To Gluten Free or NOT To Gluten Free?? - by Mikenna Kossow

Everybody is different. Every      BODY  is different. In the quest to better our health and our lives we always find ourselves wondering and questioning “Can/should I eat this?” or “Is this bad for me?”. We wonder what foods could make us feel bad or better. Our diets are crucial to being and living healthy. Our daily food choices affect our health. Recently, I was encouraged by my doctor to eliminate gluten from my diet due to a series of symptoms I have been experiencing for a couple of years now that I could never get answers for.

Gluten is a combination of proteins found in wheat endosperm. Endosperm is a type of tissue produced in seeds that’s ground to make flour. The two proteins that composes Gluten are gliadin (prolamin protien) and glutenin (glutelin protien). Gluten is not just found in wheat, it is also found in other grains such as rye, barley and other crossbreeds.

Going gluten-free is not for everybody and I believe it is something that should be discussed with your doctor if you experience the symptoms that can be caused by gluten sensitivity. Most of those symptoms are gastrointestinal effects, malabsorption of vitamins and minerals, skin rash, migraines, joint pain, and chronic fatigue. A gluten free diet is good for you if you have you have these types of problems but on the flip-side, experts have been saying going on this type of diet when you do not need to can actually be detrimental to your health.

Staying a way from foods with Gluten has helped me. I have been seeing less of some of the symptoms I’ve been experiencing and on my active/fitness level it has helped pull me out of a plateua. I feel healthier than I have in a long time.

Finding what your body needs to live a healthy lifestyle is very important. Good nutrition combined with physical activity can help you reach and maintain the type of healthy life you want to live and ultimately help you feel better inside and out. Your overall health is too important to ignore. So go out and find what will help you feel better, do better, look better, and live better.