A Quick Guide To The Popular Gluten Free Diet

A gluten-free diet is an eating plan that excludes all foods containing gluten.

Foods to avoid on the gluten free diet

Refined flour products that have been stripped of their nutrients
Package processed goods like cookies brownies and muffins

For some, these foods can cause problems, namely:

Wheat allergies
Celiac disease
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity

What is the difference between these 3?

Wheat allergy

This is a condition that occurs when a person’s immune system has an allergic response to wheat proteins.
In rare cases, it can result in a potentially dangerous reaction called anaphylaxis.

Celiac disease

It is a genetic autoimmune disorder where the body is physically unable to break down gluten and mistakenly attacks itself.
This leads to inflammation and damage of the lining of the small intestine

This impairs intestinal function leading to problems like:

Belly pain
Bloating
Gas
Diarrhea
Weight loss
Skin rash
Bone problems like osteoporosis
Iron deficiency
Fatigue
Depression

Left untreated, celiac disease increases the risk of developing certain types of cancer.
The most effective treatment against celiac disease is a gluten-free diet which helps heal intestinal damage and improves symptoms.

Non-celiac gluten sensitivity

People who have a non-celiac gluten sensitivity do not test positive for celiac disease or a wheat allergy, yet they still feel uncomfortable after eating gluten.

Symptoms of non-celiac gluten sensitivity include:

Painful gut symptoms
Suffer from fatigue
Brain fog
Joint pain
Skin rash

What is gluten?

The name gluten comes from the Latic word for “glue” and is an insoluble protein composite made up of two proteins, namely gliadin and glutenin.
Gluten is a mixture of these two proteins found in wheat and is responsible for that elastic bouncy texture and the chewiness of foods made from wheat flour, such as bread and pasta.
It seems these days that everyone is switching to gluten-free products to get healthy, boost mood, and lose weight but there is much fearmongering around gluten going on.
Often people do not understand the real difference between gluten and wheat, leading to much confusion.

The importance of gluten in your diet

Foods excluded from a gluten-free diet, provide important vitamins and other nutrients
They include:
Iron, Calcium, Fiber, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate
Gluten nutritionally supports the body and is rich in folate to make new healthy cells
Contains Vitamin B to fight off infection and to maintain normal nerve function
Contains iron to carry oxygen throughout the body

The best forms of gluten are:

Whole grains that are nutrient-dense fiber rich and have a low glycemic index
Whole grain or whole wheat flour should be the first ingredient on the label

Other Reasons for wanting to follow a gluten-free diet:

Some people claiming gluten sensitivity are actually sensitive not to wheat proteins but sugars found in wheat and other foods called fructans.
The human intestine can’t break down or absorb fructans so they make their way to the large intestine or colon, where they are fermented by bacteria producing short-chain fatty acids and gases.
This can lead to unpleasant symptoms in those that suffer from bowel problems.
The purpose of a gluten-free diet for those people that have not been diagnosed with a gluten-related medical condition is that they claim the following benefits of the diet:

Improved health
Weight loss
Increased energy
Improved gastrointestinal health
However, more research is needed to support the benefits of a gluten-free diet for weight loss.
See also: 7 common food intolerances

Sources
hsph.harvard.edu – gluten benefit or harm to the body
mayoclinic.org – gluten-free diet
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – health benefits and adverse effects of a gluten-free diet in non–celiac disease patients