Do you feel uneasy after having chapati or bread? Well, that might be due to your gluten intolerance!
Nowadays, many people are complaining about grogginess, stomach upset, swelling on the skin and itchy rashes after having regular Atta products. If you are facing these types of problems, you should give gluten-free atta a shot!
Wondering what's gluten? What gluten free atta benefits are? Why does gluten cause allergies? Is gluten free atta only for those who suffer from gluten intolerance ? Don't worry! We have all the answers. Read on to know more!
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Do you feel like punching gluten if it was a human? Oh yes! All gluten-allergic people are of the same view. But have you wondered what gluten actually is? What role does it play in atta? To understand what gluten is, let's play a game!
If you make a dough with rice flour, what do you notice? An elastic dough? Or a non-elastic dough?
Gluten is a protein in grains that makes your dough stretchy instead of crumbly, regulating the dough's viscosity and elasticity. Gliadins and glutenins in gluten help to control this texture.
However, gluten, too, has some more functions in atta. While baking bread or cake, you must have added baking soda or yeast. Have you ever wondered how it makes your cake fluffy? Well, it's with the help of gluten. Gluten stores the carbon dioxide from baking soda or yeast, softening your bread and cake.
Going gluten-free means giving up a lot of food options that are not just tasty but healthy too! So, what if we tell you there is a mid-way alternative to gluten? Yes, you can enjoy the taste and health both by using low-gluten wheat atta.
If you are allergic to gluten, you must go gluten-free! This option is only for people who can’t tolerate gluten at all.
Do you know how rare gluten intolerance is? Only less than 1% of the world’s population has gluten intolerance. So, what is all the fuss about?
Consumerism! Gluten is consumed in every country, and marketing it as “unhealthy” is a simple and effective way to draw the attention of consumers. With the presence of smartphones and the internet, it has even become easier to spread fear against this good healthy protein.
Before modern wheat hit the market, Indians and the rest of the world used to consume native wheat flour/atta. These native wheat varieties have evolved over thousands of years and have the best genetic composition for making atta.
Research published on NCBI concluded that the native wheat varieties Emmer (Khapli), Durum, Einkorn and Spelt don’t contain the genetic sequence that causes gluten intolerance.
Even if you have gluten intolerance, you now know that eating the atta made from khapli/emmer wheat is safe for you.
Thus, the best way is to shift to low gluten atta before jumping straight onto gluten-free atta and enjoying all your favourite foods. Now, you might think, how different is low gluten-free atta from your regular wheat atta? Well, let's see.
As discussed earlier, every wheat variety has a protein called gluten.
Actually, gluten is a complex of two amino acids: glutenin and gliadin. They have a sequence of amino acids in between them known as the alpha-gliadin sequence, which is the main culprit behind gluten allergies and gluten intolerance.
But why?
Protein-digesting enzyme protease is unable to digest the alpha-gliadin sequence completely.
The partially digested gluten protein gets stuck in the intestine and causes problems like indigestion, stomach, bloating or the worst case scenario: Celiac disease.
Fortunately, this gluten intolerance causing alpha-gliadin sequence is absent in emmer and other native wheat. Due to this, they have low gluten content.
No, absolutely not! On the contrary, the atta made from emmer/khapli wheat was found to have more protein, dietary fibres and nutrients than the regular wheat atta.
Since there is some gluten present in emmer wheat atta, you can easily make rotis, parathas and your favourite stuffed parathas with them.
Before you make any dietary changes, you must know about its benefits. So, before you choose to use low-gluten atta over gluten-free atta, you need to know what are benefits you will get :
High source of protein
Having a low gluten meal does not mean an imbalanced diet. Low gluten content in native wheat atta has high protein, close to 14 grams, highest than much gluten-free atta.
Low Glycemic Index
Native wheat flour falls lower in the glycemic index. They don’t increase blood glucose levels. The low gluten and low GI aspects of ancient wheat atta make them suitable for diabetic and heart patients.
Rich in fibre
The wheat flour made from native wheat varieties has high fibre content. So, you don't need to think about digestive disorders. These flours contain a lot of fibre that promotes easy digestion, healthy bowel movements and balanced metabolism.
Low Gluten Atta is Nutrient Rich
Native wheat flours like khapli atta are jammed packed with nutrients. They contain vitamins, minerals, iron and magnesium. You will not face flatulence after having this atta!
Improves your gut diversity
Since you were avoiding carbs to reduce your gluten intake, you couldn't taste diverse foods. Now, with less gluten flour, you are open to an avenue of food options! This is good for your gut. Diverse food improves your gut microbiome. Wondering what is its benefit? Well, a healthy gut is a symbol of a healthy body. Besides that, you can prevent irritable bowel syndrome and lead a healthy life.
Beneficial during pregnancy
Becoming a mother is tough! During pregnancy, there can be a lot of complications that you can face. So, it's better to choose native wheat flour like khapli or bansi, etc. during pregnancy. The high fibre helps to avoid constipation. Moreover, it is good during post-pregnancy and weight management.
Going gluten-free should be considered as a compromise and not as a healthy option. It is not wise to deprive your body of the various health benefits of native wheat flour, especially for a trend which will be replaced with a new one in no time.
We hope that you can be a better judge for yourself and choose to switch to less gluten-content atta rather than gluten-free options. Both have their own health benefits, so why miss out any? Include both in your diet and enjoy a balanced meal every day!
Wondering where to find native khapli wheat atta? Two Brothers Khapli Atta is the best option to go with. Besides being stone ground, this atta is rich in natural nutrients, paving the way for a healthy food habit! Get to know the 8 Benefits of Khapli Atta and Benefits of Organic Wheat Flour here.
Try it today and get to know yourself.
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