What Is Gluten and Is It Really That Bad for You?

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More and more foods are being labelled as gluten free. Those with Celiac Disease cannot eat gluten since it causes an immune response and severe damage to the small intestines and intestinal tract. Others eliminate gluten from their diets as part of a new trend in healthy eating. But why? What is this gluten stuff, and why is it bad for you?

Gluten gives bread and baked goods that stretchable doughy texture we all know and love. It is a protein found in grains, especially wheat and wheat byproducts, but also grains such as farro, rye, barley, bran, and some processed oats (it shows up during processing at factories that also package grains containing gluten).

But what makes it so bad for you?

Well, the answer is nothing for most people. Gluten isn’t necessarily bad for you. However, many people cannot digest it or are sensitive to it.

Here’s How It Affects the Body

The following video explains how it affects the body.

Pro-tip: If you’re trying to cut eliminate this protein from your own diet, make sure you’re reading labels and looking for hidden sources of it like in thickeners or sweeteners.

If You are Sensitive, Avoid These Foods:

Barley
Bran
Durum
Farina
Farro
Graham
Kamut
Semolina
Seitan
Spelt
Wheat and wheat products

Want More? Check Out: What Foods Have Gluten? We Answer This Common Question With a Gluten-Free Food List

The Bottom Line

If you don’t have Celiac Disease or a sensitivity, you don’t necessarily have to cut this protein from your diet.

What you should do is listen to your body after you eat, and judge how you feel. If you feel tired, bloated, nauseous or experience vomiting, diarrhea or difficulty breathing, you might have a gluten sensitivity.

If this is the case, you might want to cut gluten out of your diet for a week and see if the symptoms subside. If they do, you may have found the culprit of your digestive difficulties, and eliminating this agitator may ease your tummy troubles.

If you go decide to eliminate it from your diet, here are 8 Standout Gluten-Free Cookbooks to Help You Go Against the Grain

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Ashley Stern

A Wisconsinite at heart, Ashley is currently a student working on her masters in creative writing in Edinburgh, Scotland. She’s a writer, a reader, traveler, a nerd, and a lover of life. Ashley is new to yoga and developing her practice from her student flat. She drinks a lot of tea and even more coffee. She’s a dog person, wears lots of purple, and believes in Laini Taylor’s wise words, “Cake as a way of life.”