Gluten is a general name for a family of proteins found in wheat and other forms of wheat like spelt and kamut and also rye, barley and triticale. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue to hold foods together. It is also hidden in many commercial foods.
Going ‘gluten free’ has been one of the most popular diet trends of the past decade. A common belief that gluten free diets are healthier and a growing availability of alternative breads and other products, could be driving the trend.
With endorsement from the tennis player, Novak Djokovic who stated “I believe gluten is the king of all anti nutrients” many people now believe going gluten free is key to sporting performance. Upon eliminating gluten from his diet, Djokovic almost instantly had more energy, less aches and pains and slept significantly better. When he tried reintroducing gluten to test his reaction after two weeks, the following morning after eating a bagel, all of his symptoms returned and he awoke with a hangover-like feeling.
I hear of this reaction often whilst consulting clients and likewise, there are many people still suffering with symptoms like Djokovic that do not feel better after eliminating gluten. It’s important to work through a range of possible triggers before ‘demonising’ gluten and to make sure that the diet you are following isn’t lacking in important nutrients.
Some doctors refer to a gluten free diet as a fad diet for the majority and unnecessary and I would have to agree. I’ve seen the damage that gluten can do first hand. It’s effects range from mild bloating and digestive discomfort to those with debilitating symptoms that have led to depression. I have also seen people following the diet just because they believe it to be healthier but were never showing any symptoms in the first place. So I feel it’s important to eat as varied a diet as possible and only work with elimination diets if you present with symptoms.
A gluten intolerance or sensitivity is the body’s inability to digest or break down gluten. The relatively recent term, non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) is estimated to affect between 6 and 10 percent of the population. There are between 4 and 7 million people in the UK with potential NCGS but this is further complicated by symptoms overlapping with irritable bowel syndrome, wheat allergy and coeliac disease. It is indeed, a complex puzzle but there does not appear to be damage to the lining of the gut with NCGS, unlike with coeliac disease.
Coeliac disease is a lifelong autoimmune condition (not an allergy or intolerance) where the body overreacts to gluten, damaging the villi. The villi are very small finger-like projections found along the wall of the small intestine, that absorb nutrients.
Eating gluten can be life-threatening to people with coeliac disease. A gluten-free diet is the only treatment option. It affects around 1% of the population, although 20-30% of the world’s population have been found to carry the HLA-DQ gene associated with a genetic susceptibility to coeliac disease, 95% of coeliacs still go undiagnosed.
People with NCGS experience symptoms similar to those with coeliac disease, which resolve when gluten is removed from the diet. However, they do not test positive for coeliac disease which is a reliable test for diagnosing this disease, as long as the person has been regularly eating gluten. Unfortunately, there is no reliable test for diagnosing NCGS and an elimination diet is currently the best way to identify that gluten is a problem. Djokovic eliminated gluten for 2 weeks and then tried reintroducing it. This is a standard test which can show a dramatic shift in symptoms, if gluten is the problem.
To further complicate the matter, there is debate around whether gluten is the cause of the sensitivity or if other components are to blame, which are also partly removed from the diet when gluten-containing ingredients are removed, such as Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides and Polyols (FODMAPs).
Ultimately, tapping into your body’s intuition and seeing how you feel when you remove certain foods is the best indicator of whether a food is right for you. We should feel energised, alert and bloat-free after eating and also have regular, healthy elimination. If this is not the case for you, it’s time to look at your diet and also your stress level. The enteric nervous system which is linked to the gut, has been aptly named the ‘second brain’ and comprises over 100 million neurons, more than the spinal cord. Mounting evidence suggests that your gut’s health strongly influences your mood and vice versa.
When following a gluten free diet, I recommend choosing carbohydrate-rich foods that are naturally gluten free such as sweet potato, brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, millet and oats. Oats are naturally gluten free but are often contaminated with other grains containing gluten whilst being prepared in factories. If you are following a strictly gluten free diet, opt for gluten free oats.
There is an ever-growing abundance of commercial gluten free foods available such as bread, cereals, cakes, biscuits and energy bars. Be careful with these, it’s difficult to find gluten free bread that hasn’t had caramel colouring or other additives added to make it look brown and healthy when the reality is anything but. Making your own bread from scratch is much better or look out for high-end gluten free bakeries that make loaves fresh.
Check sauces and anything ready-made for added gluten but try to stick to a fresh, whole foods diet as much as possible which can include meat, fish, eggs, pulses, dairy and alternatives, nuts, seeds, oils, fruit, vegetables, tubers, herbs, spices and gluten free grains as above.
The time it takes for someone to feel better on a gluten free diet varies. Many people feel better within a few days and usually symptoms like nausea, diarrhoea and bloating clear up within a few weeks. If you’re still getting symptoms after that, it’s time to look at other potential triggers.
