|
|
 |
|
|
|
Should You Give Up Gluten?
|
|
|
|
|
|
A few years ago, the market for gluten-free foods exploded like the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, and it shows no signs of cooling off. Celebrity gossip
magazines have something to do with the diet's popularity. Maybe you've even thought that if Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Keith
Olbermann feel better after purging their plates of gluten, the diet could do the same for you. Would it? That's a question we get asked a lot.
Gluten is a plant protein that can make your immune system irritate (intolerance, we call it), annoy (allergy is now the term), or outright attack
(celiac disease) your small intestine. The effects can range from barely noticeable (a little gas) to totally miserable. If it's the latter, digestion becomes
a nightmare of either running to the bathroom or not being able to go. You're plagued with belly pain and bloating and maybe anemia, tingling legs
and feet, mouth sores, blistering rashes, and unintended weight loss.
In other words, you've got celiac disease. That's the condition for which gluten-free diets are prescribed. Celiac disease was barely on the radar until
a study published in 2003 showed it was a hundred times more prevalent than had been thought: One in 133 people is genetically programmed to
develop celiac disease. Left untreated, it may lead to weak bones, vitamin deficiencies, infertility, nerve damage, and even some kinds of cancer. If
you've got celiac disease, a gluten-free diet isn't an option, it's a must. But it's not an easy diet to follow, because you can't eat any wheat, barley, rye
and, often, no oats. Translation: You have to pretty much give up bread, crackers, breakfast cereals, pasta, tortillas, birthday cake, croutons, Asian
noodles, Communion wafers, beer, artificial flavors, and a bunch of other surprising foods. The list could take up this whole column.
So how on earth did gluten-free diets become trendy? Because many people (celebs or not) suspect that they're "gluten-sensitive" -- that while the
stuff doesn't make them out-and-out sick, it does make them touchy, tired, and irritable. Many people -- up to one in seven -- don't tolerate gluten
well. There are also suspicions that gluten may have a role in many autoimmune diseases, autism, multiple sclerosis, migraines, and acne, although
science has been unable to prove this.
But so many people believe gluten is to blame for their belly bloat or acne breakouts that by the end of 2012, sales of gluten-free drinks and foods --
from beer to brownies -- are expected to top $2.6 billion. You don't have to seek out health-food stores to find these either. Big supermarket guns,
including General Mills, are on the gluten-free bandwagon.
But here's the problem with giving up gluten: It means giving up a bunch of fiber-rich, nutritious whole grains, which aren't called the staff of life for
nothing. Finding out for sure whether you're gluten-sensitive isn't a snap. There's no simple blood check that definitively tests for gluten intolerance;
the current blood tests are only indicators. For a true diagnosis, you need what's called a celiac panel, which includes an intestinal biopsy, and that's
hardly simple. No wonder so many people take a trial-and-error self-diagnosis approach.
Here's one way to do the detective work to see whether you might be sensitive to gluten or other ingredients:
If you think something you're eating is terrorizing your tummy, try this food-elimination test.
1. Eliminate the suspect -- be it dairy products, wheat items, or processed sugars -- for 3 days in a row.
2. Keep a diary of how you feel during those days. Here are important clues to note.
Diary of a Digestive
If your digestion habits changed, your tummy felt more comfortable, or your energy levels jumped, those are sure signs that you may have a
food-triggered irritability. If adding the food back in makes you feel like you have a touch of the flu, that would be another really strong sign.
If avoiding gluten makes you feel more energetic; relieves ongoing bloating, gassiness, or cramps; and clears up your skin or mood, continuing to cut
out wheat, barley, and rye won't hurt you IF you're smart about it. Here's what that means:
Get your fiber elsewhere. Up your daily quota of fruit, vegetables, beans --
a good idea anyway. Switch to gluten-free grains like cornmeal, brown rice, chia,
buckwheat, flax, kasha, millet, and quinoa.
Beef up your Bs. The B vitamins that are abundant in wheat will be missed,
and not all gluten-free foods are fortified. So take a multivitamin.
See your health care professional. If you feel dramatically better after cutting out gluten, or if celiac disease runs in your family or you have risk
factors for it (like thyroid disease or type 1 diabetes), get a checkup. You want an accurate diagnosis, not a DIY one. You also want to be sure you
don't have another problem (like inflammatory bowel disease) with similar symptoms.
Real Age
Discover the yummy side of going gluten-free with these delicious recipes: Mixed Greens with Berries and HoneyGlazed Hazlenuts, Chickpea,
Carrot, and Olive Salad with Cumin Vinaigrette, Flourless Honey-Almond Cake, Banana Rice Pudding
|
|
|
|
