Posted on 02/23/2025 8:22:21 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
Le baguette, le croissant, éclair…some of the words that come to mind when I think France. I eat a gluten-free diet at home due to gastrointestinal sensitivities associated with wheat, yet every time I come to Europe, I find myself wondering why baked goods and pasta don’t make me sick the same way they do in the US…
I want to start off by stating that I’m not celiac. Celiac disease is an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. Over time, it causes inflammation that damages the small intestine’s lining, leading to some serious health complications. If you have celiac disease you must avoid gluten at all costs and seek medical help.
This conversation is not for celiacs. We’re talking to those of us who get inflamed, bloated, puffy, constipated, gas, nausea etc after eating gluten—commonly described as a gluten sensitivity. Although fully anecdotal, I find myself happily indulging in European bread and pasta with no problems at all, so naturally I had to dig deeper to find an explanation.
Fact: American wheat is higher in gluten.
The majority of wheat grown in the U.S. (about 60%) tends to be hard red wheat which is high in protein content (mostly in the form of gluten). In Europe, the majority of wheat grown is soft wheat, lower in proteins and thus lower in gluten content.
Fact: American wheat is covered in glyphosate.
Glyphosate is a herbicide (main ingredient in Roundup) used on American wheat to kill bacteria, dry out and prepare the wheat crop for harvest. Making the wheat growth process more effective and more profitable. In Europe, this practice isn’t as prominent, and it’s even banned or heavily restricted in some countries.
Unfortunately glyphosate can disrupt or kill the bacteria in our guts disrupting our immune system and microbiome.
Fact: Soil type and growing methods.
American wheat is grown in sulfur-deficient soils—Kansas, Washington, and North Dakota. The concentration of sulfur in the soil regulates the amount of gliadin proteins (the gluten subtraction responsible from the allergenic response). Less sulfur in the soil, more gliadin in the gluten. More sulfur in the soil, less gliadin in the gluten. Which means that American gluten is likely to be higher in gliadin than normal therefore more reactive.
Other contributing factors to improved digestion while on vacation are your activity and stress levels. In any given European vacation you are always walking. These beautiful cities are build for pedestrians—we walked 45k steps in 4 days without even thinking about it! Also traveling, is normally a time to decompress, get inspired, have fun, and be stress-free (even if it’s for a few days). Stress, specially chronic stress, is one of the most underrated health disruptors in the game.
So there you have it. Some factual information, some fully anecdotal, but a few of the reasons why some of us can enjoy a croissant in Europe, reaction free.
An aside: My wife and I are into foraging and Sicily is a forager's paradise. Today we went down by the lake here for wild asparagus and got a pile of them. Delicious sauteed in some local olive oil. Tons of edible wild greens here too, which I cook in a cast iron pan with some local sausage. In the fall, we go hunting wild mushrooms and usually get tons.
The food here cannot be beaten.
Peanut butter also. All of a sudden every kid is allergic.
I’m an owner in a small pizza place. We only use high gluten flour for the dough.
Gluten free we buy frozen. It’s cauliflower based.
Is your dough imported or American?
American milled
When I lived in Italy I ate bread and pasta all the time & never gained an ounce. In the U.S. I have to avoid it like the plague or I’ll pack on weight like crazy. I think it’s all the preservatives they put in it in the U.S. to extend shelf life, bread here will last a week on the shelf. In Europe the bread in a grocery store is usually restocked by a local bakery a couple of times a day , it doesn’t last more than a couple of days because it doesn’t have all the chemicals in it.
So true! Unfortunately the article indicates that it’s not just the over-processing that’s the issue, but the natural elements too like the soil...I think even “organic” American still wouldn’t ‘rival European quality as a result.
Okay well I’d go for a super thin normal crust or the cauliflower crust then...but I don’t like cheese. LoL so I get cheese-less pizza in general (sacrelige! I know but I love an array of toppings) and I know some cauliflower crusts contain it.
With no cheese it’s usually better with olive oil rather than red sauce.
Aldi does have 2 varieties of the particular brand of chocolates from Germany, one has more cocoa than the other. Everyone should get what they like. I just have a bias for Cadbury brand from UK, probably because I grew up with it.
bump
I order “easy on the sauce” and ask for side of olive oil (plus balsamic sometimes) to dip pizza in as I eat — or will just drizzle a bit myself :) — not the most elegant thing, but I like controlling the amount of oil.
Nice thread...
Except for those of us who can barely afford what’s cheapest at Aldi. :-(
... But, at least the prices for the supplemental feed for our free range chickens are not up too much, and hopefully the garden will do better this year. :-)
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