Everyone is jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon with gluten-free products becoming more and more available with increasing variety. From gluten-free pizza dough to gluten-free breads and cereals of all varieties, rice, amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa have become kings of the grain kingdom!
But why is that? What’s so wrong with Gluten?
“Gluten” comes from the Latin word for glue, and its adhesive properties hold bread and cake together. But those same properties interfere with the breakdown and absorption of nutrients, including the nutrients from other foods in the same meal. Gluten, a protein found in wheat grain is part of proline and glutamine rich proteins known as prolamines. Prolamines are associated with the serious neurological and autoimmune reactions often linked to autism spectrum disorder as well as a number of auto-immune disorders due to its pro-inflammatory nature in your body.
It may sound strange to you that eating a grain that disrupts the functioning of your digestive system would manifest as symptoms related to your brain. Grains, as consumed today (mostly in flour form) are inherently pro-inflammatory and will worsen any condition that has chronic inflammation at its root — and not just inflammation in your gastrointestinal tract , but anywhere in your body. Chronic inflammation in your body can wreak havoc in your brain, and the importance of reducing inflammation when dealing with mental health issues is well-known. It is therefore very common for people to experience a wide variety of mental and emotional improvements upon eliminating gluten from their diet.
The intent of this article is not to outline all the disease processes in which gluten may play a role and the reasons why, but simply to point out that a tiny gluey protein is capable of causing problems in your whole system if you’re susceptible. Gluten-sensitivity being easily detectable means that the disease processes which lead to illness can be eradicated by a simple change in diet.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Negin Misaghi, ND
