The Gluten Factor (and Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins)

by Claire, 2 years ago

Our guest blogger from Part-Time Veggie has written a post very close to my heart (and stomach) this month – the controversial topic of gluten! She’s also provided an awesome recipe for Lemon and Poppy Seed Muffins, with 3 ingredient options –  a healthy version, the semi-healthy version and the “what the hell I don’t care version”! LOVE IT! Enjoy!

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There’s been quite a buzz about healthy eating in my office of late, and the current water cooler topic is gluten. It is friend or foe, genuine health concern or trendy wannabe? My colleagues all know that I’m largely gluten free – they delight in giving me grief on our weekly Cake Fridays, because whether there’s gluten or not I always have some. Life is simply too short to say no to Friday cake!

I’ve been living mostly gluten free for just over 3 years now. I stopped eating it while I was still in London, long before Tim Noakes became a dodgy carb-fearing god amongst men, and long before opportunists saw dollar signs and raised the price of almond flour to match the debt of small countries.

Whether or not you buy into the gluten free craze sweeping the nation, one thing is for sure – you can’t escape it. From the opening of the Banting Kitchen in Greenpoint to the newly created health food sections packed with flour alternatives in mainstream supermarkets, the gluten factor is like a tsunami sweeping the health industry.

I’ve had my fair share of critics over time and some of them raise valid points. Where’s the scientific evidence, they ask? Why is everyone suddenly intolerant when just a few years ago they were fine? Are you really sensitive or, in the words of one particularly venomous detractor, are you merely suffering from rich white people problems (referencing the fact that much of Africa survives on grains alone)?

There are a number of theories for the recent spike in gluten related issues, however none of them result in clear, scientific answers, mostly due to the lack of time spent thus far on gluten studies.

1. The wheat that we were eating 50 years ago is not the same as the wheat we eat today. 
   The wheat we eat today is a product of genetic research which has made it faster growing as well as drought- and bug-resistant. The modified gluten protein is vastly different to the protein of years ago and is not as easily digested.

2. The volume of gluten in modern diets has increased.
   Dietary patterns have changed dramatically in the past century, but human genes have not. The human body is not equipped to deal with the vast amounts of gluten found not only in bread and pasta but in sauces, gravies and virtually every kind of packaged food.
3. The addition of vital wheat gluten to wholewheat products.
   Think you’re doing your body a favour by going wholewheat? Think again. Vital wheat gluten is a powdered, concentrated form of the gluten that is found naturally in bread. Additional amounts of this protein are added to wholewheat products to make them softer and increase their shelf life. As obsession with healthy eating spirals, more people are moving from refined to wholewheat products, and therefore consuming vastly increased amounts of vital wheat gluten.

These are just three of the most popular theories, but there are more.

Why do I bring this up? Because I’m about to share a recipe with you for lemon and poppy seed muffins, but in light of the polarising effect of the gluten discussion, I’m going to give you three versions – the healthy version, the semi-healthy version and the what the hell I don’t care version. My best advice is listen to what your body is telling you and act accordingly. If you don’t feel great when you eat gluten, cut it out. If you feel fine and your digestion, energy and weight remain stable, don’t stress. The best advice for healthy eating is and always will be: everything in moderation.

Lemon Yoghurt & Poppy Seed Muffins

Ingredients:

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease muffin pan.

2. Combine sugar and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Use your fingers to rub zest into sugar, which will increase the citrus flavour. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, salt and poppy seeds.

3. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together eggs, coconut oil/butter, applesauce if you have, milk, yoghurt and lemon juice.

4. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Gently stir to combine until the flour is fully incorporated into the liquid. Do not over mix.

5. Divide batter evenly between 12 muffin cups.

6. Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes and until tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer the muffins to a baking rack to cool completely.

7. Serve with a cup of tea, what else!

Article tags

Full Circle Wellness gluten gluten free diet gluten-free lemon and poppy seed muffin Noakes part time veggie recipe wheat wholewheat

Article categories

Nutrition & Diet Tips Winter Motivation

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