Ten years ago few people knew what Gluten even was and you rarely heard people go into restaurants and ask if you had a "Gluten Free Menu". Now recently you can find the terms gluten free being talked about everywhere
While we don't know how many people have this celiac disease but it is estimated to affect 3 millions people in the world which is 1% of the population and has increased over the last 50 years.
Now the real question is, why is this becoming so popular now? Or has this had been an ongoing condition that was previously misdiagnosed? Now we will dive deeper into it
Gluten is a protein in rye, barley and wheat. It is also used in dough so the bread can rise, hold it's shape and absorbs liquids like soup. It can also be used to make soup thicker as well.
Gluten-Sensitivity nor celiac disease are food allergies but they are two entirely different concerns. Some people who are sensitive to gluten may only experience mild symptoms such as an upset stomach.
Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder of the small bowel that can cause similar side effects but to a more extreme level that could lead to death. When they consume foods like gluten it irritates the gut and your body reacts as if a toxin is attacking it.
THE PROBLEM WITH GLUTEN
Some doctors and scientists believe there is an increase in gluten sensitivity due to environmental and food changes. These changes include
New wheat varieties have higher gluten content
Farmers are using wheat with higher gluten varieties because of their natural insecticide qualities
People are consuming more wheat-based products than previous decades
Some ways that we can solve this issue if you find yourself suffering from this is simply eating grains other than wheat. Healthy and gluten free options include brown rice, oats and millet. Many Gluten free products are higher in sugar,fat and sodium to make up for the lack of gluten and improve the flavor and texture.