By now, we know a lot of people should steer clear of gluten. A lot of us know what gluten is; it’s a protein abundant in wheat and other related grains. Others are still asking though, gluten is bad, yes, but isn’t protein good for us? Plus, wheat is not considered food, right?
Let’s begin with wheat gluten being a protein. All fruits, vegetables, and animal products have some amount of protein in them. Grain contains gluten, and it gives dough and batter their elasticity, their sponginess, and their good baking properties.
Luckily, most of us do not react extremely when we ingest gluten. As a matter of fact, wheat literally fees most of the world. Without it, there would be massive famine!
But just because someone doesn’t have celiac sprue disease doesn’t mean they don’t have allergic reactions to wheat, which is not very rare. People who have wheat allergies might notice joint pain, difficulty breathing, and itchy or irritated skin. One ideal way to know if you are allergic to wheat is staying away from it and observe how you feel. Gradually reintroduce wheat into your system three days later and observe again. Try isolating the wheat as much as you can through getting rid of eliminating any other foods or including anything new along with the wheat.
So let’s get back to the question earlier. Is protein good for us? Of course. No arguments there. But not every protein. Mad cow disease is literally a protein that just can’t unfold the right way. Gluten is a protein that is typically easily denatured in the stomach and absorbed in the uppermost part of the small intestine. That said, is the protein known as gluten good for a celiac sufferer? NO. Again, no arguments there.
