Gluten-free diets have seen a huge surge in the last 15 years, partially because medical professionals have “rediscovered” gluten sensitivity. Diagnosis of celiac disease and non-celiac gluten intolerance has become more prevalent celiac disease, leading to the widespread maxim that gluten-free diets are healthier.
Gluten is a mixture of proteins called prolamins and glutelins that gives wheat, barley, rye and oat products a doughy texture: think bread and pasta. Thus, gluten-free versions of these beloved carbs lack their elasticity and tend to crumble apart. Many processed foods also contain gluten, either as a binder or as a component of a flavoring.
The effects of a gluten-free diet depend on a person’s relative sensitivity—people with celiac disease, for example, have to cut out gluten to reduce their chances of developing long-lasting or terminal complications. If you’re aiming to live healthier, removing gluten from a food item doesn’t necessarily make it better, just easier for those with a sensitivity to digest. Instead, you should aim to enrich your diet: the idea here is to consume more fresh food, which contains nutrients that alternative breads and waffles may lack. Trying to re-create your previous diet with gluten-free items will disappoint you as well as strain your budget.
Whether you’re going gluten-free for health, relief or survival, here are five things you should know.
1. Gluten sensitivity isn’t necessarily celiac disease
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the most common form of gluten intolerance, is characterized by gastrointestinal woes, headaches or fatigue. Around six to ten percent of the population suffers from NCGS. These symptoms clear up, well, when gluten-sensitive people eliminate it from their diet. An outright allergy to other proteins within wheat is rare. Meanwhile, celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that can affect multiple organs. Celiac disease can be identified by “classic symptoms,” namely malabsorption, impaired growth and chronic diarrhea or vomiting. However, “non-classic” or silent celiac, which can have milder symptoms and abnormalities in other organs, is more common. Untreated celiac disease can lead to heart failure, cancer, epilepsy, diabetes and thyroid disease—in short, if you have celiac disease, gluten can kill you.