What is gluten allergy? It is as important to understand what it is not as to understand what gluten allergy is.
There two main things to understand when talking about a gluten allergy:
- Maybe you should cut out gluten, but that does not mean to say you have a gluten allergy.
- If you suspect a gluten allergy, look into celiac disease
It seems that having a gluten allergy is fashionable these days. On the one hand, its great that there is such a raises awareness about gluten allergy. On the other hand, you may feel better when you cut out gluten, but that does not mean you are allergic to it.
Why might you feel better if you cut out gluten, even if you don’t have an allergy to it? There are several reasons. According to the book Wheat Belly, modern genetic development methods have evolved wheat faster than our ability to evolve an effective way to digest this radically changed crop. That’s a pretty good theory.
If you cut out all gluten, you will be cutting out a lot of processed foods, and that should help you feel better all on its own. Consuming refined flour can play havoc with your blood-sugar levels, insulin and weight.
Celiac disease is at the other end of the spectrum. This is a serious condition caused by genetic disposition and triggered by gluten. There is much on this site about celiac disease. The short version is that it can effect all organs in the body and mimic many diseases, and is hard to diagnose.
In the middle is gluten allergy. It is not as serious as celiac disease but more of a problem than the simple problem of not being able to digest gluten. See the article on gluten allergy symptoms to get an idea of the range of problems people can encounter if they have a gluten allergy.