Gluten is a protein found primarily in wheat, barley and rye. There’s been a surge in gluten-sensitivity in people across many countries over the last two decades due to modern hybridised, genetically modified wheat. Along with the changing food habits where there’s gluten overload in our diet in the form of atta, sooji or processed food with maida / refined wheat flour and minimal inclusion of other variety of grains like ragi, jowar, bajra and other millers, the intake of gluten has increased. This gluten abuse or overload in the gut and the modified varieties of wheat has proven to cause the slow ongoing inflammation in gut lining, which, over a period of time leads to various gastric issues, autoimmune diseases, reduced absorption of nutrients and increasing incidence of allergies.
In western countries, gluten sensitivity is very common. In India it’s pretty much prevalent but due to various factors, one being lack of formal health records, its real extent is difficult to measure.
According to reports, one third of Americans actively try to avoid gluten. In India, approximately over 10% people have gluten intolerance. It’s more common in North and East India than its primarily rice-eating Southern parts.
SIGNS THAT YOU ARE GLUTEN SENSITIVE
1) Growth and development delay in children: If your child feels weak and frail, has difficulty gaining optimum weight or height as per his age or shows delayed puberty, it could be due to gluten sensitivity causing gut inflammation and subsequent malabsorption and poor growth milestones.
2) Persistent bowel: Symptoms like bloating, frequent diarrhea specially after meals, cramping or abdominal pain, gas/flatulence, indigestion and difficulty to digest milk, all these signify mild to severe inflammation in the gut lining often caused by food items, which are not compatible with your digestive system. The most common offending food in such cases is gluten.
3) Chronic physical and mental fatigue: If you feel tired or low on energy most of the time and mentally you feel forgetful or not so sharp and focused in your thoughts and you can’t figure out why, you need to watch out what you eat as any food related sensitivities/intolerances create persistent inflammation that affects your cellular energy and brain functions through gut-brain-axis.
4) Skin concerns: Concerns like atopic dermatitis, eczema, chronic skin allergies, urticaria and psoriasis also strongly co-exist in gluten intolerant individuals.
5) Frequent migraines / headaches: These are also common features of the inflammation provoking aches and pains in the body, most commonly headaches.
Gluten that we eat day in day out today is a genetically modified protein, very different from what our ancestors used to thrive on. Hence, is not perfectly compatible with our gut and immune health. When majority of our diet contains wheat, refined wheat flour, semolina, without adding any other variety of grains in our diet, our gut lining often succumbs to this on-going brunt of non- gut friendly food, leading to persistent inflammation and further cascade of symptoms.
WATCH YOUR DIET
Once you acknowledge your symptoms, the best way to diagnose and treat yourself is through elimination diet. Take a gluten free diet for at least six weeks to start appreciating changes in your body.
The writer is founder and director of Add Veda Life Care.