What Does a Gluten Free Diet Really Mean?

Michael Specter from The New Yorker makes all of these claims and more in his article “Against the Grain” published online in Nov. 2014. His in-depth research included studying the wheat compound in a cultural and scientific context, including visiting a fresh bakery that did not add extra gluten to their food. Specter remarks, “Although dietary patterns have changed dramatically in the past century, our genes have not. The human body has not evolved to consume a modern Western diet, with meals full of sugary substances and refined, high-calorie carbohydrates. Moreover, most of the wheat we eat today has been milled into white flour, which has plenty of gluten but few vitamins or nutrients, and can cause the sharp increases in blood sugar that often lead to diabetes and other chronic diseases” (Specter). 

Some people retaliate against these findings by casting off gluten altogether, and their logic can seem justifiable, especially with reports that gluten also may have a negative impact on heart disease and other ills.