Gluten Free - The New Health Trend

Low Carbs. Enhanced Waters. Organic Meats. Super Fruits...
As years continue to pass us by, it seems that more and more people grow concerned about their health and longevity. Pit stops at fast food restaurants are less frequent, natural and health food stores are increasing in business, and people are actually using their gym memberships (even if it is mostly around the time of the New Year). It also seems that people are more concerned about what goes into their bodies and how it will effect them later on in life. I remember reading an article about how turning on your air conditioner as soon as you get in your car can cause cancer; but lately it looks as if anything can cause cancer.

Now being added to the long list of health, food and diet trends, gluten has become the new sugar, and ‘bad’ ingredient of the moment. And with the rise in cooking and baking shows such as "Cake Boss," "Amazing Wedding Cakes," "Top Chef Masters/All-Stars," "Food Network Challenge," "Cupcake Wars" and "DC Cupcakes," you can see that more and more chefs are now beginning to make their pastries, pastas and pizzas gluten-free. Even grocery store cereals and boxed goods are being labeled gluten free. But why is this?

“Gluten gets a bad wrap because like any starch, if the energy from it is not used, it turns into fat,” Non-Perishable Manager of FRESH by Brookshire’s Chris Johle said. “It is a type of protein found mostly in grains, cereals and breads. It is a little like an energy compound, and that is why it is found in starchy foods.” Johle said FRESH has almost half an aisle devoted to gluten-free products; holding between 200 and 300 items. And even though the food products labeled ‘fat-free’ or ‘no-cholesterol’ may still contain meager amounts of fat or cholesterol, he said the ingredients at FRESH will be labeled GF (gluten fee) and have zero trace of gluten.

Other foods that contain gluten are chips, bread mixes, pastas, soups, cake mixes, rice, cookies, crackers and many more. Dietician for Longview Regional Hospital, Robyn Wilson, said gluten can also be found in frozen ice cream and popsicles. “People that have an allergy or intolerance to gluten are usually the ones who need to exclude the protein from their diet,” she said. “To know if you have are allergic to gluten you would have to get tested. Or you could be eating foods that contain gluten and your throat may swell up, you may experience cramping or diarrhea and you may have trouble breathing. A gluten allergy can be life threatening.”

Johle said people try to stay away from gluten because of diet needs while others try to adopt a gluten-free diet in order to help prevent Celiac disease. Celiac disease damages the small intestine and interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food. And people who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten. But for those who just can't exclude gluten from their diet for non-life threatening purposes, buying simple groceries can be expensive.

“Gluten Free products use ingredients that are not very plentiful,” Johle said. “The facilities where these products are manufactured are dedicated and there are not that many of them.” After purchasing it’s building from a former wheat based cookie producer, Kinnikinnick Foods hired some of the employees of the previous company and cleaned all the equipment and spaces of even the slightest traces of wheat and flour. They even spent 6 months decontaminating the building and went one week without electricity in order to clean lights, electrical conduit and instrumental panels.

But Johle said that gluten, since it is found in plants, was not always considered a health hazard. “Over the years the plant that gluten comes from has been altered and with the altering came unexpected consequences,” he said. “For instance, over the years many things have gone from seasonal to all year around because of changes in genetics and regions.”

Wilson advised that people trying to live a gluten-free lifestyle, should be cautious of additives. “People trying to maintain a gluten free diet have to look at labels, because extra ingredients could contain gluten,” she said. “People still need to look at how meats and other meals are prepared.” Flour needs to be substituted for a product that does not contain wheat, and Johle quickly remembered that one product to keep in mind is salad dressing.

Although gluten seems bad to your health, one thing the experts seem to agree on is that gluten should not be completely removed from your diet unless required to, and that people who may want to not consume gluten can still eat greens like rice, corn, potatoes and meat. But Johle advises that “like everything, protein needs to be used in moderation [if one chooses to live gluten-free],” Johle said. “Everything needs to be balanced out. If a person eats a lot of sugary foods, eventually they might develop high blood pressure.” So unless you have an allergy or intolerance to gluten, Wilson said you may want to think twice before extracting gluten from your diet.