Gluten Free Fail

Walk down the aisle of any grocery store and labels that brag about being ‘Gluten-Free’ will smack you in the face.  When this started, I thought it was awesome since we are a 95% gluten-free household.

Now I think it’s getting absolutely ridiculous.  For one, produce and other whole foods that would never contain gluten are now being marketed as gluten-free.  Have you seen the gluten-free apples?  They are so much better than the apples that contain gluten.  This just preys on the ignorant and I think this marketing is deceitful.

And for those anti-GMO labeling people, adding that ‘gluten free’ tag on the packaging didn’t raise the price at all.  Stop spreading your genetically altered crap that adding GMO labels to packaging is going to raise prices for consumers.  How many of your products already tote the labels of ‘all natural,’ ‘low-fat,’ and ‘low-calorie’ without increasing pricing?

Another reason is that products that are being marketed as gluten-free contain so many other ingredients and chemicals that if you looked at the ingredient list, gluten would be the least of your worries.  Again, the marketers have won because someone sees the gluten-free claim and then ignores all the other chemicals.

One of those ‘other’ ingredients is sugar.  The next time you see something gluten-free in a box, count how many ingredients that include sugar.  Most often those ingredients end in –ose.  These products get loaded up with sugar to make them taste half way edible.  Pixie Sticks are technically gluten-free, eat up.

This is why I have seen many people gain weight by going gluten-free.

Third, the FDA’s standard of Gluten Free isn’t really gluten-free.  The food must contain 20 or fewer parts per million.  The problem is that even at these small doses, the body can mount a reaction.  Just look at vaccines.  The antigen (the virus) is often diluted to less than 20 parts per million and the body still has a reaction to produce antibodies.  Don’t get caught thinking that such small amounts have no affect on the body.

If someone has celiac disease or sensitivity (IgE or IgG reactions – both create an immune reaction to gluten) then even the smallest traces will harm that person.  They may not feel it at time of consumption but the more antibodies are built-in the body without a resultant cell mediated reaction (coughing, runny nose, fever, diarrhea), those antibodies can roam the body and start attacking other tissues.  This may not be felt until years later.  By felt, I mean auto-immune conditions, cognitive decline, and thyroid dysfunction.

Honestly, I’m not totally convinced that gluten is the main problem.  As I analyze lab work, I see over and over again that people’s digestive tubes (gut) are trashed from medications, alcohol, inflammatory foods, personal care items, and so much more.  Since Americans tend to eat so much gluten containing products, gluten sensitivity becomes an effect of an imbalanced digestive system, maybe not necessarily the cause.

I’m not a fan of eating grains in general as a whole and gluten is just one piece of the grain.  I encourage you to go grain free, not just gluten-free, at least for a week.  I will say it will be difficult for most because gluten breaks down into an opiate like substance so it is addictive.  You can have with drawl type symptoms and if you do, that’s probably a good sign you are addicted and need to eliminate it.  Just be careful not to substitute your gluten addiction for a sugar addiction.  Good luck.

If you’ve read this and have no idea what gluten is, please watch this video from Jimmy Kimmel, you’re not alone.  Check out the video below.