What is Gluten Sensitivity?

Nowadays everybody talks about gluten, gluten intolerance, celiac disease, etc. It seems that, in just a few years’ time, gluten has become our main enemy in the kitchen. Today we anxiously double-check all food labels to make sure it doesn’t contain gluten. Supermarkets sell more and more gluten- free products and some restaurants even specialize in gluten-free meals.

But where is this hype coming from? What is gluten and is it really that bad for us? Are there alternatives for people with an intolerance?

Let’s start with the fact that gluten isn’t that bad at all. It actually consists of a group of proteins one finds in various cereals such as wheat, barley, oats, rye, etc. Gluten gives food elasticity and volume. That’s also the reason why we find them in most of our daily food: think about bread and pastry, pasta and pizzas, even preserved food and prepared meals.

Your counter-argument will probably be that wheat has been used for thousands of years. So, why this sudden growth of gluten-intolerant people?

Simply because the agricultural food industry managed, at a certain point, to produce a white flour that raises easily and is well malleable. The other side of the coin? This flour contains a large amount of gluten. The big industrialists rub their hands but the consumer once again bears the brunt as our organism is incapable to adapt to this change. Our digestive enzymes do not recognize gluten and don’t digest it well. It’s as simple as that.

In worst case our organism even starts creating antibodies to attack the cells of our digestive tract. This constitutes the beginning of the celiac disease.

So what should one do in case of gluten-intolerance? Well, there is only one alternative: to ban it completely from one’s diet. Even for those who are only sensitive, the reduction of gluten will have a positive effect on their general health and will reduce complaints such belly aches, bloated feelings, diarrhea or even tiredness.

How can we achieve this? You only have to remember one thing: the more a product is industrially processed, the more chance there is the product contains gluten. So, instead, try to eat more unprocessed food such as fruit, vegetables, eggs, fish, meat and cereals that contain no gluten. Contrary to what one thinks, it is possible to enjoy gluten-free food.

You want some proof? Our gluten-free Mamita’s Bakeries biscuits! Taste them… and you’ll find them just as tasty as their traditional brothers.

We are definitely fond of them, doesn’t even matter if we’re allergic or not.