What Is It and Why Do It?
The gluten free diet excludes all gluten from your diet, which includes grains such as wheat, barley, and rye (http://www.mayoclinic.org/gluten-free-diet/art-20048530). This means cutting out all breads and pastas and can be very hard to do at first because most foods have it. You would probably be surprised at the actual number of things you eat on a daily basis with gluten in them. The gluten free diet began with being the only treatment for Celiac disease, but has now branched out to those who have no sensitivity to gluten but rather use it as a diet or lifestyle choice. Celiac disease means that any gluten that’s taken in to the body is harmful and results in inflammation of the intestines that can cause diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, weight loss, tiredness, and low iron levels (http://www.glutenfreediet.ca/img/Gluten_Free_Eating_2009.pdf)(http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=6972). Gluten free diets also treat gluten intolerance which is slightly different than celiac disease and it’s also used for wheat allergies (http://www.befreeforme.com/blog/?p=6972). This is a list of gluten containing foods and ingredients from Dieticians of Canada:
Gluten Containing Foods and Ingredients
· Atta (chapatti flour) · Barley (flakes, flour, pearl) · Beer, ale, lager · Breading and bread stuffing · Brewers yeast · Bulgur · Communion wafers · Couscous · Croutons · Dinkel (also known as spelt)* · Durum* · Einkorn* · Emmer* · Farina · Farro or Faro (also known as spelt)* · Fu** · Graham flour · Hydrolyzed wheat protein · Kamut* |
· Malt, malt extract, malt syrup and malt
· flavouring · Malt vinegar · Malted milk · Matzoh, matzoh meal · Modified wheat starch · Oatmeal, oat bran, oat flour · and whole oats*** · Pastas · Rye bread and flour · Seitan **** · Semolina · Spelt (also known as farro or · faro, dinkel)* · Triticale · Wheat bran · Wheat flour · Wheat germ · Wheat starch |
* Types of wheat
** A dried gluten product derived from wheat that is sold as thin sheets or thick round cakes. Used as a protein supplement in Asian dishes such as soups and vegetables.
*** Unless they are from pure, uncontaminated oats
**** A meat-like food derived from wheat gluten used in many vegetarian dishes; sometimes called “wheat meat”.
Source: Adapted from Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide 2008 by Shelley Case, Dietitian. (www.glutenfreediet.ca)
(http://www.glutenfreediet.ca/img/Gluten_Free_Eating_2009.pdf)
** A dried gluten product derived from wheat that is sold as thin sheets or thick round cakes. Used as a protein supplement in Asian dishes such as soups and vegetables.
*** Unless they are from pure, uncontaminated oats
**** A meat-like food derived from wheat gluten used in many vegetarian dishes; sometimes called “wheat meat”.
Source: Adapted from Gluten-Free Diet: A Comprehensive Resource Guide 2008 by Shelley Case, Dietitian. (www.glutenfreediet.ca)
(http://www.glutenfreediet.ca/img/Gluten_Free_Eating_2009.pdf)