This is a question that most of us have probably asked ourselves since the topic seems to be everywhere these days. Are so many people really gluten sensitive? Why wasn’t it this prevalent in years past? Were we suffering and not realizing why? After all, gluten has been around for thousands of years! Perhaps it’s the genetic modification of foods such as wheat that have changed them into completely different plants than they were in the past. We may never know. All we can do is figure out what is best for our unique, individual bodies. Gluten sensitivity is not the same or as serious as gluten intolerance or celiac disease. I am talking about gluten “sensitivity”. First of all, gluten is not only found in all forms of wheat such as durum, semolina, spelt, farro, farina, wheatberries, emmer, graham, einkorn and kamut or khorasan and wheat starch (buckwheat is not really a form of wheat), but is also found in barley, rye, triticale, malt, and brewer’s yeast as well as other contaminated foods. It’s possible for some people to be wheat sensitive but not gluten sensitive. There are a couple of things to keep in mind. If you are going to eat wheat, try to make sure it’s non GMO and organic if possible. This way it will be closest to it’s natural state, the plant that wheat was years ago. Also, the fermentation process of sourdough decreases the amount of gluten and makes it much easier to digest. It’s not easy to try to discern whether you have a gluten sensitivity by symptoms alone because there are so many possible symptoms that can also be caused by many different things. Symptoms include skin issues, mood/emotional issues, digestive issues, headaches, fatigue, joint pain, and the list goes on. The only way to really know if your symptoms may be from gluten is to cut it out of your diet completely for 2-4 weeks and see if your symptoms improve or go away. Sometimes, depending on how severe the sensitivity is, it can take your body months or even years to fully heal. But you should be able to notice a difference within a few weeks. It’s possible to become sensitive to anything at any time, it doesn’t necessarily have to be something that you are born with. The good news is that there are so many alternatives and gluten free products easily available to us now!
