To Gluten or Not To Gluten?

Fifty three pounds of bread, why is this number significant? The average American consumes about 53 pounds of bread each year, and that is just the start. About 3 million Americans are also living with Celiac disease, many not even realizing it. When someone with Celiac disease consumes gluten, a lot of stress is caused on the villi of the intestines, and little to no nutrients are absorbed in body. These are the people who need to completely stay away from gluten products, or anything containing wheat. However, what if you do not have celiac disease?

Healthy Americans seem to believe that they should cut out gluten from their diets completely; whereas, others cannot seem to get enough. Where is the balance? According to MyPlate, we should be consuming about 5-6 ounces of grains daily (1 slice of bread = 1 ounce). Half of the grains we are consuming should be whole grains as well. A whole grain is a grain containing the germ, endosperm and bran, as compared to refined grains which only contain the endosperm. They are better for you because the bran and germ contain nutrients that refined grains would not otherwise include (whole grain bread vs. white bread). If you cut out gluten and grains from your diet completely, you run the risk for certain deficiencies such as iron, magnesium, fiber, vitamin B, and folate. That being said, consuming too much gluten and/or grain products can cause excessive weight gain, heart complications and intestinal problems.

The bottom line is that we should be making sure we consume just the right amount of whole grain for our bodies while being aware of the processed refined grains as well as not overeating. A healthy balanced diet is all about moderation and a slice of bread of two will not hurt (as long as it’s whole grain)!