10 Things You Didn't Know About Gluten

What is gluten, you ask? This post may answer some of your questions!

Structure of Gluten

1. Gluten sensitive individuals do not need to COMPLETELY cut gluten from their diet: Remember, gluten sensitivity does not mean long-term damage for your gut! It is OK to indulge now and then, so long as you do not overdo it. However, today's wheat-based products are made with highly processed flours and heightened gluten levels, so always read the labels closely and become familiar with the terminology.
2. Gluten is a protein: Specifically, gluten is a compound of the prolamin protein gliadin and the glutelin protein glutenin.
3. Gluten gives your food elasticity: Think: GLUten=Glue. Gluten holds food together and gives it shape.  
4. Gluten is found in foods you might not expect: Below is a list of surprising gluten-laden foods. 
   1. Cereal
   2. Sauce
   3. Beer
   4. Malt
   5. Certain brands of chocolate
   6. Soy sauce
   7. Cosmetics
   8. Hair product
5. Gluten-free may not always mean "free of gluten": The FDA just released new standards to which a product must adhere in order to be considered gluten-free.  This is good news for individuals who do not eat gluten! Until August, 2014, there was no standard definition of the term “gluten-free”—so check the dates on your gluten free-boxed products! If they are dated before August, 2014, there is a high chance that that product still contains traces of gluten.
6. Wheat, Barley, and Rye are the three major sources of gluten: Bye, bye, bakery! Look for these three “key words” on ingredient list. If these ingredients are on the box, stay away!
7. Pure gluten has a rubbery, gummy look and feel: Take a look at this YouTube video…you will not believe what you see. 
8. An inability to digest gluten can signify vitamin and mineral deficiencies: According to the American Diatetic Association in Chicago, Illinois, gluten-free products are low in iron, zinc, vitamin D, calcium, and fiber. It is important to supplement this diet with vitamins, or talk to a registered dietitian.
9. We have not always consumed gluten in the form we do today: The Industrial Revolution changed they way we process and harvest food. Today, we rush the growing and preparation process and lose vital steps that make food easier to digest. Though we have consumed grains for thousands of years, we have only been consuming these new products for a little over a century, and our stomachs have begun to show the side effects of such foods.
10. Gluten-free foods are NOT always healthier. Take a look at the charts below! 

Wall Street Journal Gluten Nutrition Chart