Understanding Gluten’s Role in the Body
Due to recent advances in medical screening, more people than ever are learning that they are gluten intolerant or have some kind of gluten allergy symptoms. As a result of this, many individuals are realizing that they must make some significant changes to their diet in order to remain as healthy as they desire to be. Another ramification of these advances is an increase in the amount of interest in information about the basics of the gluten. People want to know what gluten is, where it comes from, and whether it has any harmful consequences as a part of one’s diet. This article will cover some of those bases and provide an overview of several gluten basics.
The most elemental question is what is gluten? Gluten is, simply, a special form of protein often found in many food products. This protein is generally associated with the food group considered carbohydrates and is a key building block in barley, wheat and rye. Of late a perception has arisen that gluten, in and of itself, is somehow harmful for all people who consume it. This is a somewhat misinformed sentiment. While, it is true that gluten is not suitable for people who are specifically intolerant to the protein, and therefore have difficulty digesting it, gluten is not by its nature a harmful compound.
Let’s take a moment and look at a common misconception about gluten. One misconception about gluten is that gluten is simply another word for grain. This idea is hardly accurate. While gluten is present is many of the mainstays of the grain group, like cereal and bread, it is not in fact another word for grain. Gluten is a protein often found within grains. Therefore, the two are not synonymous. You may even be surprised to realize that some grains, such as oats, millet and soybeans, don’t contain any gluten at all. These foods are gluten free.
Let’s take a moment and look at the role that gluten plays within a grain. Gluten has several distinguishing characteristics. For example gluten does not have water solubility, Gluten will not dissolve in water, however a thorough rinse of a wheat dough, coupled with a hearty knead, can remove gluten from wheat flour. Though it should be noted that this a difficult procedure and for people suffering from a gluten intolerance it is wiser to simply avoid grain products containing gluten.
There are several other characteristics that make gluten unique. For example, is bread it is gluten that gives bread many of its defining features. Bread gets its chewiness from gluten. Gluten, in fact, when removed from bread exhibits almost puddy-ish features.Gluten, when removed from dough, has a puddy-like make up. Gluten also is known for its toughness. Many bread products, such as bagels, get their characteristic toughness and hardness from gluten. Additionally, Gluten holds gases which are released during the process of fermentation that bread is placed under when it is constituted as dough. Due to this, bread rises before baking infusing itself with a light, airy texture.
In a nutshell, those comprise the elements of gluten. Remember that while gluten in and of itself is not unsafe, if you have a gluten intolerance it means that you are unable to properly digest this protein. Therefore, if you believe that you are gluten intolerant see your doctor for a screening.
