How bad is Gluten ??
7 Feb 2025
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein naturally found in some grains, including wheat, barley, and rye. It acts like a binder, holding food together and adding a ‘stretchy’ quality—think of a pizza maker tossing and stretching out a ball of dough. Without gluten, the dough would rip easily. Though often thought of as a single compound, gluten is a collective term that refers to many different types of proteins (prolamins).
Gluten provides protein, fiber, and nutrients. Gluten-containing grains and foods constitute a large portion of modern-day diets, with an estimated intake of around 5–20 grams per day in Western diets.
Gluten is NOT harmful to most people, but it can cause problems for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Most people can eat gluten without adverse effects.
It is important to note that gluten is a problem only for those who react negatively to it or test positive for celiac disease. Most people can and have eaten gluten for a long duration of their lives without any adverse side effects. (Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/gluten/)
The Benefits of Gluten
Gluten is most often associated with wheat and wheat-containing foods that are abundant in our food supply. Negative media attention on wheat and gluten has caused some people to doubt their place in a healthful diet. There is little published research to support these claims; in fact, published research suggests the opposite.
In a 2017 study of over 100,000 participants without celiac disease, researchers found no association between long-term dietary gluten consumption and heart disease risk. The findings suggested that non-celiac individuals who avoid gluten may increase their risk of heart disease due to the potential for reduced consumption of whole grains. Many studies have linked whole grain consumption with improved health outcomes. For example, groups with the highest intakes of whole grains, including wheat (2-3 servings daily), compared with groups eating the lowest amounts (less than two servings daily) were found to have significantly lower rates of heart disease and stroke, development of type 2 diabetes, and deaths from all causes.
Gluten may also act as a prebiotic, feeding the ‘good’ bacteria in our digestive tract. Arabinoxylan oligosaccharide is a prebiotic carbohydrate derived from wheat bran that has been shown to stimulate the activity of bifidobacteria in the colon. These bacteria are found in a healthy human gut. Changes in their amount or activity have been associated with gastrointestinal diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and irritable bowel syndrome. (Source: https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/gluten/)
When is Gluten a Problem?
What’s not great about gluten is that it can cause serious side effects in some individuals. Some people react differently to gluten, where the body senses it as a toxin, causing one’s immune cells to overreact and attack it. Estimates suggest that 1 in 133 Americans has celiac disease, or about 1% of the population, but about 83% of them are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. A gluten-free diet is the primary medical treatment for celiac disease. However, understanding and following a strict gluten-free diet can be challenging, possibly requiring the guidance of a registered dietitian to learn which foods contain gluten and to ensure that adequate nutrients are obtained from gluten-free alternatives.
The Gluten-Free Diet Trend
The gluten-free food industry has grown 136% from 2013 to 2015, with almost $12 billion in sales in 2015. Interestingly, studies show that people who do not have celiac disease are the biggest purchasers of gluten-free products. Consumer surveys show that the top three reasons people select gluten-free foods are for “no reason,” because they are a “healthier option,” and for “digestive health.” For those who are not gluten-intolerant, there is no data to show a specific benefit in following a gluten-free diet, particularly if processed gluten-free products become the mainstay of the diet. On the contrary, there is research following patients with celiac disease who change to a gluten-free diet that shows an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome.
Why do people like the Gluten-Free Diet?
There are several reasons why most people feel better on a gluten-free diet. First, avoiding gluten usually involves cutting back on processed foods, as it’s found in a wide array of highly processed foods, such as fast food, baked goods, and sugary cereals. These foods not only contain gluten, but are also typically high in calories, sugar, and unhealthy fats.
Many people have observed that they lost weight, felt less fatigued, and had less joint pain on a gluten-free diet. These benefits are likely attributed to the exclusion of unhealthy foods.
In conclusion,
The Vedas in Hindu culture have always recommended consuming wheat! At the same time, Hindu culture also talks about consuming a gluten-free diet on every Ekadashi (every 15 days). Looking back at the history of wheat and gluten products, one can see wheat as an indicator of health & prosperity. In the present times of abundance, we need to limit and check our food intake rather than take drastic steps to completely stop eating a food component that has been a part of the human diet for more than a century!
For your No-Gluten diet, Pastallio has FARALI, GLUTEN-FREE pasta. Made from traditional flours like Amaranth (Rajgira), Barnyard Millet (Moraiya), Tapioca (Sabudana), and Water Chestnut (Singhada) that have always been a part of Hindu food practices, these flours give great nutrition when substituted for wheat flour.
