We’re only 3 months away from the end of 2021, and for the love of Kourtney Kardashian, can someone please explain what the heck ‘’gluten’’ is? We’ve heard about it, read about it, but how many of us know what it is and why everyone’s talking about it? And why has gluten become a popular term in the world of wellness and nutrition?
Since no one I know seems to know what gluten is, I decided to find out on my own. And while most people believe that ‘gluten-free’ means ‘healthy’ and ‘low carb’, it’s important to really decode what gluten is. First of all, gluten is not a carbohydrate, it’s a protein found in wheat products. Hello, Gardenia! *wink* . It’s seed-storage found in wheat, rye, barley, and more. It’s a gummy, sticky compound that can be found in certain foods to help them bind and hold shape.
According to Heathline, however, gluten is actually a protein. So, people who suffer from wheat intolerance are frequently intolerant to lesser-known compounds in wheat, such as lectins [proteins that bind to carbs] or amylase trypsin inhibitors [compounds that activate immune response]. Errr, do you guys copy? Anyway, with that said, some people are actually allergic to compounds in wheat, not gluten. The allergic reactions are responsible for autoimmune responses, hence, those compounds activate immune responses even when we don’t need them. So consuming gluten is not necessarily bad for the skin unless someone has a wheat allergy (because wheat contains gluten).
Gluten is not a carbohydrate, it’s a protein found in wheat products. It’s seed-storage found in wheat, rye, barley, and more. A gummy, sticky substance used in certain foods to help bind and hold shape
If after consuming gluten-containing products you feel bloated or come down with brain fog, cutting out gluten may be right for you. Remembering the feelings of fatigue and stress when faced with food choices can help us choose non-gluten options. In short, if you’re worried about your gluten intake, start by cutting down on dough-based foods. Aww, goodbye wheat bread from Subway…
