More and more people are cutting the wheat bread and substituting with gluten-free options.  Last year, a USA Today article cited that 15 – 25% of the population are in favor of gluten-free foods but only about 1% of the population has overt celiac disease, so why the trend towards these wheat-less products?

Because we feel better!

You don’t have to have celiac disease in order to have a sensitivity to wheat.  Celiac is an autoimmune response to wheat that tears apart the gut lining (called villous atrophy) whereas gluten intolerance means that it just irritates your gut and casues digestive trouble.  Subtle intolerances can cause abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, itchy skin, joint pain, constipation, diarrhea, and other minor symptoms.

The most common food intolerances include dairy, wheat, soy, corn, nightshade vegetables, sulfites, and nitrites.  Noticing how you feel after eating these foods, both shortly after and up to three days, can give you hints to whether or not you have an intolerance.

I have an intolerance, what do I do?

If giving up your favorite snack for the rest of your life is daunting, then do this instead: limit your intake to once a week or less.  The real danger of eating intolerances more frequently is the constant irritation of your gut lining.  Inflammation is a precursor to many chronic diseases, including cancer, so limiting exposure to irritants is one key to lifelong health.

Why are we increasingly sensitive to foods?

My opinion? GM food and our toxic world.

Until the last 30 years, small farmers fed America.  Now, we have large-scale farming operations that predominantly raise one crop: wheat, maize (or corn), conoloa, soy, or cotton.  These crops are produced with GM seeds that are herbicide-resistant and produced by the herbicide producer!  Is our health the main concern of the chemical company and large-scale farms?  Probably not!

In addition, we know that small genetic variations in our own body can deactivate important enzymes and even lead to death.  What happens when we mess with the genetics in our food chain?  It doesn’t take countless clinical trials to answer this question.

The solution

What we have to do is pay attention to signs from our body and eat local to support sustainable agriculture.  We have less genetic variation in our food than any other time in history.  It’s time to change!

Good resources for further reading: