Is Gluten The Enemy?

Gluten. A six-letter word that has been added to the hit list of hipster dieters over recent years.

However, the odd piece of vocab is a serious enemy to the small percentage of the global population who suffer from coeliac disease.

Over a decade ago, the amount of pizza nights dramatically dropped in my house and the margarine was carefully split between two containers to stop the original being contaminated by disturbing crumbs of toast.

My dad was unfortunately diagnosed with coeliac disease (CD), a genetically-passed autoimmune disorder that is triggered by a reaction to the protein composite gluten. This, in turn, causes abdominal inflammation and, in some cases, malnutrition, as a result of the small intestine not extracting quality nutrients at a proper rate.

Gluten is almost inescapable, found in wheat, rye, barley and similar cousin grains. The protein composite is obviously apparently in an array of bakery goods but also hidden in products such as Vegemite and even bottled ice tea.

This leaves those with CD in a restricted relationship with food. The gluten-free diet has risen in popularity over the last few years as claims have been made to suggest the extreme switch leads to a healthy life and an easier weight loss track.

However, this trend is quite bitter-sweet. During the days when my dad was diagnosed with CD, weekends were turned into road trips to distant specialty bakeries to find gluten-free products that he could pleasantly eat.

This decade, the range and accessibility of gluten-free products has tripled as a result of high demand from dieters, both fad- and medically-instructed, and has its own section at the local Coles.

(This growing awareness has also improved the quality of celebrations where gluten is no longer mistaken - as much - for its neighbour, glucose, at restaurants.)

However, the self-diagnosis and independence from medical advice leads many people who voluntarily choose the gluten-free lifestyle into a path of malnutrition.

Grains that contain gluten also harbour and provide us with an array of important vitamins and minerals that assist the body in functioning. Without proper counsel from a dietitian or lifestyle advice from a GP/specialist, many people who unnecessarily cut gluten from their diet form an unbalanced diet and miss essential ingredients, heading further into an unhealthy lifestyle.

Gluten is extremely dangerous to the one per cent of genetically predisposed people who struggle with CD and is a very prominent character in the food industry.

More severe cases of CD reveal colon cancer and anaemia in addition to day-to-day lifestyle restrictions.

However, while the actions of those who willingly cut the protein composite from their diet are all with good intentions, the lack of education on dietary details can cause more problems and be a danger to the overall wellbeing of an originally healthy individual. Take care with what you eat.

Congratulations to Samantha for winning this writing challenge, answering: Is Gluten The Enemy? Samantha wins a $50 Westfield gift card for her submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!