Gluten-free . It is a term that is now becoming popular among alternative medicine, and consumers, as gluten, a set of proteins found in wheat, barley and rye, are targeted as a trigger for a variety of diseases, including celiac disease and wheat allergy.
Reports from Nielsen shows an increase of 20% in the gluten free market, and 2007 sales increased to 1.75 billion U.S. dollars from 1.46 billion U.S. dollars in 2006. Fueling this growth is the number of new food options available to consumers-700 new gluten-free products were introduced in 2007 alone. With the development of more and tastier food products that use ingredients like amaranth, buckwheat, millet, brown rice, beans, sorghum and flax-it has never been easier to go gluten free.
It is gluten-free diet right for you?
For people with celiac disease, gluten can cause severe immune reaction, which interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. When a person with a disease or eating food products containing gluten, small hair-like projections of the small intestine, called villi, are damaged or destroyed by the immune system. Villi allow nutrients from food are absorbed into the bloodstream and when this important function fails, the person may become malnourished, regardless of how much food they take in.
Celiac disease is an inherited disease, and can be tested with a blood test that measures the level of antibodies that the body secretes when gluten is irritated or damaged lining of the small intestine. test, however, is not final, and the best way to determine whether a person has celiac disease to see if the irritation of the small intestine stops after the person is transferred gluten-free diet. Nearly 3 million people in the U.S. suffer from celiac disease.
Other people with gastrointestinal disorders may have a "gluten sensitivity" or "gluten intolerance." When a person has a gluten sensitivity, immune responses occur, although damages the small intestine may not be as severe damage caused by celiac disease. Gluten-intolerance is characterized by symptoms a person experiences, and may include gas, cramps and diarrhea.
Before going gluten ...
If your doctor recommends a gluten-free diet for you, there are obvious foods to avoid (wheat, barley and rye) and non-obvious foods to avoid: products such as ketchup and ice cream contains a 'thickening agents, which contain glutens.
eliminating gluten from your diet can also result in nutritional deficiencies, and the balance and diversity, as in any diet, are essential. Beans and soybeans can be used as sources of protein and fiber, and starch such as rice, potatoes and sweet potatoes are generally acceptable to a gluten-free diet. It is also important to make sure you get enough B vitamins, including folic acid. Taking B-complex vitamins and a daily supplement with folic acid can help to ensure that they make to their diet, which is missing.
While the benefits of eliminating gluten from the diet are not yet fully understood, research is being conducted to determine the extent of gluten-free diet can improve health. It is important to understand, however, that gluten-free diet is not a quick fix for weight loss or fad diets. "Be sure to talk with your doctor before choosing to go gluten free, and ask your pharmacist about which dietary supplements might be right for you.
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