What Does "Gluten Free" Means & Do For Your Health?

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes gluten, a protein composite found in wheat and related grains, including barley and rye. It causes health problems in sufferers of celiac disease , non-celiac gluten sensitivity and some cases of wheat allergy. Some people believe that there are health benefits to gluten-free eating for the general population, but there is no published experimental evidence to support such claims. For those diagnosed with celiac disease, eating gluten-free is following an undisputed medical directive.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease attacking the small intestine due to the presence of gluten, for which a gluten-free diet is the only medically-accepted treatment

People buy gluten-free food "because they think it will help them lose weight, because they seem to feel better or because they mistakenly believe they are sensitive to gluten. However the gluten-free diet is not recommended as a means to eat healthier, lose weight, or diagnose one's own symptoms.

The diet includes naturally gluten-free food, such as meat, fish, nuts, legumes, fruit, vegetables, rice, corn, potatoes, quinoa,buckwheat, sorghum, and products made from these, such as breads and gluten-free beer. Gluten-free bread may be less fluffy, so additives are used to compensate, such as corn starch, eggs, xanthum gum, guar gum, and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.

Processing of some glutenous ingredients removes the gluten, such as maltodextrin, and some distilled beverages.

Some vineyards use flour paste to caulk the oak barrels, but tests have not detected the presence of gluten in the wine. Gluten may be used as a clarifying agent in wine, some of which might remain in the product.

The diet excludes foods containing gluten, such as wheat, rye, barley, and foods that may include them, or shared transportation or processing facilities with them. People with gluten intolerance may require special compounding of their medication

Risks

Unless great care is taken, a gluten-free diet can lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber which are found in wheat, barley, rye, kamut, and other gluten-containing whole grains. Although this can be mitigated through the consumption of brown rice and quinoa, many practitioners of the diet do not consume the recommended number of grain servings per day. Many gluten-free products are not fortified or enriched by such nutrients as folate, iron, and fiber as traditional breads and cereals have been during the last century

Some of the symptoms of celiac decease:

- Miscarrying 

- Alcohol addiction

- Excessive sugar craving

- Vertigo

- Autism

- Cancer

- Depression 

- Chest pain

- Parkinson

- Epilepsia

- Lactose intolerant

- Migraines

- Nausea

- Digestive problems such as: gases, inflammation, diarrhoea, 

- Skin allergies and others...