A complete guide to Gluten-Free diet foods

Gluten-free diet, every one of us has heard this term at least once in our life. But how many of us know what actually is a gluten-free diet? Is gluten-diet is some way to lose weight? Is it healthy? Should everyone do it?

In this article, we will give you a complete overview of the gluten-free diet. Should you do this or not? You will be going to find all of your answers about the gluten-free diet in this article.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

What is Gluten?

First things first, what is this gluten everyone is raving about? Let me tell you, gluten is a mixture of two proteins and it is abundantly present in food made of wheat, cereal grains, and rye.

Gluten is a harmless component in foods for most people, but for some, it can be sometimes lethal. These people are allergic to gluten or may have coeliac disease or type 1 diabetes, both of these are autoimmune diseases.

This is where the concept of a gluten-free diet came from. Because this is the only effective treatment of gluten allergy and coeliac disease.

Importance of Gluten-Free Diet

A gluten-free diet is an essential lifestyle for people who are suffering from diseases that are caused by gluten intake. Following are the known gluten allergies a person can suffer if he is gluten sensitive.

Type of gluten allergies

There are four types of gluten allergies:

Coeliac Disease

According to National Health Sciences, United Kingdom, Coeliac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the tissues of your gut (small intestine) are susceptible to your immune system, resulting in the incomplete absorption of nutrients from the small intestines.

The symptoms of coeliac disease vary from person to person, even some persons are asymptomatic. In children, the symptoms of coeliac disease are not shown until they hit puberty. The most common symptoms that have been ultimately diagnosed in people suffering from coeliac disease are:

• Stomach ache or Heartburn
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Bloating or flatulence
• Anemia
• Joint pain
• Brain fog
• Rashes
• Depression or anxiety
• Tingling sensation in arms and feet

Depression, migraines, and tingling sensation in limbs are less common symptoms but an important indication in asymptomatic people, otherwise.

 Non-coeliac Disease

Non-coeliac gluten sensitivity is strikingly similar to coeliac disease and it is very difficult to distinguish between these two conditions without medical testing. The symptoms of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity are:

• Stomach pain or heartburn
• Farting and bloating
• Diarrhea or constipation
• Fatigue
• Brain Fog
• Migraines
• Rashes or eczema

Like Coeliac disease, patients of non-coeliac gluten sensitivity can also suffer from joint pain, depression or anxiety, and tingling sensation in limbs.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Dermatitis Herpetiformis seems like an allergic reaction due to its characteristic skin rash, but in actual it is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a gluten-sensitive person intakes gluten. Its common symptoms are:

• Flushed skin
• Small pimple-like bumps on the skin
• Itching and burning sensations
• Purple-colored marks where bumps are healing

Buttocks, Elbows, knees, and back of the neck are the most common parts of the body for rashes for the dermatitis herpetiformis.

Gluten Ataxia

The rarest gluten allergy you can have is Gluten Ataxia, a brain disorder. Scary, right? It is, again, an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks the specific part of your brain called the cerebellum, upon the intake of gluten. It is a progressive disease in which initially a person has negligible balance problems, but with the passage of time, he ends up having significant disabilities.

The characteristic symptoms of Gluten Ataxia are:

• Difficulty in walking
• Unbalanced gait
• Lack of coordination and clumsiness
• Difficulty in performing a task that requires fine motor skills
• Problems in speech
• Difficulty in swallowing foods

How can you practice a Gluten-Free diet?

With so many gluten intolerance diseases, it is sometimes hard to know what kind of gluten sensitivity you have. So, consult a doctor to properly diagnose your condition and get treatment on time.

As, there is no medical treatment for gluten sensitivity, but the most effective method to treat all of the above conditions is a Gluten-free diet. If you know you are suffering from any of the above conditions you should totally eradicate the gluten from your diet.

You might be wondering, how you can opt gluten-free diet as gluten is present in many of our staple foods, making it difficult to avoid gluten completely. But it is not that difficult you just need to educate yourself more about what foods have gluten and what don’t. So much hard work!

Hear us out, we went an extra mile for you and listed all the possible foods you should eat and the food you should avoid.

Here the list:

 Gluten-Rich Diet: Foods you should avoid if you are Gluten Intolerant

Gluten is abundantly present in wheat, barley, rye, and all the other foods that are made from these grains.

The primary sources of gluten are;

• Wheat and everything that is made of wheat like wheat bran, wheat flour, semolina, etc.
• Rye
• Barley
• Malt
• Triticale
• Brewer’s Yeast

Other than  these primary sources, some other foods in which gluten is added in small yet sin significant quantities to trigger the gluten insensitivity, are:

• Baked Items: pizza, bread, cakes, cookies, muffins, pastries, etc.
• Food for Snacks: Muesli bars, crackers, roasted nuts, chips, pretzels, popcorns, some candies, and canned foods.
• Sauces: salad dressings, Teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, Marinades, etc.
• Pasta: All the pasta made of wheat
• Bread: All bread made of wheat flour
• Drinks: Beer, Barley Squashes, Ales, flavored alcoholic beverages.

After reading this list you must be thinking, “Gluten is everywhere, how possibly someone can avoid it completely”. People have been doing that and you can do this as well because this the only option.

The easiest way to avoid gluten is to eat single-ingredient-based whole foods. And you should also have to develop the habit of reading food labels, it would help you in noticing the gluten even in most unexpected foods.

Gluten-Free Diet: Food you should eat if you are Gluten intolerant

Here’s the fun part; What can you eat if you are gluten insensitive aka Gluten-Free Diet.  There is still plenty of food you can eat while you are on a gluten-free diet.

The Gluten-free diet includes:

• Dairy: Plain milk, yogurt, cheeses. (you should avoid the flavored dairy product because they may contain gluten, so the best practice is to read the labels of these items while buying them).
• Eggs: Eggs are gluten-free so enjoy them without any worries.
• Meat and fish: Isn’t this good news that meat and fish are gluten-free (obviously if you don’t coat them in flour batter)
• Fruits and vegetables: All the fruits and vegetables are gluten-free, which means healthy eating is not out of options.
• Grains: You still have plenty of grain to eat if you are following a gluten-free diet like Quinoa, rice, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats (gluten-free)
• Starches and Flours: Are you missing cakes, pastries, and pizzas, do not worry! Replace the wheat-based flours with, cornflour almond flour, coconut flour, or soy flour. You can satisfy your craving in a healthy way.
• Herbs and spices: All the herbs and spices are gluten-free, so you are not going to miss any flavor of life while you are not on a gluten-free diet.
• Drinks: Most of the drinks are gluten-free except beers. You can read the labels for extra precautions.

See, you still have a lot of options to eat, you can create amazing recipes with the above-mentioned foods.

Negative effects of Gluten-free Diet

Although the gluten-free diet is the only option to treat the disease of gluten insensitivity, yet the gluten-free diet has some associated side effects.

The deficiency of Vitamin B is the main problem in people who are following the Gluten-free diet because gluten-free food is not enriched in vitamin B.

As a Gluten-free diet is not a good source of fiber, you can experience constipation frequently while you are on this diet.

Lastly, the gluten-free diet can be expensive on your pockets and make it difficult for you to socialize with your friends because you always have to worry about the ingredients of your food and it can be a joy killer sometimes.

Wrapping up

The gluten-free diet may have some side effects, but if you are gluten sensitive, you have to bear these side effects to save your life. The most important part is educating yourself and your family about the concept of gluten-free foods if want to practice a Gluten-free diet. Because this is the only option to lead a healthy and problem-free life if you suffer from a disease like coeliac disease.

In fact, with a little intelligence, you can eliminate these side effects, like taking vitamin B supplements to compensate for your vitamin b deficiency. And going to the restaurants or places that offer gluten-free foods so that you can enjoy, worrying about the ingredients of your foods. Why not check out 4 Good Food gluten-free diet foods we make them all in-house to make sure anything is done correctly and safe for our customers.