Are Gluten-free Foods Useful For Everyone?

Gluten is hidden in many foods, so you have to be very careful if you have an intolerance.

Are gluten-free foods useful for everyone? Lately there has been a growing debate about gluten-free foods , including among those who advocate a natural, balanced diet.

Proponents and critics alike find good arguments for and against gluten, which is found in a large number of foods. Various studies seem to show that the gluten protein could be harmful to some people. 

What is gluten

Gluten is a vegetable protein that is mainly found in wheat and other grains. Gluten is said to be responsible for various diseases such as intestinal inflammation, allergies and other ailments.

Some believe that gluten cannot be digested properly and therefore causes problems.

Of course, some people suffer from gluten intolerance or celiac disease. But is it really best for everyone to avoid gluten, or is this nonsense?

Do you know if you have celiac disease?

Fatigue, bone loss, abdominal pain and lactose intolerance. These are some of the symptoms people with celiac disease experience.

Although these symptoms are clear, a medical evaluation is needed to confirm or rule out the disease.

It is assumed that around 800,000 people in Germany suffer from celiac disease. The problem is that many do not show clear symptoms and that the population is not adequately informed about them.

It is an incurable disease in which one has to go without gluten-containing foods for the rest of one’s life.

Gluten free foods

It is not always easy to completely do without gluten, because a lot of foods contain the gluten. These include, for example, the following:

• Pasta
• Bread (alternative: gluten-free bread)
• Sauces
• Breakfast cereal
• Pastries
• beer

Ideally, you should avoid all of these products and replace them with gluten-free foods:

• vegetables
• fruit
• legumes
• poultry
• rice

The diet has to be completely changed, but the organism still has to be supplied with all the important nutrients.

Shop for gluten-free groceries

Many commercial products contain gluten because it often increases the nutritional value, even if the food is not made from wheat or other grains.

The list of ingredients must therefore be carefully examined when shopping. Many products are labeled as “gluten-free” which makes things a little easier.

However, some products do not mention that they contain gluten. This is often the case, for example, with the following foods:

• Soy sauce
• Salad dressings
• yogurt
• Dried fruits
• Blue cheese
• Cold cuts
• some poultry products

One should also be careful with whole grain products as they very often contain gluten.

Cross contamination

You also need to be careful when cooking to avoid cross-contamination. If, for example, gluten-free products are fried in the same oil that was previously used for dishes containing gluten, then the gluten-free products will be contaminated.

In particular, it is important to be careful if one family member is on a gluten-free diet, but the others have no problems. The risk of cross-contamination is great in this case.

Allowed products

There are some foods that are low in gluten. Oatmeal is one of them. They are usually well tolerated by people with celiac disease.

One should always be careful with large amounts of food in order to reduce one’s susceptibility to triggering an allergy. It is also advisable to test food out first.

In addition to people with celiac disease, patients who are affected by allergies, intestinal inflammation, diabetes or heart disease should also consume a little less gluten.

But in the end, everyone has to decide for themselves and find out whether they can tolerate gluten or prefer to do without it.