Researchers question if gluten avoidance is just another food fad
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CA (August 29, 2024) — People have varying metabolic responses to different foods. One diet does not fit all. The solution is, I think, more profound: Eat quality food. Don’t fill your cupboard with boxes of processed food.
Many people are running away from gluten these days. But some researchers wonder if this is another food fad where marketing tactics start to look like scare tactics.
Gluten is a group of indigestible proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which gluten signals the body to attack the lining of the small intestine. People with celiac disease need to cut gluten out of their diets. But celiac disease is often misdiagnosed, and there are many people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, reported Dr. Sophie Balzora, a New York University gastroenterologist.
Research indicates 1 in 141 people in the United States has celiac disease. Compare that with another recent study that estimated one-third of the population is leery about gluten. It’s an overreaction. Many people are needlessly restricting their diets and losing the benefits of gluten, a source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Some take the drastic step of eliminating gluten from their diet without checking with doctors. A simple blood test can confirm celiac disease.
Alan Levinovitz, in his 2015 book The Gluten Lie: And Other Myths About What You Eat, listed some fad diets and food scares that have faded over the years with further, more focused research: the Atkins diet, the Paleo diet, monosodium glutamate, salt, and saturated fat. The examples stretch deep into our past. In the 19th century, the Reverend Sylvester Graham was selling Graham crackers as he advocated vegetarianism. Graham believed meat consumption encouraged animal tendencies like violence and excessive sexual desire, wrote Levinovitz, a professor of religion at James Madison University in Virginia.
The same leaps in logic lead many to adopt one-size-fits-all solutions as our country and the world battle the epidemic of obesity. Many doctors jump on the bandwagon, and not far behind are the marketers, pitching a pill or elixir that will make everything better.
So I return to common sense. You cannot apply one fix to everything. Eat a balanced diet of fresh, quality food, as demonstrated in the recipe below. Also, look for the next column to explore modern farming’s breeding of wheat and its implications for gluten.
Sheet Pan Caprese Chicken
6 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pints cherry tomatoes
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ cup balsamic vinegar
1 1-pound ball fresh mozzarella, sliced into 6 rounds
10 fresh basil leaves, torn
Baby arugula, for serving
Crusty bread, for serving
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil onto a rimmed baking sheet and use your fingers to evenly spread it out and coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with the Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Scatter the cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet and shake it back and forth so they become evenly coated in the oil and seasoning. Arrange the chicken in the center of the baking sheet, pushing the tomatoes out to the perimeter, and drizzle the chicken with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
Bake until the tomatoes are soft, blistered, and begin to burst, 20 to 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, add the vinegar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat to medium and simmer until the vinegar has reduced by half and is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7 to 8 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and drape a slice of mozzarella over each chicken breast. Bake until the cheese melts and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast has reached 160 degrees, 5 to 7 minutes (the chicken will continue to cook to 165 degrees).
Sprinkle the chicken and tomatoes with the basil and drizzle with the balsamic reduction. Spoon the collected pan juices over the tomatoes and chicken. Serve on a bed of arugula with crusty bread to mop up the pan juices.
Send your questions and comments to cindymgershen@gmail.com.
Cindy Gershen
Cindy Gershen is an educator, nutritionist, chef, and co-author of “Fat Chance Cookbook.”