What is gluten?
Gluten is a hard-to-digest protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. When combined with water, it forms a stretchy, doughy consistency (it is what makes bread “bready”.) You can remember it as a GLUE. Beyond bread, anything that contains wheat, rye, or barley flour, malt, or germ will contain gluten. This includes many foods found in the Standard American Diet, because wheat flour is used in most processed products.
Why should I avoid Gluten?
Because of the glue-like structure of gluten, it is difficult for many people to digest. It can cause the gut membrane to become more permeable, or “leaky”. This can lead to inflammation, immune reactions, and adverse symptoms in your gut, brain, joints, and skin.