Quote Originally Posted by benagain
I may be completely retarted here, but isn't gluten the stuff that is formed when you over mix dough? Ex: overmixing pizza dough will collapse and you're left with hard chewey nasty dough due to too much gluten. I can't remember the specifics of how it works with the yeast and proteins, but I hear it mentioned on food tv all the time in regards to making anything from bread to pancakes. Just wondering the difference, if any from the gluten mentioned above.

Ohh and processed foods are bad. period. I still eat mcdonalds, but only every now and then. When possible, I try to eat as fresh as possible, but when you're on a budget, it's hard to stay away from the processed shit. If you have a farm or a good sized garden, then more power to you!
Yes, that's pretty much what gluten is - but it's not a "natural" food for humans because it comes from wheat, barley, rye and their derivitives. Our ancient ancestors did not eat this stuff - and it was first introduced to Middle and Northern Europe by the Romans, and then spread during the Germanic tribes travels through Europe. Because the climate was harsh in many parts of Europe, strains of wheat with even more gluten were developed.

There is even a theory that the Plague would never have been as bad as it was in Europe if the people hadn't been eating Wheat products as the staple of their diets. The far East didn't suffer massive problems from the Plague at that time, and they didn't generally eat wheat products. Their immune systems were not compromised by gluten, and they survived.

I just found this website, a British Celiac (they spell it "coelic"):
http://www.internethealthlibrary.com...ion/gluten.htm