It's estimated that 1 percent of the global population has celiac disease, with another 7 percent having some form of gluten sensitivity. And this number is on the rise. Gluten sensitivity, or even excessive consumption of gluten (like we have in the modern Western diet), can contribute to cascading cases of inflammation, autoimmune disease and chronic health conditions.1
Autoimmune disease can have a long-term impact on your health if not treated carefully, including increasing your risk of heart disease, cancer and gut inflammation. One thing we have realized is that it's not only the gluten that's contributing to chronic health concerns; it's also the farming process. Monocropping (the practice of growing a single crop year after year on the same land), especially wheat, can have devastating impacts on your health due to the increasing amounts of pesticides and chemicals used.
And if you're reaching for a gluten-free blend on your grocer's shelf, more often than not you'll find it packed with chemically made preservatives, thickeners, stabilizers and colors to help it mimic the texture of wheat.
So where you can, make sure to buy organic gluten-free flours with the fewest ingredients possible. When starting out with gluten-free baking and cooking, many of the texture and taste issues are directly related to the types of flours used.
Luckily, over the years, we've tried nearly every gluten-free flour imaginable, and here are three of the best that we recommend.
REFERENCES
1 Gastroenterol Hepatol (N Y), 2011; 7(8): 554–6
2 Nutrients, 2017; 9(9): 1044
