An article that explains that "evil" gluten to me.

Gluten-free cuisine: is avoiding the protein better for us?
E: The Environmental Magazine, Jan-Feb, 2005 by Kimberly Jordan Allen

While perusing the lunch offerings at a local health food store recently, I overheard the chef say to a customer: "You have to try my vegetarian lasagna. It is gluten-free, which is better for you, of course." I had heard that wheat and gluten sensitivities could cause health problems for some people, but calling these foods unhealthy surprised me. Could gluten actually be bad for us?

Gluten is the elastic, water-insoluble protein found in wheat and other grains such as rye, barley, kamut, spelt and oats. It is also found in a surprising number of products on supermarket shelves. Gluten is used as a thickener and binder in thousands of such products as soups, sauces (including soy sauce), candy, artificial cheese, pharmaceuticals and even envelope glue. In the typical Western diet, wheat is the primary source.

For someone suffering from celiac disease, also called celiac sprue or celiac enteropathy, all forms of gluten are toxic to the digestive system. This means sufferers must avoid gluten in every form. The protein causes an immunological reaction in the small intestine, resulting in the disintegration of the finger-like villi that facilitate the absorption of nutrients. People who have been afflicted with this condition for extended periods of time lose their ability to process food normally, thereby leading to potentially severe health problems.

Long misdiagnosed, due to a lack of education, new studies suggest that up to one in 133 people are afflicted with celiac disease. People can also go years without being diagnosed due to the multifaceted symptoms, which include diarrhea, gas, bloating, weight loss, water retention, constipation and dermatitis. Long-term effects of the condition are anemia, malnutrition, osteoporosis and cancer. Some people also suffer an immediate allergic reaction to wheat or gluten, and others say they just feel better without it. But to deem gluten simply unhealthy seems to be a stretch.

For some consumers of organic and healthy foods, a generous chunk of whole grain bread can be the cornerstone of a nutritious meal, a staple bordering on iconic. Bleached white bread is rightfully condemned for its lack of nutritional value, but whole grains have long been praised as a good natural source of nutrition and fiber. The notion that wheat is unhealthy is definitely not the norm, but in the era of Atkins and South Beach anti-carb diets, people may be tending to think of wheat as junk food. Some are choosing to minimize starches altogether, while others partake in a gluten-free diet that allows more complex carbohydrates. Many are losing weight on these higher-protein, higher-vegetable diets, but nutritionists caution they may be missing out on important nutrients once grains are removed, such as B vitamins that are found in whole grain wheat.

Some people experience gluten sensitivity without knowing it. Melissa Diane Smith, a nutritionist and author of the book Going Against The Grain, warns that glutenous grains might be wreaking havoc on our health. "Gluten sensitivity is a hidden health problem that many Americans don't know they have," says Smith. "When a gluten-free diet is strictly followed, long-standing health problems clear up." This is obvious for those with celiac disease, but for the people who suffer subtler forms of intolerance, it could take years to discover sensitivity.

Claire Williamson, a nutritional scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, disagrees that gluten sensitivity is more common than currently believed, and she stresses that wheat is an important part of the daily diet. "We would not recommend a wheat/gluten-free diet for a non-celiac sufferer," says Williamson. "Wheat forms a staple part of the diet, and avoidance of wheat is far from an easy task," she says. Most Western physicians and dietitians believe that in the absence of strong symptoms of intolerance, a gluten-free diet is unnecessary.

It may be a good idea to get checked for intolerance if you experience chronic digestive disorders that have gone undiagnosed, however. In a 2002 article in the peer-reviewed American Family Physician, Dr. David A. Nelson, Jr. of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences concluded, "Gluten-sensitive enteropathy commonly manifests as 'silent' celiac disease (i.e., minimal or no symptoms)." A blood test can determine if you have the antibodies that signify the disease is present. An intestinal biopsy verifies the presence of the problem. A gluten-flee diet promises relief.

Soo.....................What does this mean for me and my food choices? We're gonna keep eating it. We don't seem to have any sensitivities here. My recipes contain quite a bit of wheat and oats and I was starting to feel guilty about that. I'm over it.