A perfectly soft and airy bread, a perfectly crisp and light pizza, and super elastic pasta dough all have something in common: gluten. Gluten is a mixture of two simple proteins, glutenin and gliadin, that form an elastic compound structure that is, and always has been, bakers' delight. This potent and sometimes deadly compound is present in wheat, barley, rye, and semolina (the stuff that makes pasta great). Humans have been eating this beautifully complex compound for many years, so what is with the recent trend of going “gluten free?”

Alright, so let me break this down. The “gluten free” population goes somewhat like this. We have sufferers of celiac disease, who are gluten sensitive to the extent that even a trace of gluten can damage the lining of their small intestine, and destroy their gut. Then we have non-celiac gluten intolerant people—like me—who suffer in different ways. Some get slow and sluggish, get nauseous and get horrible headaches, some get intense breathing issues, and some get hormonal issues. The last section of the gluten free train, if I may put it that way, simply put themselves through this torture of abstaining from the great things in life—great bread and olive oil—based on the assumption that it is healthy. Here, they are not wrong.

According to research, most people in the modern day are mildly gluten intolerant. It is theorized that it is not because of an innate default in the grain, but instead, due to a particular peptide strain that causes this growing intolerance. It ranges in severity, but is definitely present in large numbers of the population. Moreover, because it is so difficult to test for gluten sensitivity, and intolerance, it is better to go with one's gut feel (unless, of course, the gluten has completely destroyed your gut.)

Anyways, time for a personal anecdote. You may choose to ignore the ramble. I have been gluten free for the past year and a half now. Before I joined this mass movement, I suffered from serious breathing issues, constant headaches, lack of concentration, and the inability to absorb certain nutrients—essentially, gluten was killing me. Ever since I went off gluten, I have felt so much more alive, haven't experienced any breathing difficulties, and essentially been the healthiest I have been in a long time.

Now, what is my view? I totally support this movement. You see, I believe that we humans are meant to be eating natural foods that are made easily available to us, through the abundance of nature—essentially the paleolithic diet. We are really not meant to be processing this innocent grain of wheat, barley, rye, or whatever it may be to produce these fine particles of flour that slowly kill us. That is just our pleasure-seeking selves.

So, dear reader, if you feel yourself suffering, feeling tired, depressed, anxious, anemic, hormonally imbalanced, angry, agitated, constantly popping pills to cure headaches, or just generally want to feel healthy, I strongly suggest going gluten free. Yes, you may miss out on some great pleasures, but where there is a will, there is a way. We will build the market for gluten free goods, and the industry will eventually cater to our needs. There is a bright future for us folks out there, so I urge you. Hop on to this train and live livelier than you have before.