| Not long ago, following a gluten-free diet was | | | | When individuals with this condition eat foods |
| tantamount to a kiss of death as far as | | | | containing gluten, they experience uncomfortable |
| pleasurable food and eating were concerned. | | | | gastrointestinal disturbances such as gas, bloating |
| Why? For the simple reason that most foods | | | | and diarrhea. Recently it has also been speculated |
| made without gluten had objectionable tastes and | | | | that a gluten-free diet may be helpful in other |
| were dry and dense; acceptable alternatives | | | | medical conditions, such as multiple sclerosis, |
| simply did not exist. Since gluten is found in so | | | | autism and depression (yes, even depression!) |
| many processed foods, it certainly put a damper | | | | Keep in mind that insufficient scientific evidence |
| on dining pleasures! No so anymore. Eating | | | | exists to prove a cause and effect relationship |
| gluten-free has become more mainstream, as | | | | between gluten and these conditions, but certainly |
| advancements in food product development have | | | | omitting gluten from a diet cannot hurt anyone |
| led to the availability of many high quality | | | | wishing to improve their health. |
| gluten-free foods. | | | | Although wheat is the principal type of grain used |
| What is gluten, and who needs a gluten-free diet? | | | | in breads and other baked goods, it should be |
| Lets start at the beginning with a short lesson in | | | | easy to just substitute it with another type of |
| food chemistry. Gluten is a protein group found | | | | flour, right? Wrong. Grains differ in their protein |
| primarily in wheat but also in rye and barley, and | | | | profile, so when another flour is substituted for |
| to a lesser extent in oats. Composed of two | | | | wheat in baking, the amount of gluten is either |
| other proteins, glutenin and gliadin, gluten is | | | | absent or quite low. This causes an inability of the |
| responsible for both the elasticity and strength of | | | | dough to rise normally, resulting in a dense, |
| dough in baked products. This is important | | | | coarse, undesirable texture. It takes an extensive |
| because gluten holds carbon dioxide within its | | | | amount of food product development work to |
| structure during baking, which allows for leavening. | | | | get just the right balance of ingredients to |
| Without gluten, the even, open texture | | | | produce a quality food product using substitute |
| characteristic of quality breads becomes quite | | | | flours. What types of flour are used to replace |
| compact, dense and basically undesirable. | | | | wheat? Grain flours from corn, potato, tapioca, |
| Wheat flour is used in many other processed | | | | amaranth, arrowroot, millet, quinoa, teff ,beans |
| foods, too, in addition to baked goods. Individuals | | | | and nuts are the ones most commonly used. |
| following a gluten-free diet have to pay close | | | | Currently gluten-free foods can be found in most |
| attention to food labels, omitting any foods from | | | | grocery stores, as well as health food stores and |
| their diet which contain even the tiniest amount of | | | | other specialty markets. Try google-ing "gluten |
| wheat. Who needs a gluten-free diet? Individuals | | | | free foods"; there is a wide variety of tasty |
| who have gluten-sensitive enteropathy, also | | | | wheat -free foods available on the Internet, too. |
| known as celiac disease or gluten intolerance. | | | | Now you can truly be gluten-free and lovin' it. |