Food is a necessary fuel that humans need to function and stay healthy. Lack of proper nutrition can lead to malnutrition with its attendant health challenges and even, death.
Beyond eating however, it is important that individuals eat the right things. Studies have shown that there are certain food contents that are unhealthy for us. One such content is gluten.
What is Gluten?
It is generally classified as belonging to the family of proteins. Particularly though, it is the type of protein found in rye, barley, spelt and wheat but most especially found in wheat. It is made up of glutenin and gliadin but it is glutenin that is the cause of the health challenges attributable to gluten. You can read more on it here.
It has to be noted however, that the gluten topic or challenge (or however you see it) is quite controversial. While some sources claim that it might be safe for everyone except those with the celiac disease, some experts think otherwise. Generally, it is better to be safe than sorry and this is the reason for the preaching from abstinence to this food content. To further validate this point, here are some reasons to just abstain totally and not take any chances.
The Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is a severe type of gluten insensitivity in which the body’s immune system assumes that it is some type of foreign invader (like a bacteria) and attacks it. These attacks go immediately to a tissue in the digestive tract known as the tissue transglutaminase which is the intestinal wall and this causes its degeneration resulting in various nutritional deficiencies. Thus, those with this condition must avoid glutens.
Many Do Not Know Their Celiac Status
The challenge however and the more reason people should avoid glutens is that many people are not yet aware of their status. It is believed that at least 1% of people have this condition and know that they have it and obviously avoid it. However, studies show that many more in the population (80%) may not be aware that they have this condition as many might not show any abdominal signs or symptoms. Bear in mind that this condition can lead to death.
Gluten Sensitivity
While the celiac disease is the worst form of gluten sensitivity, there are other forms of sensitivity that are less severe than celiac. Sadly, there is no way to diagnose gluten sensitivity except from the adverse reactions to it and it is safe to assume that many more people have this sensitivity without knowing. Who knows? You might just be one such person and for this reason, abstinence remains the best option for you. You can find out more on these issues at https://www.businessinsider.com/.
Associated With Many Brain Conditions
Although gluten primarily affects people’s guts and stomachs, it has been known to further exacerbate brain challenges. This has been discovered by health experts who witness an improvement in their patients once gluten diets are removed from their meals. Some of the neurological conditions that respond well to a diet that is gluten free include; autistic patients, epileptic patients and those with schizophrenia.
How Can One Start and Maintain Gluten Free Baking And Diet?
For some, the challenge is the discipline to avoid certain meals while for many people especially bakers, the challenge is what else to turn to. For the former, you simply have to develop that discipline as the intake of what is unhealthy for you will further complicate your health issues and your health is primary.
For the latter, there are a host of very nutritious foods that can be adequately served. However, if you are not conversant with how to prepare or bake them, you could ask for assistance or to be taught. Note that there can be no shortage of recipe guidelines on this; you can go to gluten-free Maui to find out more.
Also, there are many food substitutes you could start using; they include:
- Beans, legumes, seeds and unprocessed nuts (nuts that are in their natural forms)
- Vegetables and fruits
- Fish, poultry, fish, poultry, lean and non-processed meats
- Most dairy products that contain low fat
Conclusion
Primarily, it is good that we eat well and maintain a balanced diet. Equally important however, is the need to watch what we eat as the thing that we love to consume might actually be harmful to us.
Foods with gluten contents are an example of meals that we should avoid. There are healthy replacements for them that are equally very good for the health.
