by Makia Freeman August 26, 2015 from ToolsForFreedom Website
For the vast majority of people, it most likely poses no real problem.
Although there are definitely people who suffer from celiac disease and other diseases triggered by gluten, the entire gluten-free movement has left many health experts and nutritionalists scratching their heads in bewilderment.
Several studies are suggesting people
who think they are gluten sensitive are not, and that
wheat is not to blame for the rise
of celiac disease.
Several studies have concluded that most gluten sensitivity is imagined.
Most Gluten Sensitivity is Imagined
For those who don't know, gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and other grains. It is what gives bread its chewiness. Gluten is also used as a meat substitute (such as in seitan, Tofurky or some veggie sausages).
Gluten-free is now a big industry.
As this article on ScienceAlert.com states:
The whole hype surrounding gluten has arisen from the fact the wheat in the USA has been greatly hybridized to increase gluten content.
According to some reports, Americans in around the 1950s used to be eating wheat with about a 3% gluten content, and are now eating wheat with about a 50% gluten content.
That massive jump has (justifiably) caused concern for many. However, what has mostly come out this has been a large-scale demonization of gluten and demonization of wheat.
ScienceAlert.com reports:
Thus, the study found that most people who thought they had gluten sensitivity did not, and so leads us to believe that many people pursuing gluten-free diets may be doing so unnecessarily.
The gluten-free fad is throwing away the baby with the bathwater. Wheat is a highly nutritious grain. Above are some sprouting wheat berries, forming wheatgrass - one of Nature's most powerful foods.
Wheat is a Powerful and Nutritious Grain
To provide some balance to the whole gluten-free issue, it is worth remembering that wheat is a powerful and nutritious grain.
Many of us wouldn't be alive reading this if it weren't for wheat. Along with rice, wheat is responsible for boosting the human population to its current levels. The discovery that wheat could be grown as a large-scale crop became the basis for the early agricultural civilizations around 6000-4000 B.C. such as Sumeria and Egypt.
It has been a staple in many countries for millennia, from India through the Middle East to Europe, and now of course is widely consumed in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and even in Eastern countries like Japan (which imports massive amounts of wheat to make it udon noodles).
Whole wheat contains a wide array of minerals, vitamins and other nutrients which support human health. Wheat contains high amounts of many B vitamins, manganese and selenium as well as moderate amounts of phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper.
Listen to what nutritional expert Paul Pitchford (author of the highly esteemed nutritional manual Healing with Whole Foods) had to say about wheat:
Pitchford also notes:
This leads us to wonder: has wheat been unfairly blamed for diseases that actually due to other ancillary factors?
The Problem is Not Wheat Itself
The demonization of wheat has gotten out of hand. The problem is not wheat itself...
Instead of blaming nutritious, organic, whole wheat for all of our problems, it is more helpful to look at what kind of wheat we are eating, how it is being grown, how it is being processed, how it is being prepared and other factors:
Gluten-free has become a buzzword
Conclusion - Think and Test for Yourself when it Comes to Gluten-Free
Maybe you are one of those (rare) people that does suffer from celiac disease or other gluten-caused diseases (I know someone who suffered greatly from what appears to be gluten-triggered Hashimoto's disease).
In that case, gluten is obviously not for you.
However, chances are for most people that consuming some gluten is not a problem.
If you are avoiding it, you may just be going along with the latest health fad, rather than doing anything truly meaningful to improve your health, such as,
Focus on Being Nutritionally Literate More Than Gluten-Free
Health fads come and go.
Today soy is good, tomorrow soy is bad. Today potatoes are bad, tomorrow potatoes are good. Don't go along with the crowd just because it's cool, trendy or you believe you are improving your health without investigating it and knowing it fully.
Educate yourself and become more nutritionally literate. Meanwhile, stay open to wheat.
Grab some organic, sourdough, whole wheat bread and enjoy...!
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