Is gluten-free good for all?

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Historically, a gluten-free diet was prescribed for people with celiac disease -- an autoimmune disease in which gluten-containing products such as wheat, rye and barley, cause the body to destroy its own gastrointestinal lining. Today, however, “gluten-free” is one of America’s trendy diet crazes. Some people insist the cure for every joint pain, bout of fatigue, skin rash and gastric upset is to say good bye to bread, white tortillas, crackers, pastas, cereals, fried foods and snack foods containing gluten.

Interestingly, if you avoid those foods, what remains are fruits, vegetables, beans, meats, nuts, seeds, dairy and fats. All these natural foods contain vitamins, minerals, good fats and healthy fiber. Regardless of the reasons behind the decision, when someone chooses a turkey and avocado wrapped in lettuce with nuts and dried fruit, rather than a turkey and mayo sandwich on wheat bread with a side of pretzels, he or she is indeed eating more healthfully! This is not simply because these foods are gluten-free. It is because the person is increasing his or her intake of nutritionally power-packed foods.

That said, there are many reasons for decreasing the amount of gluten products in one’s diet. If people analyzed their diets, most would find they had a gluten product at each meal over the past 24 hours -- cereal at breakfast; sandwich bread at lunch; pasta or couscous at dinner … it’s easy to do.

Families with kids tend to have a high gluten intake, because foods kids love -- raisin toast with fruit jam, whole-wheat waffles, low-sugar cereals, organic snack crackers and most varieties of healthy macaroni and cheese -- still contain gluten.

With all the healthy and unhealthy food choices available, it’s no wonder an estimated 18 million Americans have some sort of gluten sensitivity. As the old cliché goes, too much of a good thing can be bad.

People with celiac disease have no choice but to avoid gluten in their diets. For others, going gluten-free may help improve certain health conditions and discomforts. The rest of us can simply be aware of how many gluten-containing products we are eating. Everyone can benefit from increasing their intake of non-processed foods -- gluten-free or not -- and eating more whole foods from the earth, not from a package.

Click here to download gluten free recipe book