I have a gluten sensitivity.

What this boils down to is that when I eat food containing gluten, my body reacts to it in abnormal ways including intense headaches, nausea, and bloating, which are just a few of the symptoms generally associated with gluten sensitivity.

Gluten has been a hot topic recently, and many consider it to be just a fad diet for weight loss, and for some who choose to be gluten-free, that might be true. In fact, as Jimmy Kimmel so wonderfully demonstrated, many people who claim to be gluten-free don’t even know what gluten is.

While Jimmy’s skit was funny, this miscommunication about gluten often makes it difficult for those of us who don’t choose to be gluten-free, but rather avoid it out of necessity for our physical health. But before I get into that, let’s get a better handle on what gluten actually is.

Gluten Defined

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley or rye.

It is often also found in processed foods, which is why it is very important to read food labels for these three ingredients, rather than for just gluten alone.

Why is gluten bothering so many people now?

One theory is that as we have modified our wheat through natural selection over the course of many years for easier harvesting, the wheat we eat now is very different from the wheat that even our parents ate as children. This new wheat is what is causing so many issues. It is also why some who may have not had issues in the past have symptoms now.

This theory made even more sense to me when we travelled to Italy on our honeymoon. I was able to eat bread and pizza (thank you!!!) to my heart’s content because the wheat there is different from what we have here.

Gluten sensitive vs. Celiac disease

To make things even more complicated, you might hear people say they are “celiac” or that they have celiac disease. This is when the body’s immune system attacks the small intestine limiting its ability to absorb nutrients. My aunt has celiac disease, and since it is a genetic disorder, this increases my risk of having issues too.

But, there are some people who do not test positive for celiac disease who still seem to have negative reactions to ingesting gluten. These people are typically called gluten sensitive.

A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study (basically just meaning that neither the researchers nor the participants knew if they were receiving a gluten pill or a non-gluten pill) found that individuals who were given the gluten pill were statistically more likely to have adverse physical responses. Specifically, these participants experienced increased abdominal bloating and pain, foggy mind, depression, and were more likely to have canker sores.

This study, along with others are demonstrating that gluten sensitivity is a real phenomenon impacting thousands of people. Learning more about it is the first step. In future posts I will provide more tips on gluten-free foods and how to talk to your doctor and others about being gluten-sensitive, as well as how to be sensitive to others who are gluten-intolerant.

Do you have any questions about gluten? If so, leave a comment below and I will find out what you need to know!