The Trouble with Gluten Free

Gluten is the general term used for the protein found in wheat which acts as a glue to help foods maintain their shape. It’s one of the things that makes baked goods…. good. So when someone discovers they can no longer tollerate gluten or that it’s just not the best for their health overall, this can be a hard pill to swallow.

If you choose to go gluten free for whatever reason, this can be a very good option. Maybe you have Celiac’s and your body physically can not handle even trace amounts of gluten. Or maybe through trial and error you have discovered that you just feel better when you don’t eat gluten. Maybe it gives you headaches or uncomfortable bloating. If that’s you, I’m glad you have found the culprit. Even if you haven’t been formally diagnosed with Celiac’s, those who suffer from it can often tell that gluten is in fact the issue (even without a blood test and formal decree from your doctor).

There are many wonderful reasons to avoid gluten (particularly the non-organic conventionally grown variety that is in SO many of the products we see today).

However, gluten has become somewhat of a scape goat in the health community… being blamed for a slew of problems when gluten alone isn’t necessarily the culprit. Gluten can in fact cause legitimate problems from autoimmune diseases to gut damage, and all around inflamation. Yet, some find that when they just cut out the gluten their issues still persist. Or someone might say “I’m gluten free!” and think they are doing something increadibly healthy all while munching down other proccessed foods with just as harmful ingredients all in the name of going gluten free.

Just think… oreo has a version of gluten free. Now that can’t be healthy. Obviously if you have celiacs and you would just like to indulge is some oreos these are a nice alternative. But if you are looking to improve your diet, gluten free oreos are not the best place to start. 😉

Here are just a few reasons why you may want to avoid gluten:

1. Wheat just isn’t the same as it used to be. Wheat has been enginered to be harvested easier, which is great for our farmers. However, his isn’t great on our digestive system. We can digest old fashion wheat (like Ezekiel) much better than the wheat that is in most stores today.
2. Wheat often isn’t prepared properly: Wheat is rarely ever fermented (as in the case with sour dough) or sprouted anymore which helps negate the negative effects that gluten can have on our gut.
3. Gluten can cause all sorts of health issued: As mentioned above it can cause autominune diseases or exasperate one you may already have. It can also effect your brain. Excess carbohydrates (especially gluten) can cause neurological problems and attribute to depression, learning disorders, as well as migrains and other forms of headaches. Unfortunatly gluten is not alone. Notice I wrote excess carbohydrates. A diet comprised of mainly carbohydrates can attribute to these same problems….

So when we go out to the grocery store and there is a whole wonderful section of gluten free everything from pizza to breads and pastas, it’s important to still read the lables.

Here are some things you may also want to avoid:

`1. Non organic refined carbohydrates: Many gluten free products these days have tons of conventional refined carbohydrates such as corn and potato starch. The problem with these is that they have the same glucose spiking results as gluten, and often they can mess up your gut. If they are not organic (such as in the case of oats, oat flour, and corn) they are most likely GMO and heavily sprayed with Glyphosate (a pestiside known to be linked to non-hogkins lymphoma).

2. Sugars and artificial sweeteners: If it’s processed and says “Gluten Free!” on the label it most likely has some form of sugar in the ingredients list. If it’s not sweetened with sugar it will most likely have an even worst culprit, which is artificial sweeteners. Many artifical sweeteners are known to be neurotoxic. In many animal studies they caused weight gain, brain tumors, and bladder cancer. There have even been some human studies linking artificial sweeteners to cancer. It’s amazing to me that the FDA has labled them as “generally recognized as safe”. Makes you wonder what other FDA approved ingredients are not as safe as we think. Aspertame in particular is one atrificial sweetener I avoid like the plauge. When heated above 86 degrees, (think, our body is 98.6) the wood alchohol converts to formaldehyde (embalming fluid). Yikes!

If you are going to go with a zero calorie sweetener try pure stevia or monky fruit (not the stuff mixed with other things… check those lables). Find the form of these products that are naturaly extracted from the stevia leaf or the monk fruit plant. Monk fruit has less of that “diet taste” than stevia in my opinion but they both have different benefits depending on their form (liquid or powder).

3. Processed oils like canola or soy bean oil: I used to think sugar was the worst thing ever. And while sugar can cause a whole host of problems, you can technically burn off that sugar if eaten in moderation. We are a people primarily made of fat. Every living cell in out body has a membrane helping it to function properly which are primarily formed from the fats we consume. That’s why it is SO important to consume the right kind of quality fats. Damaged, highly reactive fats are found in most brands of those gluten free potato chips, french fries, and pretty much any other packaged food you pick up at the grocery store. They have usually been heated at too high of a temperature to remain stable and exposed to too much pressure to retain it’s natural structure. Even healthy olive oil (when heated above 400 degrees in fried foods) can become not so healthy. Your cells then take these fats, and incorperate them into their membranes. You become the crud you eat!

What fats are good fats?

Here is a list:

*Avocado Oil: Great for cooking at higher heats as it has a higher smoke point.

*Coconut Oil: Be sure not to heat over 350 degrees (great for baking).

*Animal Fats such as Duck Fat. Beef tallow: Good for high-heat cooking.

*Butter and Ghee: I use butter in higher heat cooking and Organic Valley Ghee is one of my favorite fats for baking.

*Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Great as a finishing oil (drizzel over food after it’s prepared) or in homemade dressings.

You can get most of these oils at Thrive Market. Costco even sells a quality Avocado oil.

Try to Avoid any sunflower, soy, and sauflower oil. If you must eat those at least look for expeller-pressed, a mechanical process that squeezes out the oil instead of using chemical solvents to extract it. And look for non GMO. But these oils are still refined and not great for your body’s membranes. They are associated with heart damage, high blood pressure, and even blood clotting.

4. Preservatives: While avoiding gluten is all well and good, if you are opting for the processed gluten free products they are most likely chalked full of nasty preservatives. Read those lables to see if there are any other unwanted ingredients in your favorite gluten free bread.

Thankfully, more and more people are “voting with their dollars” and buying the products that don’t contain the above mentioned yucky ingredients. While it’s always best to stick with whole unprocessed foods as much as possible, I know that maintaining whole food perfection full time is not always easy if not near impossible.

Some of my favorite gluten free products with healthier ingredients are:

*Lesser Evil Popcorn: Preferable the one with Ghee and the one with Coconut oil. You have to be careful as some of their flavors have other added ingredients. They sell these at Thrive Market.

*Jackson Honest Chips: They make amazing sweet potato chips with avocado oil.

*Any Pasta with just Organic Brown Rice or Quinoa: You have to be careful not to consume this daily though as it’s not only still high in carbohydrates but rice contains a fair amount of arsinic. I prefer the ones sold at Trader Joes. Target has a great brand too. I also LOVE Cybele’s Free to Eat Red Lentle and Beet, Sweet Potato and Carrot Pasta. SO good! I have only found it at Thrive Market.

*Base Culture makes a gluten free bread that has some quality ingredients. I have not tried this one myself as we just don’t eat much bread. They sell it at Whole Foods and Thrive Market.

*Siete makes amazing chips and tortillas that are gluten free and quality ingredients. They sell them at Target and Thrive Market.

*And if you do eat gluten if it’s properly prepared Ezekial makes a sprouted grain bread. I find it to be a bit dry but a nice alternative to no bread. 😉 They sell this at many grocery stores in the fridge section. You can also buy it at Thrive Market.

But like I said before, try and stick with whole foods as much as possible: organice grains like rice and oats, organic fruits and veggies, and grass fed pasture raised meat and dairy. If you are looking for some quality recipes made with good whole foods check out my recipe page here.

Do you have any favorite gluten free treats that aren’t full of junk? Feel free to let me know in the comment section below.

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