gluten free Zucchini Pancakes
What Does Gluten Have To Do With My Health?
Gluten sensitivity is quite a popular topic of discussion these days. Because of its relationship to osteoporosis, acne, allergies, and other conditions, it's no wonder there's such a buzz around gluten. But what is gluten? How can it effect your health? And why does it matter anyway? Let's explore these questions now.
To begin, I'll define what gluten is and is not. Gluten is a substance (technically a protein) that is found in a handful of specific grains. Gluten isn't a bacteria, virus, or some kind of artificial food additive. It is a natural part of the grains in which it is found, and these grains are called "gluten grains".
Gluten occurs naturally in only three grains: wheat, barley, and rye. Whenever you eat even a small serving of any of those grains, you are eating gluten. Don't forget that this includes flours made from these grains, as well as any other foods made from these grains, such as bread, beer, and pretzels.
Gluten can cause health problems because in certain individuals, it damages the lining of the intestine and causes the immune system to become imbalanced. This leads to a whole host of problems, including nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune diseases, anemia and more.
There's now some growing confusion over whether oats contain gluten. The short answer is: maybe. While it's true that oats do contain a substance that is similar to gluten, it is different than the gluten in wheat, barley, and rye. This substance in oats isn't a problem for most people. However, the issue lies in cross-contamination. You see, oats are typically grown next to gluten grains, and are loaded onto the same trucks and processed in the same machines as gluten grains. This often means that traces of wheat, barley, or rye gluten can be found in oats. Look for labels stating "gluten-free" when purchasing oats to be sure don't contain gluten.
Gluten can also be found in places you wouldn't expect. Fried foods often contain gluten because the foods are dipped in a batter that contains gluten-containing flour before frying. soy sauce usually contains wheat. Shop for tamari to put on your favorite Chinese food instead, it is usually gluten-free. Gluten itself is sometimes added as agent in foods such as candies, to provide texture and consistency.
Gluten grains became a staple of our diet around 10,000 years ago, when the first agricultural societies experimented with relying on cereal grains for sustenance. Since then, our dependence on cereal grains, including gluten-containing grains, hasn't fallen out of favor.
It is interesting to note that the geographical areas that have had the longest exposure to gluten in their diets, also tend to have the lowest incidence of gluten allergy (celiac disease). This means that it likely takes many generations for our bodies to adapt to eating this gluten as a food. The fact that many of our genomes haven't fully adapted to eating gluten is likely responsible for such a large number of people being sensitive to gluten.
If you suffer from autoimmune diseases, anemia, frequent stomach or bowel problems, arthritis, or skin conditions, you should consider that perhaps you too have a sensitivity to gluten.
To find out if gluten may be causing your health condition, visit your Portland Chiropractor for an evaluation. You should look for a Portland Chiropractor knowledgeable about gluten-related conditions and begin your road to recovery.
Zucchini Pancakes - Paleo Recipe
|
La Tartine Gourmande: Recipes for an Inspired Life
$19.22
What could be sweeter than a life with friendship and food at its center? For Béatrice Peltre, author of the award-winning blog LaTartineGourmande.com, to cook is to delight in the best of what life has to offer—the people and places we love. Welcome to a world where flavors are collected as souvenirs and shared as heirlooms, and where the dishes we create are expressions of our joie de vivre. ...
|
|
The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook
$12.60
Features 100 allergen-free recipes, as well as color photos and explanations of alternative foodstuffs, advice about choosing safe products and sources for buying them. Original.Title: The Allergen-Free Baker's HandbookAuthor: Pascal, CybelePublisher: Random House IncPublication Date: 2009/12/22Number of Pages: 189Binding Type: PAPERBACKLibrary of Congress: bl2010003594...
|
We greatly appreciate you taking the time to visit our website
and hope that we were able to assist you in your search for the information that you are looking for.
We do understand that with so many articles written, it is possible
and even likely that you will discover mistakes along the way.
We would appreciate you using the "contact us" page to let us know if you come across any mistakes
in our articles or if you simply have any ideas for articles that you would like to see in the future.
Thanks again for taking the time to visit,
we hope you have enjoyed you stay and hope that you will visit our web site again someday very soon.
