Giving up wheat completely may prove a challenge because it is present in many foods that a multitude of people worldwide consider staples. For instance, bread, pasta, and most breakfast cereals.
In other words, these grain-based foods are all around us hence, the thought of eliminating these staples from our diets seems solely unreasonable. However, research shows that a good number of people are slowly switching to wheat-free diets as science is gradually showing that eating wheat increases the potential for health problems. In addition, wheat contains a protein called gluten, which can trigger a harmful immune response in predisposed individuals.
Reasons why you Should Reduce your Consumption of wheat
The problem arising from modern wheat consumption is that the wheat has been genetically modified. As a result, it is not in the natural form people’s gut are designed to easily digest. Therefore, this GMO grain is not very nutritious especially since it has a high amount of phytic acid. Phytic acid prevents the absorption of essential minerals like calcium, zinc, iron, and magnesium leaving the digestive tract and immune systems compromised and unable to heal when damaged.
Moreover, wheat may cause Blood Sugar problems – Since most wheat is genetically modified, it contains a super-starch known as Amylopectin A which causes whole grain or not to spike your blood sugar. In addition, if not blood sugar issues, this grain may lead to inflammation, store more fat hence making your liver work overtime. It is more dangerous for people who are diabetic or pre-diabetic.
Wheat may lead to Stomach and Digestive problems – Too much wheat may cause bloating, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, or far more serious conditions. Moreover, most of these problems may be as a direct result of inflammation and tiny holes in the intestines caused by gluten.
Wheat Contains Gluten – Gluten is a protein naturally found in some grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye. Gluten usually acts like a binder, holding food together. While gluten may have some health benefits, it may also cause harm to the body of individuals. Gluten can prompt harmful immune response in predisposed individuals. This is because, in some people, the body senses gluten as a toxin thus forcing the immune cells to overreact and attack it. For such individuals, continued consumption of gluten or wheat will result in inflammation.
Moreover, the side effects may range from mild fatigue, bloating, alternating constipation and diarrhea to severe unintentional weight loss, malnutrition, intestinal damage as seen in the autoimmune disorder celiac disease.
In addition, in most people whether gluten-intolerant or not, the protein causes the intestines to start letting a bunch of undigested food, bacteria, and other stuff into the bloodstream. This is due to gluten which causes the body to produce a protein called Zonulin, that opens tiny holes in the intestines.
Also Read: Government Lifts Ban on GMO Crops
Wheat Germ Agglutinin -The Protein Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), present in wheat may over time reduce the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from any food. WGA damages the intestinal walls which are responsible for absorbing most vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, this grain is heavily sprayed with pesticides thus causing a high level of toxin exposure to be absorbed when consuming it.
With the increasing adoption of wheat‐free or gluten‐free diets, there have been concerns that wheat products may be responsible for increases in obesity and type 2 diabetes and that wheat gluten proteins cause a range of adverse reactions, including allergies, coeliac disease and ‘non‐coeliac gluten sensitivity’.
Recommendation
We cannot dispute the fact that wheat is a staple food throughout the temperate world and an important source of nutrients for many people. Likewise, it has not yet been proven that gluten or wheat in this case causes health problems for a larger percentage of people. Moreover, we cannot confidently say that totally avoiding wheat is the best way to go because this is an area in need of extensive research. However, the harm we know may just be enough to take precautions. Furthermore, it is important to note that wheat can be problematic for many reasons, some of which have nothing to do with gluten.