Gluten;  A word heard day in and day out when regarding a persons diet. Of course many of the people who cut gluten from their eating habits  are probed to due so because of a medical reason (celiac disease), but some do it just because they think it is healthier. Although is it really healthier to cut such a source from your diet? The answer is no.

Gluten is the general name for the variety of proteins found in wheat, rye, barley, and triticale which holds the food together and maintains its shape (source). Thus it is found in breads, cereals , pastas, baked goods and many more (refer to source link for the full list).  A person with Celiac disease is not able to consume gluten because it will do damage to the small intestine, therefore causing less than enjoyable symptoms such as severe stomach pains and diarrhea (source).  Yet lately it has become a trend for people without celiac disease or a sensitivity to gluten to go “gluten free”, due to the falsity that it is the healthier option.

In reality , it is considered unhealthy to cut out gluten from your diet, because it cancels out many nutritional food options. Gluten is rich in many vitamins and minerals (B vitamins and iron) and even fiber. It also has been proven to lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and even some form of cancers. Therefore cutting such an important food category from ones diet could result in nutritional deficiencies according to health experts. Their warning is that it is not advisable to go gluten free unless medically inclined to. It is not worth the unhealthy risk to eliminate such an important food category. So if you have been toying with succumbing to the gluten free fad (and don’t suffer from celiac or sensitivity) , don’t do it. Enjoy eating gluten; it’s the healthy and fun thing to do! source

Don’t believe me? Watch this Royals song parody from a person with celiac , sharing his constant food envy :Click to watch