Hold the Bread on that Sandwich, Please

by Eric Francis Coppolino and illustrations by Emil Alzamora, August 24, 2007

One day last month, standing in a convenience store in northern Belgium, I decided to join the Nestle boycott. I’ve always tried to avoid Nestle products, but it’s difficult in Europe because they have vast market share. I was standing in the store, wanting some chocolate, looking at a lot of Nestle options. Then I decided to draw the line right there, and picked some gourmet chocolate off the shelf.

I got home and read the ingredients on the chocolate I had purchased, and noticed that wheat flour was on the list. Because I have celiac, I can’t eat anything containing wheat and several other grains that contain a protein called gliadin, which is part of gluten. Gluten makes it possible for bread to rise and hold its shape. It provides that delightful rubbery goodness that wheat is famous for. It’s the stuff in dough that makes it stretchy, for example giving pizza dough the property of being able to stretch thin and still be strong enough to hold the sauce and cheese.

Vegetarians and macrobiotics sometimes eat something called seitan, or “wheat meat”—an extremely convincing, versatile meat substitute that is pure gluten. It is made by taking ordinary wheat dough and rinsing out all the starch.

Gluten is very useful, and it’s difficult to digest. It’s also the probable main culprit in celiac, an autoimmune disease that can damage the small intestines and makes it difficult for people with the illness to absorb nutrients from other food. Celiac is not an allergy; it’s a genetically transmitted immune disorder that affects one in 100 people, often of Northern European descent. Most cases go undiagnosed. Gliadin is found in wheat, old forms of wheat such as spelt and Kamut, rye, barley and malt, and probably oats.

Immediate symptoms include diarrhea, bloating, flatulence, and malnutrition. There are also mental symptoms that can be severe, including both long-term and short-term depression. One’s immune system, which has a lot to do with the state of awareness, feels distinctly out of whack. Kids can suffer from something called failure to thrive, which is the result of their nutrients not being absorbed properly. If left untreated, there can be long-term consequences ranging from epilepsy to cancer.