Did it ever occur to you that you would be better off just saying no to gluten? The people who need to go gluten-free the most are the ones who cannot imagine what they would eat if they stopped eating wheat flour products. Some don’t even know what wheat flour products are though they eat them three times a day! Bread, pasta, cakes, cereals, pastries, crackers, and flour products of all kinds made from wheat can conveniently fill the stomach leaving little room for a variety of delicious and interesting, health-promoting foods.
The main reason I promote a gluten-free diet for everyone (not just people with auto-immune conditions, GERD, constipation, IBS, arthritis, etc.) comes from my observations of the behavior of people–even ones who are more health conscious– who don’t think gluten bothers them. They will eat white flour products regularly because we are surrounded by them. Today’s wheat flour is one of the most problematic foods in the Western diet for many reasons. (If you are not familiar with the work of Dr. Weston Price, check out the book “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration” written back in the 1930’s. While broad in depth, it includes a discussion of the devitalization of wheat in the Western diet–it tells the beginning of the story which has continued to get worse with wheat hybridization and then the contamination of our wheat supply with glyphosate.) Bread made with organic, freshly ground wheat that is fermented (sourdough) is the gold standard. If you can’t have that, then just say no!