It's a (Gluten-Free) Wrap // National Gluten-Free Day

If you're interested at all in nutrition and the role it plays in your health, there is one big thing in particular that becomes very apparent as you do your research: everyone has their own opinion about what we should and shouldn't be eating. The truth of the matter is, each dietary style, whether it's low carb, high carb, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, etc, will impact different people in different ways. This can even change over time depending on age, activity levels, stress levels, and big physical and hormonal shifts such as during pregnancy. 

Gluten has defintiely been getting some bad publicity for a while now; gluten-free is one of the biggest food trends today, and for a legitimate reason. While true gluten intolerance (also known as Celiac's Disease) is more rare, many suffer from gluten sensitivities, whose symptoms may be less extreme, but can be very debilitating nonetheless. Odds are if you feel lethargic, bloated, get headaches or have digestive irregularities after eating gluten-containing foods such as bread or pasta, you likely have some degree of sensitivity to it, and may really benefit from limiting your intake, or even nixing it entirely. 

So What is Gluten?

In the simplest of terms, gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye, barley, and the products which are made from them. Gluten is naturally sticky, and is what gives bread that tell-tale chewy consistency many have grown to crave. This protein, however, can also be highly irritating to the GI tract, and can even trigger inflammation. 

Our Top 15 Benefits of Going Gluten-Free

* Promotes healthy digestion and elimination

* Increases energy levels

* Eliminates by default many unhealthy and processed foods from the diet, reducing also excessive sodium and sugar. Think cakes, cookies, cereals, chips, crackers, etc. 

* Can help promote healthy weight-loss, if gluten-containing foods are replaced with fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds (aka our fancy collard veggie burger wrap pictured above!)

* Improves health of people with irritable bowl syndrome, arthritis, ezcema, and other inflammatory conditions of all kinds

There are many ways to enjoy food to the max without gluten! Just as an example, we wrapped our veggie burger up in a big collard leaf with our Classic Miso Tahini Sauce (made of course with our stone ground Dastony Sesame Tahini) + all the fixings and it was amazing! No bun neccesary. 

While we are proponents of experimenting with diet and listening to your own unique body, we believe the more real, whole, minimally processed foods you can eat (ideally organic) the better. Try giving up gluten for an entire month and see how you feel!