Gluten has always been a huge part of diet so how come people are now intolerant? Is it just a trend? Were people always intolerant but there was no other option? Or has gluten changed though breeding?
Is it possible that people have made themselves more intolerant by excluding gluten from their diet thus losing the ability to digest it?
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Spent most of my life never hearing about gluten and suddenly like 20 percent of the population is allergic to it. Sorry, have to be skeptical that it is a real thing in the vast majority of cases.
I believe most people simply eat too much food, and don’t get nearly enough exercise, and are looking for something else to blame the results on. Gluten is convenient.
Source: am a baker.
I don’t believe that *all* the gluten free hype is legit, but I do know that some things have actually changed.
Wheat genetics have changed drastically. Wheat has been bred for a lot of things, including a shorter stalk, higher protein (gluten is a protein), and higher yield.
Milling has changed drastically. Stone ground wheat is ground with the bran and germ, and while some of that may be sifted out afterwards, it is more nutritious than wheat milled on steel rollers.
Baking has also changed. Fermentation has been pushed faster and faster by ever increasing amounts of added yeast, giving the dough less time to develop. Some baking processes don’t use yeast at all, relying on chemical leveners that raise the bread but do nothing to make it more digestible.
I personally know people who can digest sourdough bread made with stone ground flour, but have a hard time with factory-made American sandwich bread. These people wouldn’t call themselves ‘gluten intolerant’ since they can clearly digest gluten in some forms, but *something* is going on for real.
Spent most of my life never hearing about gluten and suddenly like 20 percent of the population is allergic to it. Sorry, have to be skeptical that it is a real thing in the vast majority of cases.
I believe most people simply eat too much food, and don’t get nearly enough exercise, and are looking for something else to blame the results on. Gluten is convenient.
First, “everyone” is not gluten intolerant.
One theory as to why there seems to be more gluten intolerant people now is due to genetically modified wheat. Basically, the idea is that the higher yield, drought tolerant, etc. wheat is what causes gluten sensitivity.
Spent most of my life never hearing about gluten and suddenly like 20 percent of the population is allergic to it. Sorry, have to be skeptical that it is a real thing in the vast majority of cases.
I believe most people simply eat too much food, and don’t get nearly enough exercise, and are looking for something else to blame the results on. Gluten is convenient.
Source: am a baker.
I don’t believe that *all* the gluten free hype is legit, but I do know that some things have actually changed.
Wheat genetics have changed drastically. Wheat has been bred for a lot of things, including a shorter stalk, higher protein (gluten is a protein), and higher yield.
Milling has changed drastically. Stone ground wheat is ground with the bran and germ, and while some of that may be sifted out afterwards, it is more nutritious than wheat milled on steel rollers.
Baking has also changed. Fermentation has been pushed faster and faster by ever increasing amounts of added yeast, giving the dough less time to develop. Some baking processes don’t use yeast at all, relying on chemical leveners that raise the bread but do nothing to make it more digestible.
I personally know people who can digest sourdough bread made with stone ground flour, but have a hard time with factory-made American sandwich bread. These people wouldn’t call themselves ‘gluten intolerant’ since they can clearly digest gluten in some forms, but *something* is going on for real.
First, “everyone” is not gluten intolerant.
One theory as to why there seems to be more gluten intolerant people now is due to genetically modified wheat. Basically, the idea is that the higher yield, drought tolerant, etc. wheat is what causes gluten sensitivity.
First, “everyone” is not gluten intolerant.
One theory as to why there seems to be more gluten intolerant people now is due to genetically modified wheat. Basically, the idea is that the higher yield, drought tolerant, etc. wheat is what causes gluten sensitivity.
Source: am a baker.
I don’t believe that *all* the gluten free hype is legit, but I do know that some things have actually changed.
Wheat genetics have changed drastically. Wheat has been bred for a lot of things, including a shorter stalk, higher protein (gluten is a protein), and higher yield.
Milling has changed drastically. Stone ground wheat is ground with the bran and germ, and while some of that may be sifted out afterwards, it is more nutritious than wheat milled on steel rollers.
Baking has also changed. Fermentation has been pushed faster and faster by ever increasing amounts of added yeast, giving the dough less time to develop. Some baking processes don’t use yeast at all, relying on chemical leveners that raise the bread but do nothing to make it more digestible.
I personally know people who can digest sourdough bread made with stone ground flour, but have a hard time with factory-made American sandwich bread. These people wouldn’t call themselves ‘gluten intolerant’ since they can clearly digest gluten in some forms, but *something* is going on for real.
I’d bet over 90% of the people going gluten-free don’t actually have a medical issue with gluten. It’s just become a popular thing. However, I find that cool since it means the stores are now full of gluten-free products, which really benefits those who do have medical issues with gluten. Twenty years ago there was nothing for them except to just avoid anything with gluten in it, which severely restricted their choices.
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