It’s everywhere you look these days: gluten-free foods. While it’s now become trendy or even chic to opt for gluten free edibles, an allergy to gluten can indicate a potentially serious medical condition like celiac disease or irritable bowel syndrome, (IBS).
So, what’s behind this latest gluten-free craze and what should one look for?
Some Things to Know About Gluten-Free
Obviously we know to avoid all foods that contain the gluten protein. That includes barley, rye, and wheat.
When reading your food labels or dinning out watch out for malt and vegetable proteins. Malt contains barley and vegetable proteins are known to contain wheat.
Oats don’t contain gluten but many people with celiac disease report abdominal pain and other symptoms when they eat foods with oats in them. So, monitor your response to oats and remove it from your diet if needed.
Look for food labels that state 100% Gluten-Free.
You can still have your cake and eat it too. Potato or rice flour are wonderful replacements in gluten free baked goods.
Craving pasta? Who isn’t? Pasta made with corn, quinoa or rice are gluten-free.
Cereals that contain corn or rice meet the gluten-free requirement — just make sure there is no malt listed as an ingredient. Check for the 100% Gluten-Free label.
Fried foods that contain breadcrumbs are off limits even if the amount of gluten in the food is minimal.
When eating processed foods like cold cuts and hot dogs check the ingredients — some of the fillers might contain gluten.
Can’t live without your crunch and cheese and crackers? Opt for chips made with corn or rice instead of wheat that contains gluten.
Maintaining a gluten-free diet is becoming easier and tastier given all the choices. If you think you might have an allergy to gluten see your M.D. and read your food labels. Your digestive tract will thank you for it.