What I mean here is the continuance of a philosophy of bread making that is based on selling water and depleting the nation(s) of fibre. The capacity of the protein complex gluten to hold water works for the bread industry like water has for the pork industry. I can't speak exactly for the meat side of things but putting water into meat must mean making it heavier, or bigger or both., but with bread it changes the whole game of making money from bread. It does this by way of enabling the product to weigh heavier, the degree of rise using less grain, the keeping and the shelf life being extended. The amount of fibre in the ordinary loaf is laughable and varies from 1.5 to 3.0% max.
Patently at the upper end of this will be boutique and specialist loaves where a range of grain, seed and even herb particulates are added and rarely this will push the fibre up to 5 or 6%.
The spectrum of the effect of gluten is wide, from overt illness like coeliac disease to just being bloated. There is a mile on gluten on the web but to one aspect of it short it's a protein complex which challenges the immune system - this is something we all can do without - exhaustion of this system makes us vulnerable to infection and cancer. I am uncertain whether there is a straight line relationship between the amount we are exposed to and the body response but it would seem reasonable to think so, as absolute and immediate calamitous reactions are rare.
In the making of bread it is the gluten that gives the elasticity of the dough and which stabilises the fabric of the dough when cooked along with gelatinisation of the starch component.
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