What is the gluten-free diet?
The gluten-free diet consists of a diet in which gluten is avoided, a protein present in wheat, oats, barley and rye and which can also be found in other products such as medicines, vitamins or supplements. Generally, adaptation to this diet occurs for medical reasons, such as celiac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy. You can also follow a gluten-free diet as a measure to lose weight, although in this case it is not indicated due to the consequences it can have for health.
Celiac Disease
Celiac sufferers suffer from a disease of the immune system for which they cannot consume gluten because it damages their small intestine. Symptoms of celiac disease vary from person to person and can range from diarrhea and abdominal pain to psychological feelings of irritation and depression. This pathology is genetic and its diagnosis is made through a blood test and by medical analysis of a small sample of tissue from the small intestine. The only treatment for this disease, which affects 1 percent of adults worldwide, is following a gluten-free diet, that is, free of wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelled, triticale and / or products derivatives such as starch, flour, bread or pasta.
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is a multi-symptom disease that usually improves when adopting a gluten-free diet, after celiac disease and wheat allergy have been ruled out.
Wheat allergy
Wheat allergy is sometimes a valid medical reason for a gluten-free diet.
Gluten-free slimming diet
This type of diet has been popularized by some celebrities, however, experts do not recommend this type of diet as a form of healthy eating or to lose weight due to its possible negative effects on health.
Symptoms of gluten intolerance
In the case of children, they usually present symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, low weight or growth problems among others, which makes gluten allergy easily detected. Adults, on the other hand, generally present more discreet symptoms with symptoms such as mild diarrhea, weight loss, anemia or constipation.
In addition, they may also present signs such as a propensity to bruise or nosebleeds, fatigue, itchy skin, hair loss, mouth ulcers, absence of menstruation, muscle cramps or intolerance to other nutrients such as lactose.
Tips to get started on the gluten diet
Doctors warn of the great importance that people who suspect that they are celiac and therefore decide to adopt a gluten-free diet previously perform an intestinal biopsy that demonstrates intolerance to it. According to experts, starting this diet without having confirmed this suspicion can delay or mask the diagnosis of possible celiac disease.
Those who have confirmed their intolerance to gluten must strictly follow a gluten-free diet throughout their lives, since the slightest ingestion of this protein could cause damage to the intestinal villi. Furthermore, these lesions will not always manifest themselves through clinical symptoms.
The person who has been diagnosed with gluten intolerance will have to completely rethink both their shopping and cooking. To facilitate this change, nutritionists recommend organizing the menu based on the following foods, in addition to writing a shopping list.
Gluten-free food shopping list
- Fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Meat: fresh beef or pork, fresh poultry, fresh fish or seafood, and eggs.
- Dairy: unflavored milk, cream, aged cheese, some yogurts, butter, margarine, cream cheese, cottage cheese, and sour cream.
- Frozen foods: natural fruits and vegetables, some ice creams and sorbets, frozen gluten-free waffles, etc.
- Some snacks: chips, corn tortillas, popcorn, rice cakes, rice cakes, nuts, seeds, gelatin, and pudding.
- Packaged and canned: natural fruits and vegetables, canned tuna or chicken, beans and lentils.
- Cereals and grains: cream of rice, corn grits, rice flakes, brown rice or white rice and some corn pancakes.
- Some condiments: jellies, jams, honey, peanut butter, corn or potato starch, some corn and maple honeys, molasses, brown, white or icing sugar, spices and herbs, salt, pepper, sauces, pickles, olives , ketchup, mustard, distilled vinegars, and most salad dressings.
What is the gluten-free diet?
The gluten-free diet consists of avoiding any product that contains wheat, oats, barley, rye, spelled, triticale and / or derived products such as starch, flour, bread, pasta, etc.
Among the foods that may contain gluten are sausages, pâtés, processed cheeses, spreads, grated or sliced, canned meat and fish, especially if they include sauces, sauces, coffee substitutes, chocolate and cocoa, roasted or fried nuts, candy and sweets, and ice cream.
The person with celiac disease may take any type of food that does not contain gluten in its origin: meat, fish, eggs, milk, gluten-free cereals (rice and corn), legumes, tubers, fruits, vegetables, vegetables, edible fats and sugar.
Precautions
In the first place, experts recommend that when in doubt as to whether or not a product contains gluten, the person who follows a gluten-free diet for medical indication chooses to discard it.
The person who has to follow this diet will have to exercise maximum caution when consuming manufactured products because, according to specialists, reading the product label at the time of purchase is not a completely safe measure. Although current legislation requires specifying the botanical origin of flours, starches, starches, semolina and any other derivative of the cereals, wheat, oats, rye and triticale used, this can lead to confusion.
When purchasing processed and / or packaged products, the person who adopts this diet will have to verify that the list of ingredients that appears on the label does not include any of the following:
Gluten, cereals, modified starches (E-1404, E-1410, E-1412, E-1413, E-1414, E-1420, E-1422, E1440, E-1442, E-1450), starch, starch, fiber, thickeners, semolina, protein, vegetable protein, protein hydrolyzate, malt, malt extract, yeast, yeast extract, spices and flavorings.
In addition, nutritionists recommend totally avoiding bulk and artisanal products, as well as those that are not labeled and in which the ingredients cannot be verified. They also recommend being careful with the handling of food in bars, restaurants and school canteens, and consult the way of preparation and the ingredients in each dish, before consuming them.
Experts also advise people with gluten intolerance to avoid frying gluten-free foods in oils where gluten-containing products have previously been fried, as well as to eliminate wheat flours and normal breadcrumbs to use flour and breadcrumbs instead. gluten-free or mashed potato flakes for coating, packing, breading or thickening sauces.
Finally, specialists indicate taking maximum precautions with imported food, since the same manufacturer can use different ingredients for a product that is marketed under the same trademark, according to the different regulations of the countries.
What happens if a person with celiac disease ingests gluten?
For a person diagnosed with celiac disease, the gluten present in food becomes toxic and causes damage to the intestine, where it creates an autoimmune response that generates inflammation and deterioration of the mucosa. These damages decrease the absorption of essential nutrients and can cause nutritional deficiency. In addition, in the event that the diagnosis is delayed or the gluten-free diet is not followed, people with celiac disease may suffer complications such as decreased bone density, autoimmune disorders, iron deficiency anemia, unintentional weight loss, folate and vitamin B12 deficiency or various types of colon or intestinal cancer.
Why avoid gluten if you don’t have symptoms?
Some people who are gluten intolerant do not have symptoms, however, if the blood test and intestinal biopsy show that the person is gluten intolerant, they will run the risk of suffering the same complications as any other celiac if they do not undergo a gluten-free diet.