Why Go Gluten-Free?

Dear Kosterina Family,

For a long time, it seemed like everyone was going gluten-free. About five years ago, the world began talking about gluten in a serious way. Menus of major restaurants changed to accommodate this new societal shift, there were articles and books written about the impact of gluten - and it seemed like everyone was substituting their regular meals for gluten-free ones.

Personally, I didn't fervently jumped on this diet change. But, in recent years I've learned more about the impact of gluten on our minds and behavior - not only what it does to our physical bodies. And, the research is pretty eye-opening.

I recently heard Dr. O'Bryan speak about the effects of gluten, especially for children, on The Better Behavior Show (I highly recommend - listen here). Interestingly, research shows that 80% of the population in our modern world is impacted by gluten, even if they don't present with GI issues. The way that we have processed gluten in our modern farming system has gone from a once-safe crop into one that is highly inflammatory across many aspects of our bodies. According to renowned neurologist, Dr. Pearlmutter, gluten is the cornerstone of many degenerative conditions, such as dementia, ADHD, chronic headaches, anxiety and more - because of it's inflammatory effects.

So, what's the bottom line? Becoming more aware of the impacts of gluten - and adding a higher percentage of healthy fats into our diets instead - is directly linked to longer, healthier lives.