator of finding out whether or not you have a wheat allergy. However, you need to be eating foods containing gluten to get accurate results from this test. There is no formal test for intolerances just yet so it may be that you need to use a process of elimination to see which foods make you feel uncomfortable after eating.
Why do people develop intolerances?
Our gut contains a large microbiome and number of enzymes and bacteria that help to digest foods. If you eliminate foods containing gluten, often your body adapts and no longer produces the enzymes for digestion and absorption of gluten. Inevitably, if you follow a gluten free diet for a number of months your body will no longer be able to digest gluten as effectively. So, the next time you order a Domino’s Pizza, you can expect to feel bloated and shitty. As you’d thought all along, you will blame it on the gluten rather than the other ingredients such as preservatives, excess sugars and additives and immediately switch back to your gluten free diet.
Are gluten free alternatives healthier?
Quite honestly I don’t think they are. You can have Sourdough Bread and equally you could have a gluten free loaf. Gluten free diets are meant to eliminate some grains and cereals, therefore having less processed foods like starchy carbohydrate sources, fruit, vegetables and a variety of protein and fat sources. Essentially, this means that a Gluten-free diet reduces the quantity of processed foods you eat, thus making it a diet that has limited amounts of additives, preservatives and sugars. However, you can go into a supermarket and buy Gluten-free Brownies, cakes, biscuits and breads. So when it comes down to it, a Gluten free diet can also be unhealthy if you regularly consume these processed gluten free products! There has been some literature that has suggested that eliminating lots of products containing gluten can actually lead to increased risk of deficiencies. This was due to a number of Gluten-free products contain more sugar, fat and sodium, which affected the availability of micronutrients and fibre available in these foods.
How can I overcome this?
If you are keen on having gluten back in your diet such as having some rye bread, cereals and pasta you may need to take things slowly if you’ve gone a few months gluten free. Start by having a small piece of bread or bowl of cereal a few times a week and monitor how you feel. After some time, you may be able to enjoy more foods containing gluten and work to having a whole bowl of pasta or white bread.
Any Questions, Just ask x
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21180526/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6803387/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30046155/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6803387/
