Are Gluten-Free products REALLY free of Gluten?

This is a really interesting question and something that angers me at the same time. So many people I talk to say they have tried a so-called gluten-free diet and they do not feel any better for it. When I ask them what they have cut out, they all say wheat and they only buy products that are marked gluten-free.

But here is the problem... Most products that are marked gluten-free STILL CONTAIN GLUTEN! The regulation is that if a product does not contain gliadin, it can be marked gluten-free. But, gliadin is only one of over a thousand types of gluten.

ALL grains contain gluten. It is the protein (prolamine) present in the endosperm of all grains which protects the species from extinction by irritating the intestinal lining of whichever bird or predator is eating it. Yes, grains are very nutritious, and in very small quantities they are good for us, but in large quantities, they will impact the intestinal lining causing chronic low level inflammation.

It is true, that years ago people did not have the same health problems we have. Our grandparents ate bread, wheat, and all grains very successfully. But they only ate one or two servings at a time. They were not continually bombarding their digestive tracts with the amount of irritants we do today.

With commercialization and mass production, came factors such as shelf life, convenience and storage problems. These were irradicated or reduced by over processing and the addition of numerous ingredients our bodies were not made to ingest.

If you look at the ingredient list of foods you eat daily, you will find some form of gluten in just about everything. Anything containing maize, corn, corn syrup, corn starch, wheat, barley, rye, maltodextrin (yes, it say that it is gluten free but it is not), millet, teff, oats sorghum... all contain gluten.

It is no wonder our poor digestive systems are overloaded and not able to cope with the junk we force it to deal with on a daily basis. Long term low levels of inflammation lead to disease, nutrient absorption problems, weight gain, allergies, and premature aging. People with chronic inflammation are more prone to heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disorders.

Luckily there is a way to prevent this from happening, and helping your body to heal itself naturally. Simply cut out ALL form of gluten for 3 - 6 months to allow the inflammation to subside, repopulate your gut biome and give you body lots of high grade nutrients to help it repair the damage that has been done. Then slowly you can reintroduce gluten in small quantities (small being the operative word).

I know this sounds like a lot of work, and yes it can be costly, but if you were able to prevent a serious illness down the line, would it not be worth it? Look for labels that say gluten-free and do not contain corn, oats, maize, or any of the items listed above. Instead look for ingredients like tapioca, coconut, flaxseed, linseed, potato flour. For people who do not have celiac disease, rice may still be an option, although it does contain gluten (orzenin) the gluten count per 100 is only 5, so it is very low in comparison to other grains.