The Gluten-Free Diet
The gluten-free diet is for people who have the Celiac disease-that is their small intestine does not have the ability to digest the gluten protein. Gluten are the particles that bond the fibers of wheat together so that-in the case of wheat flour-it can stay firm and rise without losing integrity. Let’s take a look at a little background on the Celiac disease.
The Celiac disease, because glutens are insoluble and indigestible, is a disease afflicting millions of people. Barley, wheat, and rye can be very harmful to anyone with the disease, as well as a large number of products that are derived from the former. Typical symptoms are irritable or inflamed bowels; chronic weakness; mental/behavior problems; very dry skin; bone density loss and a prolonged, increased appetite. While that is not an exhaustive list, it contains most of the more-common symptoms.
Many people are even unaware that they have Celiac for many years, and they-unknowingly-continue to dump toxic proteins into their small intestine. With enough time, it becomes more and more inflamed and can lead to a significant loss in the quality of their lives-not to mention a host of complications that commonly arise from it.
Gluten free flour can come from a host of products. Soybeans and regular bean-made flour is gluten free, as is corn and cornstarch. Rice, potato starches, and other organic vegetables and fruits are completely safe as well. Wine and most other liqueurs are also permitted, as long as they do not include or contain beer.
Chinese spinach, Indian spinach and African spinach contain Amaranth. Amaranth flour is another wonderful gluten free flour. It’s used to thicken foods and make sauces. In addition, corn, white and brown rice, and potatoes are typically safe–as long as no other unapproved item is applied to them.
Other kinds of gluten free flours include Almond meal flour, black/red bean, white cornmeal and “blue” cornmeal. Even more of these special flours include: brown flax-seed meal, millet flour, potato and potato starch flour. You didn’t know so many wheat-free flours existed, did you?
It’s also worth mentioning that you have to keep your nutrient-intake up. Since legacy wheat-based products are often enriched with many vitamins, if you are on a gluten-free diet-you may not be compensating enough for the lack of those nutrients. A few of them include niacin, foliate, iron and B12; and can be easily-obtained through the rights foods or a multi-vitamin supplement pill.
Here’s a good recipe for rising-flour that you can even make right in your kitchen. Gather a half-teaspoon cream of tartar, a half-teaspoon of bicarbonate soft drink, two tablespoons potato flour + the difference left of a cup of rice flour (1 cup rice flour MINUS the 2 tablespoons potato flour it takes to fill it to the top), and finally-a teaspoon xanthan gum. As far as meats are concerned, you’re covered! Pot roast, Peppercorn-flavored beef (that’s 100% fresh, with all meat products), fresh turkey, fresh-unflavored pork and lightly-seasoned steak that has no marinades are usually good. Stay away from any breaded or fried foods though, stay far away.
There is a lot of hope for those suffering from Celiac disease. New procedures are being adopted, like capsule endoscopy (for early diagnosis), and the NIDDKD organization is constantly researching and learning more about the disease to help people live a better life. There are also prescription drugs that are in the testing-phase, and promising studies of detoxifying enzymes before glutens even come in contact with the small intestine.
Marisca DeJolie is a normal housewife and mother who decided years ago to become a food expert for the sake of her health and that of her family. She has recently found The Gluten Free Family site and it excited about all the health benefits that a gluten free diet can have and invites you to learn more as well.