When Did Gluten-Free Become Trendy?

August 3, 2011

For real, when did that happen? When did the grocery stores start stocking entire aisles of packaged crackers and cookies with big ‘Gluten-Free’ labels? When did so many people start developing an intolerance to gluten?

I don’t want to debate the seriousness of Celiac disease or gluten-intolerance, or negate the importance of gluten-free diets for those people that struggle with those conditions, but I would like to talk about what the big deal is for the rest of us. Should we ‘go gluten-free’ too? Should I avoid wheat and gluten-containing grains at all costs?

Gluten 101

Here’s the deal. Gluten is natural. The factories don’t inject gluten into their packages of bleached flour.

It’s the part of the grain found in wheat, rye, barley, among others, that is responsible for the elastic nature of dough made from those grains. It’s the sticky stuff that holds cookies together and retains gases to make bread rise.

But when you remove the bran and the germ (the other nutrient-rich, high in fiber components of a grain)–as is done with processed and refined grains–you’re left with a nutritionally unbalanced, excessively starchy, extra glutinous, chemical laden product.

And so you see . .

Gluten is Not the Enemy

Processed grains are.

If you have developed an intolerance to gluten from an over-consumption of processed gluten-containing grains (or if your immune system has become thoroughly confused by all the ‘fake food’ and has now turned against you–as happens with Celiac disease), then by all means, I’m not telling you to try adding it back into your diet. But if that’s not the case with you, the real enemy is not necessarily the gluten. You can’t decide to go gluten-free one day and expect all your health problems to disappear. Especially if you’re still eating a bunch of processed, packaged (albeit gluten-free) foods.

What about refined sugar? What about the lack of healthy fats in your diet? Are you eating a wide variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables?

To Trend or Not to Trend

Going gluten-free might be the trendy thing to do, but it’s not the end-all be-all for healthy living. When people nix gluten from their diet, they often feel about fourteen times better than they did before. Indigestion, stomach cramps, and bloating vanish in a matter of days.

But think about what else is going on with their new gluten-free lifestyle. By default, the grains they do consume are less processed, more nutrient dense whole grains that are lower on the glycemic index. It seems you will naturally be eating a healthier diet by getting rid of gluten. But that doesn’t make organic, soaked or sprouted, freshly ground whole wheat flour the devil incarnate.

If you haven’t developed an intolerance or allergy to gluten, don’t discount gluten-containing grains as the enemy to health. When prepared in traditional methods, grains are hunky dory. (But don’t go crazy gorging on the bread. Don’t forget that there are several reasons why grains aren’t as good as many other foods.)

But it is the sad truth that a vast majority of the population is now gluten-intolerant or deals with diseases like Celiac. If that’s you, or if you simply label yourself a gluten-avoider (like I do), there are heaps of references for gluten-free living done right. Some of my favorite gluten-free blogs are:

If you’re looking for recipes that include traditionally prepared glutinous grains, try these on for size:

What has been your experience with a gluten-free diet?

This post is linked to Healthy 2Day Wednesday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday

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Allyn
August 3, 2011 at 9:24 am

I’ve so been wrestling with this question! Since my doctor didn’t actually test me for anything, and it’s not like I have any crazy symptoms, I’ve wondered if this is just something she just says across the board to people, regardless of what they’re actually allergic to. I honestly don’t eat a ton of gluten. Most of our meals are protein + fruits and veggies, with rice occasionally thrown in, and pasta even more rarely. I agree that heavily processed foods, no matter how “healthy” they claim to be, are not a good choice, and we avoid them as much as possible.
I feel like this is becoming a “throw the baby out with the bathwater” sort of thing.
1. Lori Winter
  August 4, 2011 at 5:17 pm
  
  Yep-those were my thoughts. I feel like it could even be the trendy thing for natural & holistic doctors to recommend. But really, we just need to get back to the way things were meant to be–not processed!
Leanne @ Healthful Pursuit
August 3, 2011 at 11:19 am

This is very tough. Many of my clients ask me on a daily basis “should I go gluten-free?” My answer is always – if you’re not sensitive to it, why would you remove it? There’s nothing wrong with gluten, it’s just that we all over do it so much (as we do with everything) that we become intolerant to it. Could we all benefit from a little less gluten in our diets? Yes. But the same goes with sugar, dairy, artificial colors, and flavors. For someone who is sensitive to gluten, and misses it every day… I would much rather have the choice to live with gluten grains AND gluten-free grains. It’s all about variety :)
1. Lori Winter
  August 4, 2011 at 5:33 pm
  
  So true-variety is the spice of life! :)
Rachel @ day2day joys
August 4, 2011 at 5:11 pm

GREAT informative post! Your blog is great too! I read your about page and would love to know what kind of natural health care clinic it was??

Anyhow, I’d love you to share this with my recently new link up, Healthy 2day Wednesdays.
1. Lori Winter
  August 4, 2011 at 5:39 pm
  
  Thanks Rachel! I’m headed over to your page to check out your site now.
  I worked for a holistic doctor in Nashville who did corrective care chiropractic, nutrition, & fitness. Changed my life! ;)
Rachel @ day2day joys
August 4, 2011 at 5:57 pm

Awesome Lori! Are you still in TN? We are in TN! Thanks for stopping by my blog! The article I wrote in on Chiropractic.

BTW, who was the dc in nashville?
1. Lori Winter
  August 4, 2011 at 6:14 pm
  
  Well, right now we’re in New Zealand for a few more months, but yes, Nashville is home! Where does your husband practice? Is his office a Maximized Living clinic? I worked for Dr. Josh Axe. Do you know him?
Rachel @ day2day joys
August 4, 2011 at 6:56 pm

emailing you! :)
Laurie
August 4, 2011 at 9:19 pm

Sharing this post on my blog FB page. I just brought this up in discussion the other day, and my feelings mirror your own. Plus, some 70-80% of the world’s food supply is grain based. If we go grain free as well as gluten free, how do we feed everyone?
Judith
August 5, 2011 at 8:17 am

I’m someone who has eaten very healthy for years, and had only soaked or sprouted organic whole grains, and not a ton of them. I developed Hashimoto’s and both my doctor and chiropractor said to go gluten free. It has to do with the gluten molecule being similar to the thyroid and setting off attacks on the thyroid. I did question my doctor about the gluten free thing being a kind of fad or trend, and she said that our grains have changed so much and are very different from what they ate a long time ago. She said that the most recent medical studies are showing that gluten is inflammatory to everyone, and that no-one should be eating much of it. Anyway, I’ve been struggling with trying to figure this out ever since, but have gone gluten free. I don’t notice an obvious difference at all after almost 3 months now, but I’ve been told that if it is making your antibody levels go up,you wouldn’t know, and when those were re-tested, mine were cut in half from when I was on gluten. I will say that I don’t buy a lot of gluten free breads etc. I find that they are more like junk food than healthy food. I think for some people, going gluten free could be even worse for their health, if they substituted in some of those.!!
I’m so thankful for those (listed in your article) who have paved the way and provided some alternatives for those of us who may need to remove gluten from our diets.
1. Lori Winter
  August 5, 2011 at 10:47 pm
  
  It is sadly true that most grains on the market today are very different and have a much lower nutrient content than in years past (unfortunately the same goes for fruits & veggies too). There is always some adapting to be done in situations like this.
  I certainly don’t want to speak against what your doctor has told you about your antibody levels, but I’m curious about whether those levels changed due to the absence of grains in general, which are by nature more inflammatory & have a higher GI than veggies, beans, nuts, seeds, etc (since you say you don’t eat many gluten-free breads either). I could be totally wrong about that (it’s been known to happen! :-P), but like I said, I just wonder about it. It was musings like that which led to this post! :-D
  Thanks for stopping by and for your comment Judith. Best wishes in your journey always!
Becky
August 5, 2011 at 9:58 am

Great post! I’ve been wondering the same things as well. Often times people just buy whatever new, trendy food on the shelf without doing any research. With only about 1% of the population with Celiac disease, it’s a bit overboard to recommend going gluten-free to everyone. A lot of the times these gluten-free products are devoid of fiber… using refined corn and rice for flour. This isn’t any healthier then refined wheat products. Like you said, eating whole grains with minimal processing is the way to go. I’m always hesitant to join any trend…. I like to sit back and watch before deciding if it’s really a good thing or not.
Karen
August 5, 2011 at 10:31 pm

I see your point and think the whole ‘trendy’ thing is ridiculous. That said, celiac is not caused by eating ‘fake food’. Hello, a lot of infants have celiac from the first they try to ingest foods. It is a lot more complex than you make it out to be. As someone who developed celiac in later life and grew up on whole real foods (we canned and dehydrated long before it was ‘trendy’), I know better. I still can, freeze, and dehydrate food for the winter months and try to eat what is in season locally. Not everyone grew up on rice a roni and chef boy rd. Some of us actually had good healthy unprocessed foods and still have cd.
Ruth @ Ruth's Real Food
August 6, 2011 at 1:21 am

“Many of my clients ask me on a daily basis “should I go gluten-free?” My answer is always – if you’re not sensitive to it, why would you remove it?”

There is a chicken and egg situation here. How did people become sensitive to it in the first place? Answer: Their guts were damaged by gluten + other things found in bread.

If you eat the best possible bread (good grain, used before it goes rancid, then soaked, or sprouted or prepared as a sourdough loaf) there won’t be a lot of gluten and damaging elements in it to destroy your gut. Alternatively, just avoid bread products.

Best to give up or reduce gluten BEFORE it damages you, or make sure you eat an excellent product.

Once your damage is damaged, better to give it up than eat any form of bread.

I posted on this http://ruthsrealfood.blogspot.com/2011/08/should-you-eat-bread-part-1.html I will write more as I continue my series.
Emily
August 17, 2011 at 2:14 pm

I personally don’t do well with a lot of grains in my diet, but it does include sourdough bread (gluten included!). It kinda makes me roll my eyes to see people who have no intolerance whatever to gluten nix it out of their diet.

What’s next – we all start drinking soy milk (yuck!) b/c some people are lactose intolerant?
JT
August 30, 2011 at 9:29 am

Emily, please don’t presume to know what is going on in someone else’s body. Why eye roll and judge people by their choices. Just love, for goodness sake.
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May 10, 2012 at 9:39 pm

[…] say hi! Get some real food recipe inspiration and join the conversation about barefoot running or gluten-free approach to health. You can also connect with me on Facebook, Twitter, or […]
Lou
May 11, 2012 at 2:46 pm

I am Celiac and tested. I what you to know if you have Celiac you would know. The sad part is that people are making big money over the gluten free. It is not all for Celiac because it has milk in it. If it is made in an area that works wheat, soy, nut or dairy then I can’t eat it. We do need to work on the lables of our food. We need to have everything listed that we are eating. My Dr. said eat Produce and meat. I grew up on a ranch.

Eat Grass Feed Meat, Organic and go to your farmers markets.
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August 31, 2012 at 1:36 pm

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Sara McBee
March 28, 2013 at 4:42 am

Interesting comments on gluten. Concerned this type of blogging is what breeds old wives tales. Research is accumulating with respect to gluten and autoimmune disorders. Research demonstrates humans did not genetically adapt to the digestion process of grains when evolving to agricultural (grain eating) societies from hunter gathers. Is there a fad going on? Maybe! But maybe science is struggling with the truth that due to media makes people aware there are real concerns about gluten. The evolution of accurate scientific information is slow. Testing is difficult to prove or disprove gluten intolerance or sensitivity currently which adds to the antidotes of going gluten free. The public is reacting to media hype regarding many dietary issues; however, dig a little deeper, research provides direction toward solving the gluten issue. If you are really, concerned present scientific facts not beliefs and values
Mark
April 22, 2014 at 12:01 am

I have to agree with everything Sara said, but would like to add that when our society changed we changed wheat by accident. Humans looked for higher yields to feed growing societies. I have been doing research through school and found out that many of the “ancient” forms of wheat will not cause the problems we are currently seeing. Documented research has shown it to have all sorts of health benefits and even some people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity have tolerated it’s consumption.