Gluten Sensitivity

     Say no to gluten in your diet.

     Are you part of this popular topic?

     Gluten is a substance that is present in cereal grains, especially in wheat, and is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. Gluten is a mixture of two proteins. It causes illness in people with celiac disease.

     The elastic texture in baked goods is spawned from gluten.

     The two proteins,  glutenin and gliadin, when added to water, bond together to form gluten. Gluten has the ability to trap air.  It can trap air the same way a balloon can. A gluten network will fill up with swollen starch granules and bubbles.

     Gluten allows bread to rise, and cake to gain a soft texture.  Gluten texture, in cake, is made to be soft so that there isn't a lot of resulting bubbles in the dough.  There is a low gluten content in cake flour. Dough with high gluten content is used for making bread. The bread loaves rise higher because of the air bubbles that form as a result of the previous gluten network.

     When those two proteins combine, they cause illness in people that should be on a gluten free diet.

     "Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly reacts to gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye, as if it were a poison (http://www.glutenfreeliving.com/gluten-free/celiac-disease/what-is-celiac-disease/)".

     -"Symptoms-of celiac disease":

     1.  bloating, gas, diarrhea

     2.  weight loss or gain

     3.  constant fatigue or weakness

     4.  headaches, infertility, depression

     5.  failure to thrive

     6.  short stature

     7.  distended dental

     8.  enamel defects

     9.  unusual behavior changes.

     Gluten, non-celiac, sensitivity-

     Non-celiac gluten sensitivity has been coined to describe those individuals who cannot tolerate gluten and experience symptoms similar to those with celiac disease, but yet who lack the same antibodies and intestinal damage as seen in celiac disease. Early research suggests that non-celiac gluten sensitivity is an innate immune response, as opposed to an adaptive immune response (such as autoimmune) or allergic reaction.

     Research what you eat.

     Maybe you should be gluten-free.