What are the dangers of gluten for health. Is gluten dangerous? Why is gluten dangerous?

Gluten is a sticky substance found in the protein of wheat, barley, rye and most other cereals. Gluten is found not only in all baked goods, white wheat bread, regular pasta and any pasta, but also in all kinds of foods made with the addition of wheat flour as a thickener - for example, convenience foods (including sausages), sauces and ketchups .

Since gluten is similar in structure to glue (which is why it is also called "gluten"), it is widely used to give foods a resilient texture. Most often we are talking about pastries, but gluten can be found in ice cream and milkshakes. A detailed table of gluten content in foods can be found below.

When eating food containing gluten, this substance seems to stick together the contents of the stomach (this largely explains the feeling of satiety after eating bread), provoking all kinds of inflammation in the body, as well as the development of acute food allergies in some people. Among other things, foods with gluten are usually high in calories and lead to.

What is wrong with gluten?

It is extremely important to separate the harm of foods containing gluten from the harm of gluten itself. Since gluten is a key component of wheat flour (premium bread flour is approximately 30-40% gluten), it is found in significant amounts in bread and baked goods. It is this kind of food that causes a quick set of excess weight, while the rejection of carbohydrates is useful for losing weight (it is built on this).

On the other hand, the immune system of some people perceives the gluten contained in food as an allergen, forcing the body to “fight” with it. Since gluten comes from food, the stomach is the first to be damaged. The functions of the intestines are gradually disturbed, the level of absorption of carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals decreases, the condition of the skin and internal integuments of the body worsens (including due to a decrease in the body's ability to absorb collagen).

Let us remind you once again that any food products made from wheat, rye and other grains contain a significant amount of gluten in their composition. It is estimated that the average person consumes between 10 and 40 grams of gluten per day (1) - most of this consumption comes from foods such as bread and other baked goods, pasta, pasta and other similar categories of food.

Gluten can also be used as a thickening agent in ketchup, sauces, and other products (including ice cream) in amounts sufficient to cause allergies, in which case it is usually referred to as “modified food starch” or “hydrolyzed protein”. Among other things, gluten particles can get into the product during the production process.

Gluten content in foods

Gluten-free foods include all types of meat, fish, eggs, potatoes, pseudocereals (primarily and), rice, corn, peas and other legumes, all nuts, vegetables and fruits (3) .

Full list of gluten free products:

• beef, pork, chicken and other meat;
• eggs;
• all types of fish (both river and salmon containing omega-3 fats);
• seafood;
• milk, kefir, natural yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese, regular butter and melted butter ghee;
• vegetable oils (including sunflower and olive oils, as well as coconut oil);
• potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, zucchini, green beans and other vegetables;
• rice, corn (including cornmeal), peas;
• soybeans, mung beans, beans;
• buckwheat, quinoa, sorghum and other pseudocereals;
• all types of nuts and seeds (including);
• all kinds of berries;
• all kinds of fruits and dried fruits;
• mushrooms;
• dark chocolate;

Gluten gets into a number of food products due to the use of the same equipment as for wheat. For example, corn flakes may contain gluten, while pure corn does not.

Separately, we note that if the meat itself (beef, pork, and so on) does not contain gluten in its composition, then meat cutlets most often contain it, since bread crumb (gluten in its pure form) is used in their preparation. Similarly, pure chicken does not contain gluten, but deep-fried chicken (especially chicken wings) may have gluten because of the breadcrumbs.

Gluten free diets

The most popular gluten-free diets are (the so-called “caveman diet” or “crossfitter diet”) and - however, just like any carbohydrate-free diets. Since when carbohydrates are excluded from the diet, any foods containing gluten are also excluded, and food is limited exclusively to meat food, all kinds of fats and vegetables, a person involuntarily switches to a gluten-free diet.

That is why if you (or your child) have been diagnosed with celiac disease, there is no need to be upset. Gluten-free food can be not only healthy, but also really varied, tasty and healthy!

Celiac disease - gluten allergy

Severe allergy to gluten and gluten-containing foods - a disease called celiac disease - occurs in about 1% of the population, or an average of 1 in 100-150 people (2) . In such people, the use of even small doses of gluten (up to several grams of bread) can cause serious food allergies with unpleasant symptoms.

It should also be mentioned that the latest scientific research suggests that gluten intolerance is a rare genetic disorder that is similar in nature to lactose intolerance. If your parents or relatives have celiac disease, you probably also have it. In this case, gluten really harms you and you better have to stick to strict.

Most of the symptoms of gluten intolerance relate to a variety of digestive disturbances after eating gluten-containing foods, ranging from regular bloating and indigestion to chronic diarrhea. In most cases, the stool becomes pale, frothy, and has a strong, offensive odor (2) .

Secondary symptoms of gluten allergy are chronic headaches, excessive hair loss, decreased immunity and impaired metabolism. Unfortunately, the diagnosis of celiac disease is most often difficult, and many sufferers of it do not even realize that gluten harms their body. In addition, gluten intolerance can occur after illness or pregnancy.

Gluten intolerance - how to detect?

The easiest way to detect gluten intolerance at home is to switch to a gluten-free diet and complete eliminating all bread and any other gluten-containing foods from the diet for two weeks, as well as a careful assessment of your well-being. The subsequent return of gluten to the diet will be indicative - especially if you suddenly begin to feel its harm.

Since it will take approximately 10-14 days for the intestinal microflora to fully recover, in the case of a gluten allergy, you should first feel an improvement in your health, and after returning to a normal diet, worsening (especially when taking probiotics and prebiotics at the same time). However, the only accurate method for detecting gluten intolerance is a medical test for celiac disease in a special clinic.

What is gluten: summary

• Gluten is a sticky substance found in wheat. In a small number of people, it is really capable of causing food allergy and noticeable dysfunction of the immune system, however, for most, the main harm from regular consumption of gluten in food can be excess weight gain due to the high calorie content of gluten-containing foods.
• Celiac disease is a disease in which the human body reacts to gluten as a food allergen. The main symptoms are all kinds of digestive disorders - including the extremely subtle and non-obvious. That is why, in order to detect gluten intolerance, it is necessary complete medical test.
• A completely gluten-free diet can be delicious, healthy, and varied. Many popular diets are, in fact, gluten-free diets - including keto diet and
• History of gluten and its effects on celiac disease,

Today, gluten is our focus. Grocery store shelves are lined with gluten-free/low-gluten products. Forums for young mothers are full of messages about hidden gluten in one or another baby food. What kind of "fruit" is this and what is it eaten with - let's try to figure it out below.

What is gluten?

Gluten (or gluten) is a specific group of proteins found in the seeds of cereals, especially wheat, rye and barley. In ordinary life, a person consumes from 10 to 40 grams of gluten per day. Bread and pasta are richest in gluten, they contain up to 15% of this substance. It is the high gluten content that makes pastries soft and airy.

In addition, gluten is added to products to obtain the desired density. It can be various sauces, ketchups, as well as minced meat and other semi-finished products.

What cereals does it contain?

While gluten is found in many of the foods we eat on a daily basis, most of it is found in grains. That is why, if you follow your diet, you should pay special attention to the amount of gluten in the most common cereals.

Table of the most famous cereals and the percentage of gluten in them

As you can see, there is a noticeable difference between wheat and barley. But in order to properly evaluate these cereals, let us dwell in more detail on the benefits and harms of gluten.

Benefit and harm

The phrase "gluten intolerance" today is very often found in all kinds of articles about proper nutrition, about baby food, as well as in dietetics. Despite this, it is typical gluten intolerance or celiac disease that affects only 0.5-1% of the population.

The gene responsible for the predisposition to this disease is quite common. Therefore, most people experience some form of gluten intolerance. This should be taken into account when compiling a diet.

It should also be understood that depending on the gender and age of the person, the intestinal response to gluten may vary.

Full information about the benefits and harms of gluten is presented in the table.

	Benefit	Harm
For kids	For children older than six months who do not suffer from allergic reactions to gluten, gluten products are not dangerous. It is after 6 months that complementary foods, including cereals, are introduced into the diet of children. You need to pay attention to which cereals contain gluten and introduce them into the baby's diet gradually.	At the age of 0 to 6-8 months, you should pay special attention to the composition of baby food and choose only a gluten-free product. If breastfeeding is not possible, then the use of mixtures containing gluten may provoke the development of intolerance in the future.
For girls	A healthy digestive system at a young age has no problem absorbing gluten. Eating healthy gluten products (cereals, whole grain bread) normalizes hemoglobin levels, strengthens the immune system and bone tissue, saturates the body with essential minerals and trace elements.	For young women who have not been diagnosed with gluten intolerance, foods containing gluten are not harmful. But you need to pay attention to the moderation of the use of fast food, pastries and sweets, which contain large amounts of gluten and are not good for health on their own.
For women over 40	If an adult woman does not have digestive problems, this does not exclude the benefits of vitamins and minerals obtained by the body from gluten-containing foods.	As we age, the intestines become clogged and cannot absorb gluten products in the same amount as before. The use of gluten worsens the sensitivity of the intestinal villi and can lead to the development of intolerance. Therefore, it is necessary to control the consumption of products with gluten throughout life.
For men	The harm and benefits of gluten for men and women are the same. When men consume natural gluten products, their body is also enriched with useful substances.	The main harm of gluten (in the absence of a diagnosed intolerance) is its presence in harmful and high-calorie foods (chips, beer, sweets, etc.). Their uncontrolled use can lead to disruption of the body and the risk of obesity.
For the elderly	With age, the human body ceases to absorb vegetable proteins in the same volume as before. Eating gluten in old age can do more harm than good.	Continued use of gluten in old age entails the risk of symptoms of irritable bowel disease, vascular and joint diseases, and anemia. It is necessary to take care of your health and follow a more correct diet, giving preference to natural products without excess gluten.

Gluten free products

Of course, in order to avoid the harmful effects of excessive consumption of products that contain gluten, you need to be aware of those that do not contain it at all. The list of gluten-free products is actually quite wide, besides, some companies produce special product lines with low or no gluten content. Therefore, it is not so difficult to create a gluten-free diet.

If you are faced with the need to follow such a diet, then all the products from the list below can be safely eaten without fear of consequences:

Gluten-free cereal products:

It is worth noting that all these products do not contain gluten in their natural form.

Since gluten is quite often used in the production process, it is impossible to guess which products contain gluten, you need to carefully read the composition of each product.

The question “is there gluten in milk” can be answered by the absence of additional additives in its composition and a short shelf life, indicating naturalness.

Gluten Intolerance: Symptoms and Diagnosis

Many people deliberately reduce the amount of gluten in their food or completely eliminate it from the diet, while not having any medical indications for this.

But it is worth remembering that hypersensitivity or intolerance to gluten is, first of all, a rare autoimmune disease that is quite difficult to diagnose. With such a disease, the work of the small intestine is disrupted, the villi located on the walls of the intestine gradually die off, which leads to a decrease in the amount of nutrients from food into the body. Symptoms range from bloating to fatigue and depression. If you suspect that you have gluten intolerance, then you should not self-medicate: you should immediately seek medical help and conduct the necessary tests.

The first step is to donate blood and test for IgG antibodies to tissue transglutaminase. In the case of a positive result, the next step in the diagnosis is an examination by a gastroenterologist, a biopsy or endoscopy of the intestine to identify existing changes. Only after confirming the diagnosis is it worth changing the diet and starting another treatment prescribed by a specialist.

Are gluten-free diets safe?

The popularity of this topic is due to the exaggerated attention to the effectiveness of a gluten-free diet. In pursuit of the standards of harmony, many are ready to go to any experiments.

But do not forget that such restrictions are, first of all, a forced necessity due to a serious diagnosis.

Avoiding gluten solely for the purpose of weight loss can be not only ineffective, but also lead to negative consequences.

1. Gluten-free foods contain the same number of calories as regular foods. And this means that their use can not affect the weight in any way.
2. Avoiding gluten, and therefore grains, reduces fiber intake, which negatively affects digestion. In addition to fiber, grains contain nutrients that the body needs to function properly.
3. Many are ditching gluten due to the so-called Stone Age (or Paleo) diet, which is very popular these days. Its basis is the rejection of gluten with a simultaneous increased consumption of meat and animal proteins. The results of studies confirm that such a diet increases the risk of cancer several times.

Every day we meet with various information about healthy and proper nutrition. The modern dietetics market offers a huge number of theories, systems and practices of nutrition. Most of them are based only on fashion trends that allow manufacturers to sell an ordinary product under the guise of a specialized one. Labels “gluten free”, “sugar free”, “lactose free” increase the price of the product without guaranteeing the appropriate composition. When eliminating gluten from your diet, remember that this should only be done for medical reasons.. Any diet that involves a complete rejection of certain foods increases the possibility of a malfunction in the body and is not a substitute for a varied diet.

To learn more about what gluten is and whether you should eat it, watch the video:

Friends, hello everyone!

Phrases like “gluten-free recipes”, “our product is gluten-free”, food labels “gluten free”, as well as constant talk about some kind of “mysterious gluten” ...

This has become more recent than ever, a lot, you see.

Some of the most popular queries in search engines now are “What is gluten” and “How is gluten harmful to the body”.

Let's add here the craze of "stars and non-stars" for some kind of "gluten-free diets", an impossible number of Instagram groups where recipes with the hashtag #glutenfree are published ...

But many still cannot say for sure what gluten is, what is its danger, why it is necessary (and is it necessary?) to exclude it from the diet, and for what exactly?

Many simply stupidly follow the "fashion", others do not even want to bother and delve into it, they say, "another marketing lure" of manufacturers ...

What is true here and what is not? I tried again for myself to understand this issue.

What came of it, what I learned - I share with you in this article.

From this article you will learn:

“Since everyone is so afraid of gluten and avoids it in every possible way, it means that this is something terrible,” many people think.

But no, gluten is really just a protein.

A complex protein (protein) found in most cereals.

The word gluten means glue.

For Russian people, the name "gluten" is more familiar.

The function of the gluten protein is to glue other proteins together.

When dry, this protein is colorless and tasteless, but when water is added, it becomes grayish and has a glue-like texture (hence the name "gluten").

It is thanks to gluten that flour mixed with water turns into an elastic and elastic dough, which is of great importance in the baking industry.

Where is gluten found in food?

Gluten is found in wheat, barley, spelled, and rye.

Whether oatmeal contains gluten is still a controversial issue, and I have not found an unequivocal authoritative answer to this question. If you know - write in the comments, I will be very grateful.

Accordingly, everything where the above-mentioned cereals are present automatically falls into the list of gluten-containing products.

These are wheat, rye, barley groats, flour from these cereals, and all kinds of baking options, bread, pasta, etc.

But not everything is so simple.

Many foods, from fully prepared to semi-finished products and all kinds of seasonings, also contain mostly some kind of cereal (mainly flour), and therefore gluten.

Therefore, gluten contains:

• Cereals from wheat, rye and barley (barley, wheat, barley, semolina, bulgur, couscous).
• Cereals and instant cereals.
• Wheat, barley and rye bran.
• Flour from wheat, spelt, barley, rye (whole grain or not - it doesn’t matter, everything is on the same list).
• Bread and any baked goods, breadcrumbs, croutons, crispbreads, sandwich crackers, biscuits, baking mixes, etc.
• Pasta from flour of wheat, rye, barley.
• All finished products are breaded.
• Sausages, frankfurters, sausages and pâtés ALL, without exception, contain gluten.
• Any canned food, especially in sauce.
• Meatballs, meatballs, minced meat for home cooking, and sold in ready-made food departments.
• Soy products - very often they contain something containing gluten.
• Store bought sauces.
• Instant soups, soup mixes, ready-made breakfast cereals, sweets, any sweets (marshmallow, sherbet, halva, chocolate, churchkhela) - everything contains gluten.
• Nut and seed pastes (urbechi).
• Mayonnaise, mustard.
• Any fast food.
• Chips (although the package will only say potatoes and butter, but in most cases this is not the case).
• Frozen semi-finished products - from cutlets and dumplings to pancakes and cabbage rolls.
• Crab sticks, pasta snacks, all kinds of snack caviar.
• Cheese snack spreads, as well as the cheese itself (hard, soft, processed) - all this in its composition can, and in most cases contains gluten!.
• Various seasonings (spices in mixtures), dressings for soup, borscht, vegetables, meat, etc., bouillon cubes.
• Confectionery powders (from baking powder to cream mixes).
• Many store-bought drinks (juices, smoothies, nectars, sweet water, beer - definitely), undistilled vodka - including.
• Gluten is often a component of sports nutrition - especially protein.

Gluten in small doses is commonly referred to as "a product containing traces of gluten." And manufacturers often warn about this on the packaging. But this is not a guarantee at all. An unscrupulous, careless manufacturer will not indicate.

Where else is gluten found?

• Gluten in very small doses can also be found in industrial lard (lard), butter and ghee, in vegetable oils of dubious manufacturers.
• Natural nuts (walnuts, Brazilian nuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, cashews and almonds), as well as sunflower and pumpkin seeds, do not contain gluten at all, but there are traces of it in industrially processed nuts and seeds.
• Dairy products ALL can be safely classified both in the list of gluten-containing products and in the category of gluten-free products for one simple reason: homemade milk, cheeses, butter, cream, cottage cheese, etc. do not contain gluten, but those obtained industrially contain a small amount of this protein (hidden gluten), if you read the packaging, pay attention to this. Therefore, store-bought cheese, condensed milk, yogurt, fermented baked milk, kefir, milk - all this contains gluten in small doses. Starter cultures, ice cream, margarine, spreads - here.
• Dried fruits and candied fruits can also contain gluten traces.
• Frozen vegetables (fried potatoes - here) and even pharmacy dietary supplements and vitamins in capsules and tablets mostly contain gluten.
• Be on the lookout for labels such as "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" and "textured vegetable protein." All of this refers to gluten.
• It can even be included in cosmetics. First of all, it concerns lipstick and powder. You should also pay attention to the composition of body lotions and creams. Many cosmetics contain vitamin E, which is usually obtained from wheat. This means that all of them may contain gluten, although the labels are silent about this.
• Of course, gluten is not absorbed through the skin, but there is always a chance that a cosmetic product that contains it (for example, lipstick) enters the body, and then people with gluten intolerance will have problems.

We looked at what foods contain gluten.

In fact, the list can go on and on, if we consider not only foodstuffs familiar to Russians, but also exotic or national ones.

Why is gluten so bad?

There are people who are very sensitive to this protein.

In their body, in response to the ingestion of gluten into the body, or rather, to one of the gluten fractions (gliadins), an inflammatory reaction develops. This disease is called celiac disease.

In celiac patients, the immune system recognizes this protein as foreign and attacks it with all available means.

The trouble is that not only gluten is under attack, but also those tissues in which immune cells meet it.

First of all, the walls of the small intestine are damaged.

In addition to the digestive tract, the heart, joints and other organs suffer.

In addition, many have hidden gluten intolerance.

At the same time, the symptoms are mild and only in combination can lead the doctor to the correct diagnosis, which must be confirmed by a special analysis (test).

Despite the fact that celiac disease, as a disease, affects only 1% of the population, according to some estimates, one in three have some kind of immune reaction to gluten.

And the saddest thing is that in many cases, the analysis for gluten intolerance does not give a clear answer - that is, the person does not feel very good for some signs that may well indicate poor gluten tolerance, but according to the results of the test, he is fine.

However, it has been noticed that many chronically ill people with an "unclear diagnosis" (and this is now very often) feel much better after switching to a gluten-free diet.

Signs of gluten intolerance

Celiac disease can be difficult to recognize because its symptoms vary.

Indeed, many people suffer from diarrhea and abdominal pain - but not all and not always.

For example, children, for the most part, experience the classic symptoms of celiac disease, but adults only have a third, and according to the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), in adults, such a symptom as diarrhea (diarrhea) is not the most common occurrence. .

Other possible symptoms of gluten intolerance include:

• bloating,
• pain in the abdomen and stomach,
• chronic constipation,
• vomit,
• weight loss,
• Iron-deficiency anemia,
• frequent fatigue,
• joint and muscle pain,
• tingling or numbness in the legs and/or hands (fingers or limbs),
• mouth ulcers,
• discoloration of tooth enamel,
• anxiety and depression
• frequent headache, migraine,
• learning disabilities in children
• impaired memory and attention in adults.

Medically, celiac disease is a digestive disorder in the small intestine that results from an autoimmune reaction to gluten.

Normally, the surface of the small intestine is covered with myriads of tiny villi that are involved in the absorption of proteins and fats.

In patients with celiac disease, these villi are damaged and cease to perform their function, the absorption of nutrients is disturbed and indigestion occurs.

With an advanced form of the disease, due to an autoimmune reaction, the thyroid gland is severely affected, bones become brittle, the risk of cancer increases - in a word, everything is more than serious.

One thing to be aware of (if you consume dairy products) is that casein, a complex protein found in dairy products, can mimic the effects of gluten on the body.

The question arises: if neither symptoms nor tests can guarantee accuracy in the diagnosis of celiac disease, then what to do?

Firstly, neither one nor the other can be completely ignored - neither the symptoms, nor the tests, this is not reasonable.

If the situation is not clear, it is worth conducting your own experiment:

If you are worried about frequent abdominal pain, stool disorders, general weakness, anemia, and you suspect that you have a latent gluten intolerance, then a trial gluten-free diet will help determine the correct diagnosis.

Gluten intolerance in otherwise healthy people

Why is the problem of gluten intolerance or sensitivity so acute these days?

The fact is that the wheat that modern man eats is very different from the one that our ancestors ate.

Over the past two centuries, Michurin's followers have specially selected wheat varieties in the direction of a higher protein content, and hence gluten.

Not surprisingly, the incidence of celiac disease among humans has increased by 400% over the past 200 years.

On the other hand, the human body is not very well adapted to digest grains - the main food of birds, which have all the necessary enzymes for this.

Should I cut gluten completely?

It often happens that a person feels “like nothing”, but he has constant weakness and fatigue, and, accordingly, some irritability and other unpleasant emotions and feelings.

All this is safely attributed to lack of sleep, not quite high-quality nutrition, lack of sufficient physical activity, etc.

And there is truth in this.

Yes, indeed, everything that has been listed - all this greatly reduces the level of energy and vitality, causing symptoms such as frequent colds, fatigue and lack of joy in life.

BUT! All of the above symptoms can have one root - eating foods containing gluten.

Many cases where people have experimented with cutting out gluten-containing foods from their diets have resulted in very unusual and pleasant results.

This increase in the level of vitality, endurance, problems with the gastrointestinal tract, frequent colds and inflammatory diseases disappeared, and the general psychological state leveled off: sleep became calmer and deeper, the state of satisfaction definitely strove upwards.

At the same time, no other changes in life (in nutrition, movement, rest regimen, etc.) were made.

And here's what the experts say: "Getting out of gluten is good for you, even if you don't have celiac disease."

It has been proven that eating gluten-containing foods will disrupt the digestive processes in most healthy people.

These symptoms can be both obvious and very weak, but the conclusion here is unambiguous: gluten DISTURBES, which means it HARMS.

Science Advice: "Stop eating gluten for a period of time—one to three months—and listen to your body's signals."

"If I'm healthy and feel pretty good, can I eat foods that contain gluten?"

If you are used to a certain diet, and categorically do not want to give up cereals, flour and products containing them, then after this test you will be able to more objectively, with less emotions, decide on this issue for yourself.

Here everyone decides for himself. Some believe that everything is possible for healthy people, while others adhere to the rule "safe and God saves."

There is logic in everything.

And that “you shouldn’t deprive yourself of something that doesn’t make me feel bad”, and that “since this “beast” (gluten) is so difficult for my body in principle, why would I intentionally deprive it life forces that can be used for something that will bring me good?

It is worth considering what is more important to each of us.

Not all grains contain gluten!

The good news is that not all grains contain gluten, which means it's not all bad news, and going gluten-free doesn't mean eating one "grass"

The next article is just devoted to what cereals you can (and should, because they are very useful in themselves) use every day, and not be afraid of feeling unwell.

Therefore, if you decide to reduce (or completely eliminate) the amount of gluten products from your diet, leave all the cereals listed in this article on the menu - they are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber, which have a beneficial effect on all body systems!

What is a gluten-free diet (gluten-free diet)?

All other foods, except those listed above, are part of the gluten-free diet.

If you decide to switch completely, or only temporarily - just try a gluten-free diet as an experiment - feel free to include the following in the list of products:

• any vegetables (potatoes - you can),
• all fruits and berries
• greenery,
• any meat,
• gluten-free cereals (see article on gluten-free cereals),
• legumes (, peas, chickpeas, mung beans, soybeans),
• seeds and nuts (the main thing is that you are sure of their quality):
• sesame,
• sunflower seeds,
• Walnut,
• almond,
• pecan,
• hazelnuts, etc.,
• as well as vegetable milk from them.
• eggs.

If you think that following a gluten-free diet is difficult, then personally, I see the difficulty of such a diet only when you have to eat OUTSIDE of the house.

Here, yes, not everything is simple.

Well, firstly, this can be a great reason to cook delicious homemade food at home more often, and take food in containers and thermoses with you to work, and not eat where you have to.

Secondly, everything is not hopeless even for those who have to eat out: you can adapt, you can order those dishes in which you are sure that they are gluten-free.

And one more important point, the rejection of gluten must be conscious and forever, it will not work to refuse partially or reduce its use, because our body provokes an immune attack on our own cells up to 6 months after you have eaten something containing Gluten .

Friends, let's summarize this article: the rejection of gluten is mandatory for those who are officially diagnosed with celiac disease.

And for those who are quite healthy and prosperous, the use of products containing gluten is a matter of personal choice.

Gluten... What is this stranger who is so interested in people? He even divided them into two camps - defenders and opponents of use. The first vehemently defend its safety and usefulness, others with no less fervor call for abandoning this product in favor of gluten-free dishes. Let's find out if there is a golden mean in this dispute.

Acquaintance begins

If you ask chemists or biologists what gluten is, we will hear from them in response: it is a complex organic compound, a protein that does not dissolve in water. It is based on combinations of various amino acids, such as gliadin, prolamin, glutelin. We think that such an answer will satisfy only chemists. We, ordinary people, want a clearer explanation. Something like "this is a protein, it has amino acids, our cells are made of them, so we need them."

Naturally, the term "gluten" is not Russian, in Latin it sounds like gluten. We call it the familiar word gluten. Hearing this familiar name, many housewives immediately remembered the process of kneading the dough. It was in the dough that gluten was born.

Place of gluten in nature

From the beginning, gluten has never bothered anyone. He was born into cereals, of which he liked wheat, oats, barley and rye the best. He was not friends with buckwheat and rice, he was slightly familiar with corn grits. Gluten accumulated all summer long in grain houses, which were collected from the field in the fall and sent to the mill. Millers turned grain into flour, in which the protein sat quietly and did not let anyone know about itself.

And then the flour got into the kitchen - the hostess wanted to bake lush bread or crispy buns. As soon as she poured water into the flour, the gluten immediately showed up in all its glory and showed what it was capable of, turning the mixture of flour and water into a sticky mass. It should be noted that gluten does not dissolve in water, but only interacts with it. From this mass, you can easily form a dough of any consistency.

So, we can draw a small conclusion: gluten is the glue that glues flour with water so that the ingredients do not crumble. In addition, it adds vitamins of group B, calcium, iron to bread, gives elasticity to flour products, improves their taste and enhances useful properties.

Secret Test Element Revealed

The quiet and unknown life of gluten changed dramatically in the distant 18th century. People began to rapidly learn the world in which they live. This also affected the food industry. Until that time, women baked bread every day and did not attach any importance to this process. Sometimes they complained that the flour was somehow naughty, did not want to be kneaded, the dough did not rise, the bread crumbled. This is not how the male cooks behaved. Faced with similar difficulties, they did not complain, but tried to understand why the same process proceeds differently. As a result of a long search, the famous Cesare Beccaria was able to declassify the composition of the dough and isolated gluten from it. What did it give to mankind?

Now they have learned to separate gluten from flour and use it on their own. As it turns out, this is very easy to do. You need to leave the finished batter in the water. Gradually the water will dissolve everything but the gluten. The starch solution is drained, and the remaining gluten is crushed, dried and compacted. In industrial conditions, this process is carried out using thickening separators. Dry protein is packaged and actively used in the food industry.

Wheat or gluten - substitution of values

Before we continue our story about the adventures of gluten protein, we need to shed a little light on one event that indirectly influenced its future fate. It happened in connection with the desire to overcome hunger.

The first problem is to get a good harvest in poor environmental conditions. Having solved it, you are faced with a storage problem. Grain is difficult to save, as it quickly deteriorates. And given that this is the main food product around the world, it turns out to be a global problem.

The solution to these problems was to develop grain that would be resistant to bad weather conditions, contain more nutrients and could be stored for a long time. And such a grain was bred in the fifties by the breeder Norman Borlaug. The peculiarity of this variety is the high content of gluten.

Everyone loved this variety, but not because it solved hunger problems, but because it contained a large amount of gluten. Wheat natural protein, which was extracted from high quality flour, has become more valuable in the eyes of producers than wheat.

Gluten euphoria in the food industry

By separating gluten into a separate product, food manufacturers quickly found use for its main properties:

The consequences of euphoria

Culinary experiments gradually began to bear fruit. The urban population is accustomed to eating semi-finished products that contain a large amount of gluten. What does this mean for the body?

Imagine that you eat cottage cheese for breakfast, sausages or frozen cutlets with bread or wheat porridge for lunch, and crab stick salad or ice cream for dinner. During the day, you snack on buns or chips. If you remember the content of gluten in the foods that you ate, then at the end of the day you understand that your body has received a monthly dose of this substance in a day. Guess how he will feel after that?

The effect of gluten on the human body

What happens in the body when gluten is ingested? The benefits and harms of this protein are determined by two factors - heredity and quantity.

First, there is a small group of people on the planet who are not friendly with gluten from birth. They suffer from a syndrome discovered by several doctors in different countries. This disease is called the Guy-Herter-Heibner syndrome. The body of this group of people is unable to produce an enzyme that breaks down gluten peptide chains. Chemists have already talked about the fact that these are amino acids bound into a complex protein. The body must disassemble them into separate elements and use them for their own purposes. People with this syndrome do not have the necessary tools to do this.

Secondly, people whose diet is based on foods containing gluten consume it in very large quantities. It accumulates in the body, the digestive system wears out. As a result, a person develops an acquired allergy to gluten - the so-called gluten intolerance.

The dangers of overeating gluten

The process of digestion takes place with the participation of gastric juice. If the intake of gluten in the body is small (as it was when we consumed it in its natural form as part of normal cereals and bread), the enzymes of a healthy person are able to process them. However, if gluten is supplied in large quantities, the body cannot cope.

As a result, unprocessed residues accumulate in the intestines. Gradually, they destroy the villi of the mucous membrane, and the papillae, which should absorb nutrients, stop responding and lose their sensitivity. As a result, two disease states develop: poisoning and starvation.

Harmful substances enter the blood through damaged intestinal walls. They poison the body, destroy the nervous system, harm the brain. Due to the fact that the intestinal villi are not fully capable of absorbing useful substances, a person does not receive many trace elements from food that the body itself is unable to produce.

Gluten protein goes underground

Out of euphoria, society fell into hysteria. Once praised by everyone, gluten has become a terrible killer. In fact, the fault lies not with the protein, but with the manufacturers who misuse it. The latter refuse to admit their guilt and do not want to change anything in the production of their products.

As a result, wheat gluten is becoming less and less common in industrially-produced products - it has been replaced by such strange ingredients as modified starch, textured vegetable protein, hydrolyzed thickener, and other combinations. However, all these names are translated into plain Russian as "wheat gluten".

Side Effects of the War on Gluten

People's desire to be healthy was taken advantage of by other food manufacturers who eliminated gluten. What did it entail? Vegetables, fruits, natural fish and meat, beans, nuts have become fashionable. However, there are also new concepts in cooking. For example, today people have the opportunity to try gluten-free bread. What kind of bread is this and how could they make it?

Most often, flour products that do not contain gluten protein are made from the flour of those cereals that do not contain this protein. It can be rice, buckwheat or corn flour. However, more fats and synthetic thickeners have to be added to such a dough so that it does not crumble and has a viscosity. The result - the product does not contain gluten, but is still harmful to the body.

Gluten free puffin

How to avoid the dangerous effects of gluten food on the body, if gluten-free analogues are also harmful? The answer is very simple! No need to reinvent the wheel. Remember what gluten is. He is not an enemy, he lived in a grain of wheat from the very beginning, until he was made a hero.

If you want to avoid its harmful effects, just eat as you did before. Cook delicious meals at home, especially with vegetables. Do not abuse store-bought meat products. If you have a congenital allergy to gluten, follow a diet.

Another paradox of the food industry

Although more and more people are switching to a healthy diet, food manufacturers are not going to give up, and relatively recent discoveries in the chemical industry have given them a new round of optimism. What is it based on?

For a long time it was believed that corn grits do not contain gluten. However, today many people hear such a thing as corn gluten. What kind of paradox is this? This is a new invention of the food industry, which was obtained quite by accident.

Since corn is mainly used for the production of compound feed, it is often processed. When they tried to make starch and molasses from corn, they got waste in the form of gluten. The most interesting thing is that this type of gluten protein is not harmful to the intestinal villi, so new products are ahead of us, which will include a new type of gluten.

Anton Zakharov, physiologist, biology teacher at the Letovo school:

“Contrary to popular belief, gluten is not a specific substance, but the collective name for a whole group of proteins that are found in some plants. Namely, in wheat, rye, oats, barley and their relatives and hybrids.

Alexey Paramonov, gastroenterologist, candidate of medical sciences, director of the Rassvet clinic:

“Gluten is the main protein in gluten, the plastic, tasteless mass found in grains of wheat, rye, and barley. By itself, it is not poisonous and is not remarkable in any way, except for the fact that it is responsible for the plasticity of the dough and the quality of the bread.

What role does gluten play in the bakery business?

Anton Zakharov:

“Gluten is so named for its “adhesive” properties (gluten in Latin for “glue”), which are used in the baking business: it can glue different food components into one mass and give the dough viscosity. In white bread, for example, gluten is one of the main components, it can be up to 70–80% by weight.”

Why is gluten considered dangerous?

Alexey Paramonov:

“This is not dangerous gluten, but anxious people. The real problems that gluten can cause are greatly exaggerated. It is not capable of harming people who are not allergic to gluten or have a genetic predisposition to celiac disease."

Anton Zakharov:

“The question is rather for psychologists, of course. I would suggest that people tend to tolerate the harm of gluten, for those who have different forms of its intolerance, on everyone: if it's bad for someone, then it's bad for everyone.

What is celiac disease?

Marina Apletaeva, dietitian, allergist-immunologist at the Alumed clinic:

“The disease associated with gluten intolerance is called celiac disease. This is a relatively rare diagnosis. Celiac disease manifests itself in the first year of life, when the child begins to feed cereals. It is at this moment that she presents the main problems: the child loses weight, he begins to have diarrhea, he does not receive enough nutrients for his development. That's when you need the help of specialists, including for compiling a complete diet. This is not a serious disease, but it requires a lot of attention from parents. With age, the symptoms of celiac disease are weakened, but still, in the case of congenital gluten intolerance, foods containing it are excluded from the diet for life.

Alexey Paramonov:

“In some people with a genetic predisposition, gluten can cause an inflammatory response similar to a delayed allergy. Inflammatory cells of the lymphoid series (simply lymphocytes) infiltrate the small intestine (that is, penetrate into it and linger in it) and gradually displace its normal villous lining, which ensures proper digestion and absorption of nutrients. As a result, absorption is impaired. This unhealthy process is called celiac disease, or celiac disease.

Celiac disease is quite common, about 1% of people suffer from it, but the severity of its manifestations is different, so it is not always diagnosed. Better than other groups of patients, the situation with the diagnosis of celiac disease is in children. Pediatricians are well aware of this disease and are wary of it. But adults who can also have celiac disease are often left without a correct diagnosis, since many "adult" doctors consider celiac disease a childhood disease.

Celiac disease in a child should be suspected with constipation, diarrhea, growth and developmental delay, with changes in blood tests - hemoglobin, iron, albumin, and total protein decrease. Nails and hair become brittle, the skin is often pale, it may have a pustular rash. A rather specific skin manifestation of celiac disease is dermatitis herpetiformis: blisters form on the skin that burst, and ulcers remain in their place. The same bubbles can be on the tongue and mucous membranes. A characteristic manifestation of celiac disease in children is disproportionate bloating; the abdomen becomes saggy, does not decrease in size during the day.

In adults, there may be a similar picture, or a more blurred one - usually an adult patient with celiac disease complains of bloating, unstable stools, and a decrease in hemoglobin and iron.

If celiac disease is suspected, a gastroscopy with a biopsy of the duodenum is performed. Until recently, this diagnostic method was the only one. Now it is used in obscure cases, as a confirmation. It is possible to confirm celiac disease with a high probability by a blood test - by examining antibodies to transglutaminase, endomysium, and deamidated gliadin peptides. A genetic test can help diagnose but is more likely to rule out celiac disease.

Celiac disease is not treated with drugs. A highly effective treatment is a gluten-free diet. Such patients cannot have all products from wheat, rye, barley; oat products are allowed after special treatment. It is useless to follow a partial diet, the exclusion of gluten must be impeccably strict.

Who else is bad for gluten?

Alexey Paramonov:

“In all likelihood, gluten allergy can exist outside of celiac disease. But it is many times less common than celiac disease and than an allergy to eggs, fish or milk. The simpler the protein, the less likely it is to be allergic, and gluten is a fairly simple protein. The case with gluten is characterized by specific signs of allergy, for example, erosive gastritis, eosinophilic gastroenteritis and other ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract. However, gluten is the last reason that causes such an allergy. Allergies are more common in children, although they can also appear in adulthood. In summary, some people suffering from erosive gastritis or eosinophilic gastroenteritis are advised to avoid gluten.”

Marina Apletaeva:

“Sometimes gluten intolerance develops in adults. As a rule, such gluten intolerance is temporary and is the result of certain conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. And the appearance of these conditions can occur for various reasons: due to dysbiosis (imbalance of beneficial and harmful microflora) of the intestine, due to bacterial and viral infections. Often viral infections give complications to the pancreas, and this is the main organ that secretes digestive enzymes. As a result, the body begins to cope worse with what is difficult to digest. It happens that we easily endured the virus and do not even suspect that the recovery processes inside have not yet been completed. Digestion problems begin, we come in a month for tests - gluten intolerance! This does not mean that it has always been, and you did not know, or that it will always remain. Most likely, this means that at this point in time the body cannot cope with proteins that are difficult for the gastrointestinal tract. With a high probability, when the body recovers from the disease, the ability to absorb gluten will also be restored. Often, when re-checking after six months, intolerance is no longer observed.

The result is this. If several unfavorable factors add up - past illness, dysbiosis, stress on the pancreas, excessive consumption of gluten - the body may not be able to cope and give out a reaction. A good recommendation is to temporarily eliminate or reduce the gluten content. But don't give it up forever."

How many percent of the population can really be affected by gluten?

Anton Zakharov:

“About 1% of the population has a disease called celiac disease. A few more percent of people (according to various studies, from 0.6 to 13%) have other digestive features, including gluten allergy, in which a gluten-free diet is recommended. In total, the total number of people who should not consume gluten is very large (in Russia it can be millions of people), so the labeling of products containing gluten in stores and the appearance of a gluten-free menu in cafes and restaurants are, of course, reasonable and useful things. ".

What other foods contain gluten?

Anton Zakharov:

"The number of foods containing gluten is enormous, in addition to almost all baked goods, gluten can be found in beer, soy sauce, ketchup - and even ice cream."

Alexey Paramonov:

“Gluten is all around us. If a person refuses it, then he will have to seriously reconsider his diet.

A lot of processed foods contain some form of modified starch or some kind of thickening agent, and they usually contain some kind of flour, that is, gluten. Therefore, people with gluten intolerance or allergies should be more careful about canned food, coffee, chocolate, sweets, things that at first glance are very far from wheat. Even buckwheat and rice and products made from them may contain traces of gluten, because there is no guarantee that semolina has not been packaged at the packaging plant before and that clogging has not occurred. Gluten is contained in the composition of technological additives in sausage, mayonnaise, ketchup, cheese products, confectionery, instant coffee.

Marina Apletaeva:

“Gluten intolerance can be caused by overconsumption. But the same goes for any product: nutrition must be balanced.

Gluten is found in many foods. We consume rye in the form of black bread. Wheat has many uses, including cereals (bulgur, semolina, and couscous), bread, pastries, and muesli. Barley is barley and malt drinks. All kinds of dry mixes and fitness bars based on vegetable proteins are also gaining popularity - it turns out that they also have gluten.

Anton Zakharov:

“Recently, in the West, and then in our country, the fashion for gluten-free products has spread. Some people believe that gluten provokes inflammation in the digestive system, so a healthy diet cannot include foods containing it. In fact, it’s worth worrying about gluten, but not everyone. For most people, gluten appears to be harmless. At least there are no studies showing its harm to people without the above diseases, nor any convincing theoretical grounds to consider it negatively affecting health.

Marina Apletaeva:

“Now is a very interesting time. We began to invent a lot for ourselves: for example, they say that excess weight appears from gluten. But it appears from the fact that we eat a lot of rolls, and not from gluten, although it is contained in flour. Gluten by itself does not contribute to weight loss. Or a little something is wrong with the intestines - it immediately seems to people that the problem is gluten. If it seems - go and be surveyed at experts. Or, sometimes, girls come to me for an appointment and say: “Oh, gluten clogs the intestines so much! He sticks to the walls! Of course, I understand that the level of education has fallen a little and everyone knows the anatomy poorly. But the structure of the intestine is the level of school, not institute knowledge. The walls of the intestines are made up of villi, nothing can stick to them. They are constantly in motion, it is impossible even theoretically to close them up. Gluten does not stick anything in the intestines, remember this. Fairy tales and myths that we need something globally to cleanse our intestines are alien to me. You don’t have to do anything, unless there is a medical indication for that, you just need to eat a balanced diet. ”

Alexey Paramonov:

“Now it is fashionable not to eat gluten products for obscure purposes. But such a diet does not bring any benefit, it only impoverishes the diet. Nutritionists who claim that gluten sticks to the intestinal wall need to be treated. These are not doctors. If they had ever been present at an autopsy, they would have been convinced that nothing could stick to the walls of the intestines.