Is Gluten Free the Key to Wellness?

What defines the best online casino? Responsiveness – in functionality, compatibility and agility.  In general, being responsive is a good thing, but what you don’t want is an over-responsive immune system… and that is where gluten could be a culprit.

What are the Mega Trends of the Decade? A Gluten Free Diet… and Springbok Casino!

 One of the mega trends of the current decade is a gluten free diet.  Everyone is opting out of foods containing wheat and substituting with fancier grains like buckwheat and quinoa.  Doughnuts, bagels and mom’s spaghetti are out.  Sourdough and – at a stretch – croissants are being roasted, toasted and delicately smeared with vegan-friendly cheeses and low-fat spreads.

Is gluten really punishing our bowels and triggering allergies and auto-immune diseases?  Or is it something else in the western diet that has our collective intestines in a horrible twist?  That is for you to find out right here at Springbok Casino, the best online casino for foodies!

What is Gluten?

Gluten is a naturally occurring protein found in grains like oats, rye, barley and wheat.  It consists of glutenin and gliadin… and it is the latter bit that can cause nasty adverse effects – bloating, wind, tummy aches and fatigue.

Gluten is behind the sticky, stretchy consistency of dough and the crunchy texture of newly baked bread.  It gives kitka and challah their shape – and baguette and ciabatta the flexibility required to be rolled into long elongated loaves.

A Man-Made Invention or GMO Engineered? No Way!

Gluten is not a new invention or a genetically modified organism added to what has always been the base ingredient in pizza, pita pockets, crumpets, roti and naan.  It is an essential building block and naturally occurring nutrient in certain fibres and carbohydrates.

The question is – why have so many people suddenly developed intolerance or sensitivity to key staple foods?  They are, after all, the very same foodstuffs generation upon generation has happily ingested with nothing more than a belch and a smile.

More Than 3 Million Americans Suffer from Chronic Gluten-Intolerance

Although there are no definitive statistics for South Africa, around 1% of Americans are gluten intolerant to the point where they are quite ill.  The rest of the gluten free gang are displaying classic cases of FOMO, similar to what non-playing members at Springbok Casino demonstrate when someone else hits a progressive jackpot!

In the case of the 1%, gluten has triggered celiac disease, an auto-immune condition that can cause serious damage to the bowel.  As with all auto-immune diseases, the body’s own immune system malfunctions.  Rather that recognising ingested gluten as a nutrient, it treats it like a foreign invader and attacks… doing harm to the gut in the process.

Symptoms of Celiac Disease Can Be Severe

In addition to activating self-inflicted symptoms which, in the worst-case scenarios, can include radical weight-loss, depression, joint pain, eczema and arrythmia, gluten intolerance has been linked, albeit tentatively, to a host of other auto-immune diseases.

Gluten Linked to Auto-Immune and Neurological Disorders

Can a protein found in edible grains really worsen the symptoms of Grave’s disease, Hashimoto’s and type 1 diabetes?  Clinicians believe so and they point to the fact that people living with the aforementioned conditions claim to feel a lot better on a gluten free diet.

What is more interesting is patients with neurological disorders like depression, schizophrenia and autism – which do not have an auto-immune component – can be negatively impacted when gluten is re-introduced into their diets.

Why the Massive Spike in Gluten Intolerance?

There are several theories as to why increasing numbers of people are ostensibly intolerant of gluten.  One such premise is it is not the gluten per se that causes gut sensitivity.  Rather, it is the processed foods with high salt and sugar content that are the real culprits.

By cutting high glycaemic carbs out of our diets and replacing them with generally healthy gluten free products, we are mistaken in thinking it was gluten and not the refined sugars that were making us feel bad.  Or so the theory goes.

The Hygiene Hypothesis Resonates

Another hypothesis, which resonates loudly – purely because gluten intolerance appears to be a problem in developed societies – has to do with excessive sanitation and hygiene.  Our obsession with personal cleanliness has extended to water purification, HACCP food safety management systems, and even how and where we allow our children to play.

In many communities, the exposure to bacteria, parasites and fungi found in the natural environment has all but been curtailed.  The result is under-developed immune systems incapable of protecting us later on in life.  Microbes are the equivalent of vaccines.  They prep our body’s defences to tackle disease.

No Sanitising Required at the Best Online Casino!

Springbok Casino may be considered the best online casino for an infinite number of reasons – but we don’t expect you to sanitise before you play our eclectic selection of RTG developed online casino games!

In fact, if you feel like sitting outside barefoot in the dirt with your smartphone in hand, you can still have the best online casino experience on your mobile.  No sterile environment needed, and no judgement here!

Is Worm Therapy the Answer to Underdeveloped Immune Systems?

In order to shore up compromised immune systems, clinicians are now turning to helminthic therapy. It is a comparatively new, and rather repulsive treatment, where worm eggs are swallowed to treat inflammatory disorders and immune diseases like multiple sclerosis.

Here’s how it works.  The hatched worms effectively activate a full immune response, but at the same time, keep the system in check.  The result is a targeted assault on foreign bodies and malignant cells, without causing collateral damage to the surrounding tissue.

On an even less appetising note, pig whipworms are apparently more efficient at triggering an appropriate auto immune response than hook worms – but hey, we will leave that unsavoury debate up to the medical professionals!

How to Find Out if You Have Gluten Sensitivity

Here’s the thing – unlike the games at the best online casino here at Springbok Casino, which are tried and tested – there is no real method to test for gluten intolerance.  If a gluten sensitivity is suspected, medical professionals test the symptoms instead – which includes looking for autoimmune markers and directly testing for celiac disease.

What you Eat is Essentially Up to You!

Is gluten free the key to wellness?  By the looks of things there is no consensus around the subject at all.  If you feel great on a gluten free diet, however, there is no harm in doing what you’re doing provided you eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies too.

Join Springbok Casino – the Best Online Casino for South Africans

What we do know for sure is Springbok Casino is the best online casino in terms of games, bonuses, banking methods and customer support.  Why not join our happy throng of players and try your luck today?  You can choose from hundreds of our sweet slots, table games and more without triggering unwanted symptoms!