Gluten Balloons in our Gut

24 Apr 2015

Tags: bootcamp sydney, health, nutrition, sydney bootcamp,

If you have any interest in nutrition you will have noticed a gradual increase in the demonization of gluten over the last 5-10 years. Has there been an increase in allergies or intolerances to it or are we simply hearing more about it?

The wonderful thing about science is that it is ever evolving and we are learning more and more every day about nutritional science. This science has been used to benefit our health as well as to modify our food… sometimes leading to the increase in food intolerances. It is also possible that the chemicals used on our wheat crops are ever evolving and leading to more issues in our Western diets.

Gluten is the protein (2 proteins actually gliadin and glutanin) found in grains- most prominently in wheat. When combined with water it gives creates elastic properties in bread (and similar foods) as well as giving it the ability to rise and stretch. In people with sensitivities gluten enters the digestive tract and is seen by the immune system as an invader (similar to bacteria). The body launches an attack and creates inflammation in the gut, which can lead to all sorts of nutrient deficiencies, illnesses and fatigue.

To really grasp how gluten works, check out this video that highlights the elastic properties of gluten. Once you have watched the clip, think about how this dough ball resembles a bouncy ball that you played with as a child and imagine the damage that this ball can dodge and rebound around your intestinal tract wreaking havoc with your digestion, causing all sorts of inflammation and leaving you feeling sluggish and exhausted.

How does our gut even digest that bouncy ball?