What It Really Means To Be Gluten Free

I was reading a post in a Crohn's disease forum and I couldn't believe it when I saw someone get excited because they discovered Cocoa Puffs cereal was gluten-free. I wanted to scream.

There's been a lot of noise in the media about the benefits of a gluten-free lifestyle, and that's caused the food industry to produce a mind-numbing array of gluten-free labeled "foods." We've talked about wheat and grain before, but let's dive a little deeper into gluten and why going gluten-free is gaining popularity.

Gluten is a protein that is a composite of gliadin and glutenin. These composites cause allergic reactions and Celiac Disease, which is an allergic and autoimmune disease to gluten. People suffer abnormal immune reactions to partially digested gliadin. In other words, they have major inflammation in their small intestines. Gluten intolerance or sensitivity symptoms can include bloating, abdominal discomfort and pain, diarrhea, muscular disturbances, and bone or joint pain.

Gluten has also been linked to several neurological symptoms, from multiple sclerosis to ALS. To avoid these problems, a gluten-free diet has gained massive popularity over the past few years.

There are many foods that are naturally gluten-free: beans, seeds, and unprocessed nuts. Additionally, some grains and starches are safe and gluten-free if not processed or mixed with gluten-containing grains. These include amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat, corn and cornmeal, flax, hominy, millet, rice flour, soy flour, quinoa, sorghum, and tapioca.

Unfortunately, through cross-contamination in storage, transport, and processing, they usually come into contact with gluten-containing foods. So how gluten-free they actually are is suspect.

Gluten-Free Doesn't Mean Healthy

It might be understandable that you'd get excited if your kid's favorite cereal suddenly went gluten-free. But even if you were a bit delusional and thought Cocoa Puffs were good for you after they removed the gluten, you would still be wrong.

Here are the first few ingredients of Cocoa Puffs with 25% Less Sugar:

Whole Grain Corn (SUGAR), Sugar, Corn Meal (STARCH), Corn Syrup (SUGAR), Cocoa Processed with Alkali, Canola and/or Rice Bran Oil, Caramel and Beet Juice Concentrate Color, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Trisodium Phosphate. BHT Added to Preserve Freshness.

The first three ingredients are starch, sugar, and corn. That's the biggest problem with gluten-free labeled products. They're loaded with sugar and starches. This can be overall worse for your health than the gluten, and I think gluten is pretty awful for you.

All that sugar drives diabetes and excessive weight gain, and that wreaks havoc on your health in the long run. High-fructose corn syrup shows up in most of these products under various names and bypasses normal glucose metabolism entirely.

Other problems with gluten-free foods: they often substitute nuts, seeds, or legumes for the flour or fillers. This can be problematic because of the phytic acid that binds minerals and prevents you from absorbing them. And one of the legumes most commonly used is soy, which creates its own set of hormonal and inflammatory problems.

Avoiding gluten is essential to your health. But eating "gluten-free" processed foods may be just as dangerous. Stick with unprocessed foods that are naturally gluten-free.

For comprehensive guidance on anti-inflammatory eating and which foods actually support your health, visit the Eating Right: Nutrition Primer.

If you're in Frisco, Texas and navigating food sensitivities or trying to clean up your diet without the confusion of processed "health" foods, Applied Kinesiology can help identify exactly what your body needs.

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