Gluten And Your Gut

A few years ago, “gluten-free” felt like a niche request at the table. Now it feels like almost every group I cook for has someone asking about it. That’s not just a wellness trend. Around 1 in 10 adults worldwide now report symptoms tied to gluten or wheat, and that number has been climbing. So something in how we’re eating has genuinely shifted, and I wanted to get into why.

It’s Not All the Same Thing

Quick but important distinction before we go further. “Reacting to gluten” usually means one of three things: coeliac disease (an autoimmune condition where your body attacks itself every time you eat gluten, diagnosed with a proper blood test), a true wheat allergy, or gluten sensitivity, where you feel real symptoms like bloating and fatigue, but don’t test positive for either of the above. If you suspect any of this, please see a doctor and get tested before cutting gluten out, because most tests only work while you’re still eating it.

So Why Is This Becoming So Common?

Here’s what surprised me. When researchers actually put people through controlled testing, only a portion of those who believed they were sensitive to gluten reacted to the gluten itself. For a lot of people, it’s not the wheat that’s the real issue, it’s everything else that comes with it.

Gluten today shows up far beyond bread. It’s extracted and used as a cheap binder and texture booster in sauces, processed meats, soups and packaged snacks that have nothing to do with wheat as we’d traditionally think of it. On top of that, a lot of these products are what’s now called ultra-processed food, meaning they’re heavy on additives, emulsifiers and preservatives that research increasingly links to gut inflammation and a weaker gut lining. So you might be reacting less to a slice of sourdough and more to how concentrated and processed gluten has become in everything else we eat.

A Word on Home Testing Kits

I know at-home finger-prick “sensitivity” tests are everywhere right now. I’d be cautious with these. They’re not the same as a proper coeliac test, and most doctors don’t consider them reliable enough to base a diagnosis on. If you’re genuinely concerned, a GP visit is worth it before you overhaul your kitchen.

What I’d Actually Watch Out For

If you’ve been told to go gluten-free, the obvious culprits are wheat, barley, rye, regular soy sauce and anything battered or breaded. The sneakier ones are soup bases, salad dressings, stock cubes and processed meats, where gluten is often hiding as a binder.

Here’s my honest take, though. Swapping to gluten-free versions of everything you used to eat isn’t always the win people think it is. A lot of packaged gluten-free products lean on refined starches and gums to mimic that stretchy texture wheat gives, which just brings you back to the same processed food problem. I’d always rather build a meal around something naturally gluten-free, tofu, rice, quinoa, buckwheat and a fridge full of vegetables, than reach for a substitute with a long ingredient list.

My Go-To Gluten-Free Swap

This is exactly why my gluten-free teriyaki tofu has become one of my most-made recipes. I swap regular soy sauce for coconut aminos, which cuts the gluten completely without losing any of that deep, salty umami flavour everyone loves about teriyaki. It’s low-GI, it’s simple, and it’s the first recipe I hand to anyone who’s just found out they need to go gluten-free and has no idea where to start.

Your gut is usually telling you something. Whether that turns out to be coeliac disease, an allergy, or a sensitivity, the fix is rarely just “remove gluten” and stop there. More often it’s about stepping back from processed food in general and rebuilding your plate with real, whole ingredients your body actually recognises.

Don’t forget to explore all my gluten-free recipes.