HEALTHY GIRL - Gluten-free or Chock Full of Xantham?

Two years ago my dad decided he was through with years of chronic stomach pain.  After many months of experimenting with various diets, thanks to my mother’s holistic expertise, the gluten-free way proved to be the cure to preventing debilitating stomach aches. According to Wikipedia.com, “Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye, malts and triticale. It is used as a food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent, often as ‘dextrin’.  A gluten-free diet is the only medically accepted treatment for celiac disease, the related condition dermatitis herpetiformis, and wheat allergy.”  Now, the whole family, including my young niece who may have celiac disease, is attempting this way of life, as my father’s successes, both medically and aesthetically, have inspired us. If a man in his 60s can find the will power to commit to a bread- and wheat-free diet, and lose 14 pounds like it was no big feat, then I should be able to. However, despite the fact that I have heard from various sources that wheat is generally difficult for the human body to digest, I do not have a diagnosed wheat-intolerance nor do I need to be gluten-free the way he must. Sure, that extra padding around my waist may shed away if I were to remove the complex carbohydrates but I cannot imagine eliminating pizza, pasta, or bread from my diet completely. So while my father must adhere to this strict diet, my motto continues to be, everything in moderation, because we each must determine what is best. I personally would rather be a bit “thicker,” as I have been lovingly addressed, than to have to limit or restrict my consumption in my already over-structured, perfectionist lifestyle.

What I have attempted to do, in an effort to eliminate unnecessary gluten, surprisingly found in many food items, is to try various “gluten-free” products.  I will treat myself to little sugary baked goods from the bake shop on Ventura, but I surely do not need the soy sauce I add to my healthy meal of brown rice and snap peas, to contain gluten.  Gluten helps to create that thick, cohesive consistency so that items like cupcakes will not crumble upon my disassembling them from their cute little cupcake wrappers. We can think of it as the “glue” that keeps the other ingredients together. However, that glue, is not easily digestible. As I began to pay more attention to ingredient labels, I was surprised to see that items ranging from soy sauce, salad dressing, granola bars, frosting, to name a few, include gluten as an ingredient. From these examples, one can see that gluten is not just in bread-type products, but condiments as well. So, even when one has consciously limited or eliminated bread from one’s diet, gluten could be in much of what is being consumed. That tough stomach area that just will not flatten no matter the amount of exercise could be a result of the gluten that is stored because of how difficult it is for most bodies to digest gluten. Depending on one’s intolerance level, the results of continuing to eat gluten products could be bloating, stomach aches, stubborn flabby areas, or hives.  An alternative? A gluten-free way of life.

The gluten-free way can be pursued in a couple of manners. Bread products can be completely eliminated from ones’ diet, staying away from anything that includes gluten. Or, one can eat the gluten-free variations of the foods he/she enjoys.  After having experience with both, I can tell you I am not a fan of gluten-free bread. If I am craving a sandwich, and I do not mean turkey wrapped in a lettuce cup, I will now choose a corn tortilla.  Depending on which brand a person purchases, he/she can end up with a fairly preservative-, lard-, and gluten-free corn tortilla, that may just provide a similar consistency he/she is used to when eating a sandwich or wrap, without the guilt of eating a slice of bread. This would be an example of the first way in which one could attempt to go gluten-free. It takes some creativity but it is not an impossible feat. The second suggestion would include the consumption of something like gluten-free bread the availability of which has become more pronounced, especially in known health-conscious grocery stores, many of which are located within and surrounding Studio City.  Of my peers who have tried gluten-free bread, many agree with me that this is not a replacement that comes without some getting used to. Your grocery basket will feel heavier as a result of placing this brick-like loaf within. You may ask, “What contributes to the blocky nature when an ingredient has been removed?” Fillers, including sorghum flour, potato starch and xantham gum, are now taking their places on the ingredient list and how much of these do you need in your daily calorie intake? According to Wikipedia.com, “Xanthan gum is a polysaccharide, derived from the bacterial coat of Xanthomonas campestris, used as a food additive and rheology modifier, commonly used as a food thickening agent (in salad dressings, for example) […].” If in the effort to reduce an ingredient from a product that has little to no nutritious value it must then be replaced by other types of ingredients like the aforementioned ones, leads me to wonder if going gluten-free is worth it.

When visiting Boston’s Little Italy with my dad in 2010, I cherished every moment of a traditional Italian meal we shared. I did not dare ask for the restaurant’s gluten-free menu, although I am glad my dad has developed his own method of enjoying meals whether or not the venue provides those kinds of dietary options.

Scraping the cheese and tomato sauce off the pizza is one way to do it, although I do not have the discipline he does to keep my sneaky fingers from snagging a piece of the crust too. I am willing to eat real pizza, in moderation of course, just to avoid a slice that is gluten-free but filled with xantham gum. 

I believe eating is one of life’s pleasures. So, if medically, you have been given the go-ahead to on occasion, enjoy the food you love but you really should not eat, enjoy with an attitude of gratefulness for the position you are in.  Meanwhile, support those who must adhere to more moderate ways. A meal shared between two may be substantive and fulfilling enough.  

Until next time…may you shine from the inside out.