Healthy Lifestyle LivingEverything you need to know – right here.

Why the sudden rise in the diagnosis of gluten allergies, also known as Celiac disease?  You may be wondering if it’s a new fad or a true diagnosis.  As the number of gluten allergy cases increase supermarkets and restaurants are catering to the population by marketing and selling gluten free foods.  Even my friend who was recently screened and diagnosed with Celiac disease was asking, “why the rapid shift?”  She was pleasant surprise while dining out after first being diagnosed, when the restaurant offered her a full menu of gluten free entrees to choose from.  You may have noticed full sections in your grocery store aisles marked for gluten free foods.  In fact, my initial reaction was that it must be some marketing ploy.

First off, lets be clear on what gluten intolerance is. You may need to take some beginners online nursing classes to fully comprehend it but the main jist is, it’s an autoimmune disorder in the small intestine caused by a reaction to gliadin, a prolamin (gluten protein) found in wheat.  Upon exposure to the protein the small intestinal tissue inflames interfering with the absorption of nutrients.  This can cause malnutrition, chronic fatigue, anemia, skin rashes, depression, neurological disorders and a number of other effects.  The only known effective treatment is a life-long gluten-free diet.

Depending on the level of seriousness you may have a gluten-sensitivity or full blown Celiac Disease.  If you happen to be someone with a less serious case, avoiding gluten may heal your gut and the myriad of symptoms may disappear completely.  Sometimes, once the healing is complete it is possible to reintroduce properly prepared grains.  But others are not as lucky and won’t ever be able to avoid symptoms from gluten digestion even if the grains have been “bent” by traditional preparation methods.

According to research modern wheat varieties are wildly different than traditional types.  Not only are the plants not the same but the method we use to prepare it is quick and improper.  Properly prepared grains include sourdough breads or grains that have been soaked, fermented, or sprouted. Using more ancestral type grains and making sure they have a long fermentation, like up to a month before being baked transforms the grain making it digestible even for people with gluten allergies.  The reason behind this is that a particular peptide strand found in gluten is the primary culprit, not the gluten itself.  Some theorize that this peptide strand wasn’t present in ancestral varieties of wheat.  Also, researchers have found that the long, slow fermentation process necessary for making traditional breads, like sourdough, severs the bonds of this particular peptide strand while leaving enough of the remaining gluten proteins in tact to achieve a nice rise when baking.  You’ve heard the verbiage… good things come to those that wait.  Well, in this case it’s true!