Gluten Free Diet

A gluten free diet is recommended for people suffering from celiac disease. Celiac disease is a disease that damages an individual’s small intestines. An allergic reaction to gluten is seen in the tissues that line the small intestines. The gluten damages the small intestine’s lining, and this usually results in gas, abdominal cramps, bloating, weight loss, and/or mineral and vitamin deficiencies. This gluten is found in barley, wheat, rye, and to a small extent in oats.

One of the most effective treatments for celiac disease is a gluten free diet. A gluten free diet plan has to be followed for life if you want to get relief from the disease. Consuming gluten free foods prevents the problem from recurring. Although it sounds difficult, there are many benefits of consuming gluten free diet foods that are easily available, but you just need to be aware of what foods you can eat and source for some menu ideas. As mentioned earlier a gluten free diet plan involves avoiding wheat, barley, rye, and oats. This gluten is found in most grain, pasta, cereals, and processed foods. It is therefore important that you are careful about what you eat. 

Foods & Diet Guidelines

Gluten free diet foods are found in stores that specialize in organic foods. You can also order gluten free diet food from companies that specially manufacture such food and it is also available online. A number of mainstream stores are now specializing in gluten free foods. In spite of the many restrictions, people suffering from celiac disease can go in for a diet that offers a wide variety of options and is well-balanced. They can add products such as soy, quinoa, bean, rice, potato, and buckwheat flour to their diet. A gluten free diet list also includes “plain” fish, vegetables, rice, and fruit. Recent studies indicate that small amounts of oats can safely be added to a gluten free diet menu. Care has to be taken to ensure that these oats do not get contaminated during the processing stage with gluten. Patients suffering with celiac disease have to confer with their health care team or dietician to figure out if they can add oats to their wheat and gluten free diet.

Gluten free diet guidelines clearly indicate what foods one has to avoid. As mentioned earlier, one has to avoid wheat and products made of wheat such as ograham flour, semolina, self raising flour, bromated flour, duran flour, phosphated flour, spelt, hydrolyzed wheat protein, cracked wheat, wheat starch, and wheat bran. Rye and barley products also need to be discarded from your diet. Following a gluten free diet plan also involves avoiding foods that are processed such as communion wafers, imitation fish, candy, French fries, soups, tortilla chips with seasoning, vegetables in sauce, sausage, hot dogs, cold cuts, bouillon cubes, brown rice syrup, and more. If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, it is best that you talk with a dietician or physician who specializes in celiac disease.   

Following a gluten free weight loss menu can be a difficult and calls for a number of changes in a person’s dietary and eating habits. It is important that you get adjusted to a different diet, especially if you have been recently diagnosed, and this can be done with the help of support groups. Eating out can be quite a challenge and you need to be careful about what you eat. When you are in a restaurant and you have some doubts about what you are eating, it is best that you check with the waiter or chef as to what has been added to prepare the meal. Also keep a list of restaurants that have gluten free diet recipes on their menu. If you have gluten intolerance, you will find it interesting to know that it is found in a number of medications as well. Always check with your pharmacist if the medications that have been prescribed to you are wheat free. It is important to understand what goes in the products you use such as lipstick and play dough and keep away from them. Learning how to read product labels is important.

Planning a gluten free diet for kids is usually quite a challenge for parents. They are constantly on the look-out for treats that do not have any gluten added to it. They also have to come up with “fun” ideas to make lunch and dinner time meals interesting for their kids. Teaching their kids to read labels and educating them on what foods are safe and what is forbidden is another thing they have to do.

Checklist

To sum up, this is what people following a gluten free diet need to do or keep in mind to remain healthy and problem free.

• They need to be aware of what goes into a wheat and gluten free diet.
• They should not neglect their gluten free diet plan because if the small intestines get damaged, they may develop problems such as cancer, osteoporosis and anemia in the long run.
• Take the help of a dietician to design a gluten free diet menu. The dietician will also provide support and help you stick to your gluten free diet.
• Certain words such as starch, stabilizer, flavoring, hydrolyzed, plant protein, and emulsifier on the food labels could mean that grains such as wheat, rye and barley have been used while preparing the product.

It is important that people suffering from celiac disease learn more about gluten free diet recipes. A lot of information about gluten free diet plans is available on the Internet. Experimenting with gluten free products can be interesting and fun.