What Does A Gluten Free Diet Look Like
A gluten free diet is simply a diet made up of gluten free foods. It may sound simple when you put it like that, but the truth is that gluten is hidden in many foods where you might not expect to see it. For example, soy sauce is made with wheat and some potato chips have gluten in the seasoning. Locating gluten in some foods can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. In order to be successful with a gluten free diet, you need to know which foods contain gluten gluten, and you need to avoid them.
So, what are the foods that are most likely to contain gluten? Here is a basic overview:
- Pizza crust
Many of the foods on the list above may seem like obvious sources of gluten. If you think so, great! It means that you already have a pretty good understanding of where gluten can be found in everyday food items. Keep in mind, however, that there is a whole other list of foods that contain hidden gluten or that may be cross-contaminated with it. Here are some of those foods:
- Breaded meat
- Malt liquor
Now that you have an idea of which foods contain gluten or are likely to contain gluten you have a foundation of knowledge on which to build your gluten free diet. But what exactly does a healthy gluten free diet look like?
Here is a list of some of the gluten free foods that you could include in your diet:
- Meat, poultry, and eggs
- Oats and oatmeal
- Chickpea flour
- Milk, butter, cheese
- Herbs and spices
- Baking powder and baking soda
Can I Eat Casein
If you have celiac disease, you might also wonder if you need to avoid casein, which is a protein in milk, butter, and cheese. If youâre allergic to casein, definitely keep it out of your diet. But if you donât have a casein allergy, you might not need to worry about it.
There hasnât been a lot of research on whether casein has the same effects as gluten. The theory got its start decades ago, when some people thought that casein, gluten, and autism might be linked. That theory isnât proven.
One thing to keep in mind is that if milk upsets your stomach, it could be due to lactose, which is the natural sugar in milk. Casein and lactose arenât the same, and your sensitivity may have nothing to do with casein. Anyone can have lactose intolerance, including people who have celiac disease and people who donât.
You can ask your doctor to test and see if youâre allergic to casein. If you remove casein from your diet, youâll want to focus on getting enough vitamin D and calcium.
How Do I Get Started With A Gluten
If youre interested in trying a gluten-free diet, talk to a physician or a registered dietitian. They can guide you toward a balanced eating plan that meets your unique nutritional needs.
Tips for making dietary changes if you have celiac disease include:
- Check for warnings on packages. Many products that dont contain gluten may have been processed in a facility where there are gluten products.
- Keep kitchen utensils, dishes and other food prep items that are used for gluten-containing foods separate from your utensils.
- Read ingredient labels carefully to check for any traces of wheat. Some artificial colors and seasonings also contain gluten.
- Substitute oat, buckwheat, quinoa or other gluten-free or alternative grain flours for wheat flour in cooking and baking.
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How Long After Going Gluten
Everyones body will respond differently as to how long it takes for symptoms relating to gluten-intolerance go away after you stop eating gluten. For the most part, it seems as though most people begin to feel better within just a few days of switching up their nutrition plan.Improvements with overall concentration, attention span, and short-term memory all tend to improve within a couple of weeks, as do improvements in skin conditions and digestive issues. Some people, especially those who have been sick for a long time, might notice that it takes a while for symptoms to go away. Our bodies sometimes take a while to heal, so give yourself time to rest and recuperate and youll make forward progress and begin to feel better!
What Should I Do If Im Exposed To Gluten
Gluten is in countless foods, drinks and other products. Even if you stick to a gluten-free diet, you might accidentally eat gluten at some point. If you experience side effects from accidental gluten exposure, you can:
- Drink plenty of water to flush out your system.
- Eat small meals that arent spicy or fatty.
- Try ginger or peppermint tea to soothe an upset stomach.
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What Causes A Reaction To Gluten
Possible causes of a bad reaction to gluten include an allergy, an intolerance and an autoimmune disease.
Coeliac disease
Coeliac disease is a serious, lifelong genetic digestive condition in which the immune system attacks itself when gluten is eaten, damaging the lining of the small intestine. As a result of this, the body cannot properly absorb nutrients from food. Coeliac disease is not a food allergy or intolerance it is an autoimmue disease. There is no cure and you must follow a gluten-free diet for life, even if your symptoms are mild. Reported cases of coeliac disease are two to three times higher in women than men.
Wheat allergy
A wheat allergy is a reaction to one element within wheat , and usually occurs within seconds of eating. If you have a wheat allergy, you may still be able to eat barley and rye, and you may get a reaction from gluten-free products if they contain other parts of the wheat.
Gluten intolerance
Can Make Socializing Difficult
Many social situations revolve around food.
This can make it difficult to socialize if youre following a gluten-free diet. While many restaurants have gluten-free options, theres still a risk of food being contaminated with traces of gluten .
Celiac disease is also associated with a significant social burden, which can make traveling and eating at restaurants more challenging .
That said, you can still socialize while following a gluten-free diet. It simply requires a little extra preparation beforehand.
For example, if youre eating out, call the restaurant beforehand to see if they have gluten-free options. If youre going to a social gathering, you can eat ahead of time or bring your own food.
Summary
People who follow a gluten-free diet may be at risk of nutritional deficiencies and prone to constipation. Following a gluten-free diet can also be quite expensive and may make social situations difficult.
These tips can help you follow a gluten-free diet successfully:
If you dont have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, theres no need to follow a gluten-free diet. While it has many health benefits, it also limits some foods that are great for overall health.
Summary
Though certain situations may arise that can make it hard to stick to a gluten-free diet, taking steps such as reading food labels and planning ahead can help.
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Get Used To Reading Food Labels When You Shop
All packaged food in the UK and the EU is covered by a law on allergen labelling, meaning you can tell whether or not a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet by reading the ingredients list. If a cereal containing gluten has been used as an ingredient in the product, it must be listed in the ingredients list .
The specific grain will be listed, so look out for mentions of wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or any other grain which has been made by breeding these types together as they all contain gluten. Often, these ingredients will be highlighted in bold.
Can Help You Lose Weight
Its not unusual to lose weight once you start following a gluten-free diet.
The diet eliminates many high-calorie, processed foods and often replaces them with fruit, vegetables, and lean proteins.
Avoid processed gluten-free foods such as cakes, pastries, and snacks if youre trying to lose weight. They can quickly add a lot of calories to your diet.
Instead, focus on eating plenty of whole, unprocessed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins to reach and maintain a moderate weight while also meeting your nutritional needs.
Summary
A gluten-free diet can provide many health benefits, especially for those with celiac disease. It may help ease digestive symptoms, reduce chronic inflammation, boost energy, and promote weight loss.
Despite having a variety of health benefits, a gluten-free diet could also lead to certain side effects and has downsides to consider.
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The #1 Mistake People Make When Starting A Gluten
If you don’t plan out this new way of eating, it’s easy to default to gluten-free packaged foods. “I see people go on this diet and eat three meals and snacks from these foods,” says Begun. You know-the gluten-free muffins or brownies or cereals or pizza. These are often made with refined grains and heavy in sugar and often contain more calories than their traditional counterparts. The result: you may start to gain weight if this is the main change you make to your diet. So think of these as “on occasion” foods. It’s just like with any diet. A candy bar is just a candy bargluten-free or not.
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Can I Prepare Gluten
The short answer: There is a high risk for cross-contact.
An explanation: Convection ovens use a fan to circulate air around food. This process can cause cross-contact because gluten particles can be blown by the fan. You can still use a convection oven that has been used to prepare gluten-containing foods, but only as long as you keep gluten-free foods tightly covered when cooking. Toaster ovens are acceptable to use too, and using foil or a clean tray on the rack helps create a barrier from any crumbs. Also, be sure to thoroughly clean the oven in between uses, even if there are no visible crumbs.
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Take Gluten Out Of Your Diet
One of my children used to complain about the kids at school who avoided gluten, the protein that makes wheat and other grains elastic. Theyre so annoying, my child said about the gluten-free kids, adding that these children dont have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, they just think its cool to avoid gluten. I think its cool to avoid gluten too, but for different reasons.
One reason may be Roundup, the herbicide introduced by Monsanto in 1974. The main ingredient in Roundup is a chemical named glyphosate. Roundup is used to kill weeds. It works. My husband sprayed it on the weeds sprouting up through our gravel driveway, back when my children were young. We were told it was safe after it dried. My kids played in that driveway constantly.
Roundup has another use, as a desiccant. Its sprayed on ripe wheat grown commercially in the US to make the wheat dry out more quickly so it can be harvested sooner. Its also sprayed on Roundup-ready GMO crops to kill weeds without killing the crops.
A 2013 study suggests that people who are intolerant to eating food made with wheat may actually be reacting to the Round Up residues on the wheat, not the gluten in the wheat. Organic growers let their wheat dry out on its own, but time is money, so conventional growers use Roundup to speed up the process.
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Are There Supplements That Are Good For People With Celiac Disease
A multivitamin or nutritional supplement can help you rebuild your levels of essential nutrients.
But keep in mind that some vitamins, minerals, and herbal supplements may contain gluten. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any nutritional supplement to make sure it doesn’t contain gluten.
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The Symptoms Of Getting Glutened
Symptoms of being glutened can be different for everyone it can manifest as brain fog, diarrhea, constipation, headache, rash, abdominal pain, joint pain, swelling, vomiting, and fatigue. However, inside your body is where the damage is really being done the gluten reaction is wreaking havoc in your gut.
Theres a particular protein found in wheat and gluten which triggers the release of zonulin in your intestines. This is a chemical that tells your gut lining to open up. Think of your gut as a drawbridge. Your gut is naturally semi-permeable to allow teeny-tiny boats to pass through your intestinal wall and into your bloodstream. Zonulin causes your gut lining to break apart, leaving the drawbridge open. Once this happens, you have leaky gut.
When your gut is leaky, much larger boats that were never meant to get through can escape into your bloodstream, ultimately leading to inflammation from the gluten reaction.1
Its essential to your health to get the inflammatory protein out of your body so that you can reduce inflammation and heal your gut, and recover from any damage done to your body as quickly as possible.
May Help Boost Energy
People with celiac disease often feel tired or sluggish. They may also experience brain fog, which is characterized by confusion, forgetfulness, and difficulty focusing .
These symptoms may result from nutrient deficiencies caused by damage to the gut. For example, an iron deficiency can lead to anemia, which is common in celiac disease .
If you have celiac disease, switching to a gluten-free diet may help boost your energy levels and stop you from feeling tired and sluggish.
According to one literature review, people with celiac disease experienced significantly more fatigue than those without celiac disease. Not only that, but five of the seven studies included in the review concluded that following a gluten-free diet was effective at reducing fatigue (
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Can I Use The Same Toaster For Gluten
The short answer : No, you cannot use the same toaster for both gluten-free and gluten-containing items.
An explanation: Celiac disease experts strongly recommend that you buy a separate toaster for gluten-free items to avoid cross-contact with gluten-containing foods. However, there are reusable toaster bags on the market which can be used in a pinch to prevent cross-contact. These can be useful for travel and eating at a friend or relatives house. Toaster bags are not foolproof, and caution must be used to ensure that crumbs from gluten-containing items do not fall into the bag. It is also important to remember to never place the bag itself on gluten-free plates of food, as the outside of the bags will expose the other foods to any gluten it came into contact with in the toaster. Similar caution should be used when preparing gluten-free foods in toaster or convection ovens.
How To Go Gluten Free
Dont expect the gluten-free alternative to taste the same, and the brand of products differ also. Some alternatives have been likened to cardboard, as with most gluten free bread found in the freezer section of your local supermarket.
Without toasting it, it may not be worthy of your sandwich fillings. Ask around, check out www.organicoven.com for instance or look online at comments about gluten-free foods and products. If you arent celiac, a few slip ups here and there shouldnt send you back to square one, but you might find a few of those old symptoms show up again.
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Where Is Gluten Hiding
Pastries, cakes, biscuits and breads are all widely known to contain gluten, but it hides in many everyday food items.
- Breakfast most breakfast cereals will contain some wheat and gluten. Try porridge oats, corn flakes and granola, but always check the label.
- Sauces gluten can be found in chicken, beef or vegetable stocks plus soy sauces, other sauces including gravies, marinades, ketchup, mayonnaise and salad dressings. Always check the label. Also be careful to avoid cross-contamination in the kitchen.
- Numerous snacks contain gluten, including many crisps. Look for popcorn, plain nuts and seeds and gluten-free crisps, but always check the label.
- Certain alcoholic drinks such as beer, ale, light beer and hard liquors can be made using grains that contain gluten. Sherry, Port and liqueurs are suitable for people with coeliac disease and there are gluten-free beers, lagers and stouts, but always check the label.
- Grains such as couscous, bulgur wheat and semolina are not gluten-free. Try quinoa in place of couscous or bulgur wheat and polenta or ground rice instead of semolina.
May Help Relieve Digestive Symptoms
Most people try a gluten-free diet to help treat digestive problems. This includes many symptoms, such as:
Research shows that following a gluten-free diet can help ease digestive symptoms for people with celiac disease and NCGS .
According to one study of 856 people with celiac disease, those who didnt follow a gluten-free diet experienced significantly more diarrhea, indigestion, and stomach pain compared to those on a gluten-free diet .
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