Content warning: This article mentions restricting your diet, cutting out food groups, and diet culture. Content may be potentially triggering for some readers.
Lucy Matthews
Trying local delicacies is a highlight for many people when going abroad. Whether it’s Kulajda in Prague or Germknödel in Austria, foreign dishes are sightseeing for the taste buds. But this can be ten times more difficult if you’re gluten-free.
When I went on an inter-railing adventure over the summer, I was provided with a whole new attitude towards food. I was travelling with a friend who was diagnosed as coeliac over three years ago. I knew avoiding gluten, which my friend managed in England, was about to be taken to another level abroad.
Filling our notes apps up with lists of translations for ‘gluten-free’ and ‘wheat’, we were prepared for the worst.
Surprisingly, however, we didn’t have to consult our diet dictionaries as much as we thought we would. Things were made easier by locating gluten-free restaurants and bakeries in advance. This meant my friend was reassured about the food situation before touching down in each place.
What Does Gluten-Free Mean?
While gluten intolerance is a gluten sensitivity, coeliac diseaseis an autoimmune disease which requires entire avoidance of gluten. For coeliacs, eating gluten can result in diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating. According to Coeliac UK, over 10 percent of the UK population are following gluten-free diets.
Gluten is a type of food that most of us eat several times a day. Yet, people are left scratching their heads when it comes to defining what it actually is. By definition, gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye grains. Heavy gluten foods include bread, pasta and cereal. We eat gluten in such extreme amounts that most of the time people will not realise how much it shapes their diets until they have to eliminate it.
However, many people choosing to reduce the amount of gluten in their diet are choosing to do so. The National Library of Medicine discovered that the consumption of gluten-free foods has significantly increased over the last thirty years. This is due to potential benefits of improving gut health and adding greater variety to your diet.
Health Fad Or Change For The Better?
Choosing to ditch gluten is evidence that consumers are paying more attention to what is in the food we consume.
Wiping gluten off our plates is believed to help with symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, and skin problems. However, this is only the case if you have a (potentially undiagnosed) gluten sensitivity or intolerance. It’s inadvisable to reduce gluten intake if a medical professional hasn’t advised it. A doctor or dietician can help you narrow down which foods you might be intolerant to without cutting out essential food groups.
It is certainly promising that we are geared up for healthier living. But it is crucial to highlight the different relationship coeliacs have with gluten, for whom it isn’t just a diet fad. For those with coeliac disease, gluten disrupts the body’s ability to take in nutrients and attacks the body’s immune system instead. Gluten must be entirely avoided to have a healthy body and live a longer lifespan.
However, most people need gluten in their diet. Eating two or three servings of wheat a day can significantly lower rates of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and deaths from all causes. Gluten is also a pre-biotic, which means it can actually improve gut health. Furthermore, reducing gluten can cause dizziness, nausea, extreme hunger, and depression or anxiety. This is because your body is being deprived of essential nutrients it needs to function.
Living In An Ultra-Processed World
Last month, it was revealed that Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) is linked to 32 harmful effects to health. This includes heightened risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, mental health problems, and early death. But raising questions about what we eat, which ingredients are important, and how these ingredients affect our bodies show a shift towards greater awareness of food.
Many people are now aware of food sensitivities that they would not have recognised 50 years ago. This is positive for those who previously lived with painful but mysterious symptoms, which often went undiagnosed.
However, the question arises of whether ditching gluten is the right decision or simply another diet craze. It certainly harkens back to when people were cutting down on carbohydrates — a choice which has been proven to damage your health. But at least this trend has made gluten-free products more easily accessible and better understood for those who truly need them.
If you or someone you know is affected by the issues raised in this article, it’s important to seek support. Restricting your diet and avoiding certain foods can result in health problems and be fatal.
UK charity BEAT have helplines for eating disorders, including one-to-one web chat and email. You can speak to someone 3pm– 8pm, 7 days a week, 365 days a year at the following phone numbers:
- England: 0808 801 0677
- Scotland: 0808 801 0432
- Wales: 0808 801 0433
- Northern Ireland: 0808 801 0434
If you are in need of urgent help or medical advice, for yourself or someone else, please contact 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123 if you or someone else is in immediate danger.
Feature image courtesy of Fleur via Unsplash. No changes made to this image. Image licence here.
Lucy Matthews
Hi! I am Lucy and I enjoy writing satirical and conversational pieces of writing. I am inspired by the likes of Marina Hyde and Dolly Alderton, and my dream is to be a magazine columnist. Whether it is political commentary or analysis on why Beyonce is transforming the music industry, I will always have something to say. I hope you enjoy my writing.