What is Gluten? Is Gluten totally Bad for your body?  Find out the truth and lies about Gluten as explained by the Expert. Gluten appears to be in practically everything, including bread, pasta and beer to cosmetics and nutritional supplements.  There’s plenty of hype about gluten––what is this ubiquitous ingredient and is it bad for you?  Selvi Rajagopal (M.D.), specialist in internal medicine and obesity at Johns Hopkins, explains the facts and myths surrounding gluten. What is gluten? “Gluten is a protein present in the wheat plant and a few other grains,” Rajagopal explains. Gluten is naturally occurring, but it can also be extracted, concentrated and added to food and other products to boost protein, texture and flavor. It also functions as an adhesive to hold processed foods together and give them shape. Where does gluten come from? Wheat isn’t the only source of gluten — it also comes from rye, barley and triticale (a cross between rye and barley). Sometimes...