What is Gluten

07. Feb, 2012 0 Comments

What is Gluten? It is apparent that today this question is more important than ever. So let’s waste no time and get right to a matter that is near and dear to my heart. Gluten, in its most simplest definition, is a kind of protein that tends to exist in wheat, barley, and rye among other carbohydrates. It is important to note that, despite a wide spread misconception, gluten alone is not necessarily bad for your health. It simply is. However, some people do have difficulty digesting gluten and therefore must avoid it. Still, when answering the question what is gluten it is best to stick to the facts and the facts alone and that is what I intend to do.

One very common misconception about gluten is that it simply is grain. While, yes, gluten is typically found in wheat and other mainstays in the grain family, it is not synonymous with grain. Gluten is a component of grains and cereals. This fact does not imply sameness for simple inclusion in the grain family does not ensure that a food stuff will contain gluten. For example, many kinds of grains don’t even include a molecule of gluten. And this gets to the heart of the question what is gluten. Because, if grains can exist without gluten then, by definition, gluten cannot be grain! Duh! For instance amaranth, oats (though there is some controversy about this), buck wheat, and soybeans are all gluten free foods.

So if gluten is not grain then just what is gluten? Gluten is made up of several defining characteristics. For example, gluten has insolubility to water meaning it will not dissolve when placed in some good, old fashioned H20. It can, on the other hand, be expunged from grain, (and this is a unique characteristic that defines what is gluten) by kneading your base dough stringently. Though, to be honest, this can be a controversial topic and for many with a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity it is the best practice to abstain from consuming gluten containing foods.

Perhaps we are now starting to get a grip on the answer to our most elementary question: What is gluten? Let’s go further and look at some of the defining characteristics of gluten in bread, the food it is most often associated with. Bread of course has many unique characteristics and it is the gluten within it that actually causes a great many of these traits. For instance, it is gluten that gives bread the bendy, chewy composition that we are all so familiar with. Due to this, bread that has been depleted of gluten tends to revert to a puddy-like, sticky glob of goo as it is gluten which gives it its shape.

A gluten intolerance, wheat allergy and celiac disease may all have common symptoms and all are treated with a gluten free diet. If you are not sure which degree of an allergy you have be sure to see a doctor for a blood test. A wheat allergy is very different than celiac disease. Wheat allergy symptoms much like celiac can range from skin rash to swelling, migraines or even difficulty breathing. Once the allergen is removed from the body or antihistamine is administered successfully, the body is not compromised in the long term as it is for those with celiac disease and are exposed to gluten.

A gluten intolerance is another condition that needs a gluten free diet. A gluten intolerance occurs when the body is incapable of metabolizing certain foods, typically because it lacks certain enzymes to break down food components associated with gluten. Symptoms of gluten intolerance are similar to celiac disease as well. You can have a gluten intolerance and have a negative reading on a celiac disease blood test.