Lately there has been a lot of talk about gluten free foods. In this article, we will learn about what gluten is and why people are eliminating it from their diet.
Gluten Free Diet
Gluten is a protein that is found in certain grains such as wheat, barley, rye and many other pastas and breads. Gluten has also been found in deli meat, licorice and salad dressings. Most people that eliminate gluten from their diet do so because they have celiac disease, gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity.
Celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder in which the immune system is extremely sensitive to gluten. The gluten causes the small intestine to become inflamed, and keeps the body from absorbing vitamins and minerals. This can lead to a host of other health problems including malnutrition, weight loss, anemia and osteoporosis. The only treatment for celiac disease is a gluten free diet. However, other people with certain conditions including wheat allergens and leaky gut syndrome can also benefit from eating a gluten free diet. There are also many people who are sensitive to gluten, but have tested negative for Celiac disease. These people may also choose to go gluten free. Additionally, some people go gluten free to help them lose weight and just feel better overall.
Is there a link between autism and a gluten free diet? Many parents of Autistic children believe so. For this reason, that many parents are eliminating gluten, casein (milk products) or both from their child’s diet. Although little research has been done in this field, some parents believe that eliminating gluten has improved their autistic child’s speech and behavior.
Eliminating gluten from the diet can be very challenging. If you are doing so because of a medical condition, you may want to seek the help of a dietitian. There are many foods that are on the market today that are labeled gluten free. There are also many foods that naturally contain no gluten. Below is a list of foods which naturally contain no gluten. However, you need to be careful that they have not been cross contaminated with gluten foods.
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Meat and poultry that is not breaded
- Eggs
- Most nuts
- Most dairy products
- Corn
- Cornmeal
- Buckwheat
- Millet
- quinoa
Although eliminating gluten from your diet may be difficult at first, there are a lot more food manufacturers and restaurants that cater to this type of diet. If you have any health concerns, you should always seek the help of a medical professional. For more information about living a gluten free lifestyle, please visit the Celiac Disease Foundation http://www.cdfresourcedirectory.com/
