This is the last trendy diet you can find in every magazine, and if we are listening to them, gluten has become our number 1 enemy.
It should absolutely be removed from our diet to feel good and even to lose weight. But this information is generally unfounded. Here’s all you need to know about gluten…
Maïa Baudelaire, Nutritionist specialist in Food Behavior and Founder of her own Method “I Love My Diet Coach®” – the first website of Nutritional Coaching by phone reimbursed by mutuals – explains why a gluten-free diet may be indispensable.
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a mixture of proteins found in some cereals (wheat, rye, oats and barley). In the presence of water in a recipe, the gluten will form a very viscous and very elastic network. Gluten will then make it possible to manufacture specific products such as bread or pastries.
When to eliminate gluten from your diet?
To totally eliminate gluten from our diet is not that easy! The number of foods containing gluten is huge: you can find it in breads, pasta, pizzas, couscous, pastries, pies and so on. As part of such a diet you will also need to read all the ingredients of each product you buy to ensure that it contains no trace of gluten.
There’s only one reason to go into this type of plan and it’s a medical one. Banning gluten from your diet only makes sense if you have an allergy to this compound (celiac disease or a form of intolerance).
What is celiac disease?
It is an immunological disturbance that affects the wall of the intestine and prevents absorption of the elements necessary for health. Symptoms include abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, unusual tiredness, blues, joint pain. In this case it is necessary to completely eliminate the gluten from your diet so that the absorption in the intestine can resume its normal course and bring to the organism all the elements that it needs to survive.
Why are we more and more gluten intolerant?
This diet has evolved over the last 100 years. We are consuming more and more processed products in which manufacturers use gluten besides for its thickening properties. The methods of agriculture have also changed, intensive agriculture produces wheat much richer in gluten than in the past. It is therefore over-consumption of gluten due to its excessive use, which leads to an increase in celiac disease.
To sum up
The Gluten-free diet has real health benefits only for consumers with celiac disease or gluten intolerance clearly diagnosed by your doctor.
To avoid being affected by this overconsumption, I advise you to turn to simple recipes, as natural as possible and unprocessed products. Try whole-grain rather than white bread and prepare your own recipes to be sure of what’s in it. This is the best way to enjoy the benefits of gluten without the disadvantages.
If you still want to exclude it from your diet, opt for gluten-free cereals: rice, quinoa, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, and millet.
Find all our gluten-free recipes here!
