here are some good articles/explainations
long story short it is due to two main things - chemicals /GMO and - short cuts in the processing (to cut costs)
http://kellybroganmd.com/two-foods-may-sabotage-brain/
http://www.abc.net.au/catalyst/stories/4358631.htm (this 20 minute program is great for explaining why we react to gluten and handy resource for family and friends
Prof Alessio Fasano
We didn't know the details of why gluten is toxic until the recent past, when scientists worldwide started to really look at this indigestible fragment of gluten. To our major surprise, gluten is perceived by our immune system as a component of a bacterium or virus and unleashes the same weaponry that we use when we're under attack by an infection.
NARRATION
As gluten enters the small intestine, it's recognised as foreign and an immune reaction causes local inflammation in the gut. This occurs because humans haven't evolved with the right machinery to digest it properly.
Prof Alessio Fasano
Gluten cannot completely be dismantled because we don't have the scissors, ie, the enzymes, to cut in pieces and then peel off the single amino acids.
NARRATION
So if humans can't digest gluten properly, does that mean we should all give it up? Not so fast, says Professor Fasano.
Prof Alessio Fasano
The vast majority of people can deal with that and clean this problem without any clinical consequences.
NARRATION
But in some people, gluten may actually play a role in the development of autoimmune diseases like arthritis, lupus and Hashimoto's disease. In 2000, Professor Fasano's team made a remarkable discovery. His lab showed that gluten could stimulate a molecule in the gut called zonulin.
Prof Alessio Fasano
Zonulin is a protein that has the capability to modulate the permeability of the gut.
when we are in MC flares, the smallest amount of these triggers can cause issues.
ie toasting gluten free bread in a toaster that has had wheat bread in it is enough of contamination to cause reactions
or preparing a gluten free meal in a kitchen where wheat flour has been used
this is one of the sucky parts of life with MC is that there is no such thing as 'just a little bit cant hurt'
when we are reactive, it does cause issues.
Even when we are healed, we encourage people to avoid these highly inflammatory ingredients as even though small amounts may not seem to causing issue, one only needs to have contact with other minor triggers, (including stress) be a bit low in Vit D3 /magnesium and a major flare can eventuate (even after months of remission)
dont be afraid of the rabbit hole - one of the analagies i use here is that MC world is a bit like Alice in Wonderland - when you first fall down the rabbit hole and meet us, read discussions, at first we all appear bonkers! the restrictive diet, that the right magnesium supplementation can resolve multiple health issues etc - then over time, when you connect the dots of root causes of the health issues, and see improvements, you realise that we may be bonkers, but the best people are!! Life here in Wonderland (aka MC world) makes more sense than the life you lived before...