You can run from it. You can hide from it. But you can never escape it. It haunts your every meal and dream: Gluten.
Gluten is a protein in wheat and grains that holds food together and gives it that softer, chewier texture. It’s basically food glue. However, it seems that, recently, society has suddenly decided gluten is the worst thing ever and needs to be stopped.
During a recent Pinterest binge, I ended up getting sucked into a pinning black hole of all things gluten and its “evil.” After reading tons of articles about the big G, like the fact that modern wheat contains the gliadin protein, which is an opiate that stimulates the appetite (so my love handles aren’t my fault then, right?), or that there is up to five times more gluten in food we eat now as compared to back in the day, or that it’s one of the reasons we feel so tired and lazy, etcetera, etcetera.
“Gluten is the enemy!” I thought to myself. Twenty-seven gluten-free recipes and "how to" articles later, my mind was made. I was going gluten free. My roommates laughed and told me I had no chance. But I have always been prone to eating as much organic, healthy food as possible. I once tried to cut out meat and eat only tofu (which, come on, of course, didn’t last, but at least I tried).
I headed to the grocery store on a mission.
“Sure, I never made that DIY bottle cap picture frame, bejeweled those wine bottles or finished the make-your-own fabric wallet, but this will be different!” I thought to myself as I searched throughout the grocery store to find the right aisle. And this is what followed.
First of all, let me tell you that going gluten-free is not free. Whatever the price of normal name-brand food is, you can still pretty much guarantee it’s going to be at least that expensive, if not more.
Second, it’s very time consuming to be gluten free. With double checking all ingredients in your food or making sure you’re ordering off a gluten-free menu at a restaurant; you put a lot of thought into what you’re eating. Which, when you think about it, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just a pain when you’re hungry and want to eat something right that minute.
Another thing is that while the food can be better for you, it typically contains a lot of calories, so if you’re on a certain diet, it might not work for you.
And lastly, while I did like some of the food I purchased, like the quinoa pasta noodles and mac and cheeses, something about gluten free food made me a little less happy on the inside. Maybe it’s because I knew deep down I wasn’t getting the gluten I secretly wanted? Who knows.
Overall, I caved and did not keep my diet without gluten. (Yes, my friends were right) I think if you're dedicated and really want to cut gluten out of your life, you won't regret it. But also, we can't blame gluten for everything bad. Cutting gluten out of your diet won't really make you any healthier if you're not watching what you eat or working out. Being healthy is also a long, time-consuming process.
What I learned: gluten tastes good and is actually not evil. While I think it’s really great that people take the time to make themselves healthier, it looks like I’m just not there yet. Bring on the pizza.
