A Hidden Intruder: Gluten
Have you ever expected your morning toast to have a mischievous agenda? What if that innocent slice was the mortal enemy of your gut? You might not personally know a familiar face struggling with this. Or maybe your one and only mother is the type to devour every book she can find to dodge any issues in advance. Perhaps you didn't favor knowing the truth about how it might affect your body, scared to know, more precisely. Because knowing entails responsibility, after all, a two-for-one deal. And what do you gain? Wisdom plus a headache. Nice, isn't it?
Most people have their professors or profound research to thank for the knowledge they have gained. For that matter, I have my parents to thank for the insight I have developed over the years, adapting healthier life habits being one of them. The center stage has been reserved for a stretchy protein most people willingly welcome into their bodies through that seemingly innocent toast: gluten. A stealthy interloper your gut has never signed up for or saw coming.
Two years ago, I was shocked to learn that a beloved friend of mine had been diagnosed with a gluten-related health problem. It made me realize that day how our habits, even the ones that might seem trivial, are crucial for a healthy lifestyle. This ultimately sparked a curiosity to learn more about this topic and deliver what I have gathered through this process.
Gluten intake's main drawback, right off the bat, is that it subtly but relentlessly drains our energy. It is like the quick burst of energy you get from drinking a wake-up coffee until an inevitable slump declares its freedom in your body. This is due to your blood sugar spiking as carbohydrates rapidly break down, making you feel energetic. Unfortunately, some good things don't last, and this one is no exception. I presume that most of you have nagging questions haunting your mind: Do you really expect us to believe that you don't eat gluten? Oh well, guess I am caught. Because apparently, it's near to impossible not to live unscathed under the reign of gluten–one way or another, you will cave to it. (Those of you who can continue your lives without it, you deserve a huge round of applause.)
Students can be the firsthand victims of this despicable entity, gluten. For starters, nearly all meals include carbohydrates in school. They are quite tempting to be honest, especially beside the evergreen salads. This is because we, as humans, are influenced by our interactions with people. My point is, balance is what's essential. There can always be exceptions as to what we eat, but it's just better to have a middle ground for a healthier lifestyle. That way, you will know how to be more productive or energetic on cue.
Another issue related to this is brain fog. Most probably, you have heard and experienced this firsthand plenty of times: post-lunch mental fatigue. I would encourage you to eat a meal that is starred in carbohydrates and see for yourself how that hinders your cognitive skills, if you have not already. Just a tidbit, though: try this neither prior to chemistry nor biology lessons; it becomes seemingly tenfold harder to concentrate. (At least this is what I was able to gather, through my and other students' experiences around my age.) What I'm saying is: beware. You wouldn't want a life-altering presentation derailed or walk out of a block lesson feeling numb, all huge thanks to this intruder you consumed.
To conclude, there are a few other tricky points to keep in mind: not all gluten-free products are totally stripped of gluten. Plus, even if they were, not all gluten-free products are inherently healthier. What to make out of that? Well, a great percentage of these gluten-free labeled products are supplemented with obscene amounts of sugar, contain starch stripped of all their nutrients and fiber, and extra fats guaranteed to gift you even higher calories than a normal one. It can be a lot to take on, and a lot of reasons to throw this newspaper out the window just about now. (Although I wouldn't suggest you try this one out, particularly in school.) Why? Because for a very long time, I didn't want to reconcile with the fact that the gluten-free products I had pegged as my body's new besties might have their own hidden agenda. Sadly, none of them can be purely innocent, can they? Well you will definitely find those angel-like products if you research with scrutiny, but until then, you are left to heed these tidbits of information for your own health.
