You more than likely know someone who is going gluten-free. It can be because of health concerns, because the person loves trying different foods or because he or she likes to keep up with food trends. Gluten intolerance is more than just a trend though, so here is what you need to know.

Allergy versus intolerance

An allergenic food will cause a strong immune reaction over and over again and needs to be avoided, whereas food linked to intolerance can usually be handled in small amounts and doesn’t cause a reaction from the immune system.

Symptoms for gluten intolerance include cramps, abdominal bloating, a heavy feeling in the stomach after eating gluten-containing foods or an uncomfortable feeling while trying to digest gluten-containing foods.

What is gluten?

Gluten is the protein component of grains. Gluten is found in grains such as rye, wheat and barley and all products made with them. This can include soups, gravies or any sauce with thickeners or stabilisers in, so it pays to read the labels of products if you are not sure.

Gluten substitutes

If you have gluten intolerance, avoiding or reducing your intake of gluten will definitely have a positive effect on your wellbeing. This doesn’t mean that you can no longer eat some of your favourite foods. There are other carbohydrates that don’t contain gluten and you can cook or bake with them instead. They include:

    • Potatoes, sweet potatoes, potato flour
    • Brown and white rice, rice flour
    • Maize/corn meal (whole version of corn flour)
    • Polenta
    • Quinoa.

You may find that you can tolerate oats and oat flours – if yes, opt for rolled oats.

Sources
blog.kauai.co.za
http://celiacdisease.about.com