Why is Gluten Bad For You?

We’ve already mentioned wheat and why it should be avoided.

If you rack your brain, you’ll recall the number one reason we advise against wheat is gluten.

What is gluten and why is it bad for you?

Broken down into laymen terms, gluten is a stretchy protein found in many types of grains.

Its usefulness has gone beyond consumption purposes, and can now be found in everything from lip balm to play dough.

Because the health benefits of grain have been indoctrinated in us since before we could walk, many people are quite shocked to hear the other side of the story.

So is gluten really bad for you?

Or is this way of thinking just a trend?

Unfortunately for wheat, rye and barley lovers, gluten really is quite dangerous.

This begs us to ask the obvious question:

Why is gluten bad for you?

First of all we’d like to reference a fact we mentioned before, which states that up to 40% of people suffer from ill side effects of gluten(1).

The most common side effect of gluten is the triggering of the symptoms of celiac disease. Plaguing millions of Americans, this digestive disease hinders the absorption of nutrients by damaging the small intestine(2).

This inflammation of the small intestine eventually leads to insulin resistance, which as we mentioned before, paves the way for weight gain and obesity.

People who suffer from celiac disease are likely to have type 1 diabetes as well.

We don’t want to lead you to believe that if you don’t suffer from celiac disease you’re off the hook.

Many people suffer from the side effects of celiac disease without actually having the full blown disease. Furthermore, many researchers agree that if so many people suffer from gluten, the population as a whole would be better off, and perhaps thinner, if we avoided gluten.

Now that we’re certain of the dangers of gluten, the next question is:

What foods is gluten found in?

The answer, unfortunately, is a long list.

Because of its stretchy composition, gluten is used in a variety of ways, particularly when it comes to processed foods.

Some common foods containing gluten that should be avoided are; beer, breads, cereals, cakes, crackers, French fries, gravies, processed meat, imitation meat, pastas, sauces and snack foods. Like we said, it’s a long list.

However, don’t be discouraged.

List of Gluten-Free Foods

Here are some great gluten-free foods; beans, seeds, nuts, fresh meat, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables(3).

If you haven’t noticed, the gluten-free foods are also all the foods previously recommended by the Weight Loss Ninja.

It strengthens our case that real, natural foods are by far the healthier option.

By simply following our diet suggestions, you eliminate the need to worry about all these problems associated with GMO and processed foods.

*This article was written by Nick Davey; one of our favorite guest bloggers.

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