In today’s blog, I am still away from my regular topics, and I have decided that this week I will devout to non regular topics. Yesterday I wrote about sleep and today I am writing about on a topic concerning diet.
Friends I do not know how many of you have heard about GLUTEN, this word was unheard about a decade back in our country and today there are so many people are talking/discussing about gluten free diet. Now the question is
What is Gluten :
It is nothing but a family of proteins found in grains such as wheat, Barley, Rye etc. In India we do consume lot of wheat and barley, and hence important to understand why there is a discussion about this protein. Two of the prime proteins which are termed as glutens are glutenin and gliadin. You will understand this term better if you break this word and identify with glu (Glue).
Indeed, it is these proteins that provide the glue like (sticky) effect to dough that we prepare from the flour. This property makes the dough elastic and also makes it easy for rising during the baking process. Also these proteins provide a good chewy texture to the food prepared from it, as well. The gliadin, among these, is said to have a lot of adverse health impacts on a person.
Why Gluten free Diet:
When you look at ingredients on any food products, you may find gluten free indicated on it. This is because of many people who are preferring now gluten free diet. On e of the most basic explanation why people are switching over to gluten free diet is, that they suspect that they may gluten intolerance, so they do not want to take any chance, and want to eat healthy food.
People who are suffering from gluten intolerance may have constant digestive issues, that become very difficult to diagnosed properly. So people despite eating well have this intolerance, if being anemic. One has to keep the note of what he is eating, when indigestion occurs frequently and consult the doctor, who may then prescribe certain tests to determine whether you are gluten sensitive. If found so you may have to give up gluten. The most extreme form of gluten intolerance is disease called Celiac disease, which manifests as autoimmune disorder. It is often said that more than 75% of the world’s population may be Celiac, without being aware about the same..
Some people give up gluten for general health benefits. Also, gluten is bad for people with wheat allergy. So considering all the aspects it is best to give up on gluten totally and turn gluten free diets. It also means that if your diet include wheat and barley, and are quite healthy, and do not have any issues of digestive or allergy, then perhaps, there is no need to change your diet drastically.
Gluten Free Diet:
However, in the interest of one’s health, if you feel that you may want to go gluten free, then there is nno harm in choosing gluten free diet. Thee are many grains, seeds and roots which are gluten free like rice,corn, millet, flax, jowar, buckwheat(kuttu ka atta), arrowroot etc. The other foods which are gluten free to consume are sea food, meat, eggs, dairy products, fruits, nuts etc.
In the end bottom line is that going gluten free has been proven to be healthy option, as gluten does not provide you any thing extra than gluten free products. So, if you can survive healthily without eating gluten, you may choose to go in for gluten free diet.
I know so many people who have left eating wheat flour rotis and other wheat based products and are feeling better. Even I am also slowly turning to gluten free diet and trying to leave wheat flour rotis, which for north Indian is very difficult as wheat being our staple diet. So as a starter in one meal of the day I have started eating roti made from jowar, let us see whether I will able to keep up with this diet.
What is your opinion on this issue.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
28th Jan 2019
R. N. Mungale.
I think it is a good topic. I eat jowar rotis & I like those.