Blog #2b: Gluten

Now that we have talked about grains, let’s discuss gluten-free products. In this blog post, we will discuss:

- what is gluten?

- what foods contain gluten?

- Intolerance vs Allergy

- Gluten-free used as a marketing tool

- how to purchase gluten-free products in the grocery store

What is gluten?

Gluten is a naturally occurring protein in some grains. Usually, gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and some oats. Malt includes barley, so most malt ingredients will have gluten in them as well. Triticale is not very well known, but it is a hybrid of wheat and rye, so any food products with “triticale” on the food label should be avoided as well. Even varieties of wheat should be avoided, such as durum, farro, graham, semolina, and spelt. There are numerous articles on eatright.org that you can check out about gluten and what food products may contain gluten.

What foods contain gluten?

So any food product with the grains listed above contains gluten unless they are labeled “gluten-free” on the package. Grains that are naturally gluten-free include quinoa, brown rice, corn, and millet. Foods like fruits, vegetables, eggs, beans, legumes, nuts, and seeds are naturally gluten-free.

Intolerance vs Allergy

People with gluten intolerances can have a lot of discomfort when eating gluten, and people with a gluten allergy can have severe reactions when eating gluten.

But an intolerance is not the same thing as an allergy!

An intolerance means your body has a hard time digesting the specific nutrient. Your body may react by an upset stomach, discomfort, bloating, or nausea. However, an intolerance will usually not having you seek urgent care. On the other hand, an allergy is more severe. Someone with an allergy has an autoimmune reaction, which can cause issues in your gut as well as hives, itching, rash, throat swelling, or even death. A gluten allergy is also called Celiac disease.

I used to work in my church nursery (I watched the two-year-olds specifically) and we had one little boy who had confirmed celiac disease. He brought his snacks from home because he could not eat the goldfish we served to the other kids! The little boy could be around the goldfish; he could touch them or smell them and be just fine. But when he consumed the goldfish (or gluten in general), his body would have an autoimmune response.

Gluten-free used as a marketing tool

The term “gluten-free” is now on a lot of food products in the grocery store. You can find the term on almost everything, even if the ingredients are naturally gluten-free. For example, my husband bought a bag of salt and vinegar potato chips, and the term “gluten-free” was on the front of the bag. Potatoes do not contain gluten naturally, and there are no wheat, barley, rye, or oats used in the potato chips. Malt vinegar was not used in the product as well, according to the food label. So of course they are gluten-free! But the general public has become hyper-focused on gluten. Remember when the gluten-free diet became a fad diet? For some reason, people were told that gluten was a man-made additive in foods, which is completely false. My mother told me matter-of-factly that gluten was a man-made additive, and I quickly corrected her! Now every product in the grocery store will put the term on their packaging, if not to make it clear to the public, but to also try to sell more of the product. The term has become a marketing tool, as well as a health tool.

Now do not get me wrong, the people with celiac disease need to follow a gluten-free lifestyle, and with the recent gluten-free craze, the public has been able to purchase more gluten-free products in the grocery stores. This was a great thing for people with celiac disease, for it expanded their food choices. The label “gluten-free” on food products can also be helpful for the general public. However, companies can manipulate the term to sell more products, so be careful. It’s always best to read the nutrition label on the back of the product, to make sure the product is truly gluten-free.

How to purchase gluten-free products in the grocery store

Again, everyone’s path to health is different. If you do not have a gluten intolerance or allergy, and you are medically and physically able to eat gluten, then do not make it so hard for yourself to eat! I am a firm believer in not making nutrition difficult to follow, and if you make yourself follow diets or restrictions that are not necessary, then why follow them? Gluten-free products can also be very expensive, so why waste your money on them if you can eat gluten safely? Now some products are naturally gluten-free, such as potatoes, that can be purchased for good prices, so you can find ways to eat gluten-free without buying the specialty products.

If you have an intolerance or allergy to gluten, then by all means, eat gluten-free foods and products. Following a gluten-free lifestyle will help your gut in the long-run. You can plan your grocery list around naturally gluten-free foods. See if your grocery store is running a sale on gluten-free products, find coupons to use, or find a way to fit the specialty gluten-free product into your grocery budget.

Practical Steps towards a “Peachy” Living:

1) If you are unsure whether you can tolerate gluten safely or not, you can complete an allergen test at your doctor’s office or at your local health department

2) You can check out eatright.org and see their lists, articles, and tips on gluten-free recipes and foods

3) Share food or recipe ideas with your loved ones! You may have family, friends, neighbors, or other relationships who already have gluten-free recipes, so share the recipes with each other!