Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Facts About Gluten

By Scarlet Black


A protein molecule that is normally found in grains like wheat, barley and rye is known as gluten. Gluten is mostly found in almost all kinds of grain, bread and cereals. Foods that do not contain gluten include oats, sunflower seeds, teff, soybeans, amaranth, quinoa, buckwheat, millet, rice and corn which mean that food products that make use of these ingredients mostly are gluten free.

The main purpose of using gluten as a main ingredient for bread is that it makes the bread elastic and chewy. Therefore, if gluten is not included in the ingredients of bread, the bread dough becomes thick and sticky that may result to a bread that is hard and dense. Aside from its ability to make the bread rise and make it chewy and elastic, gluten also provides proteins and nutrients. Other than that, it also helps to give bread their beautiful and normal shape and appearance. Another characteristic of gluten is its ability to absorb. You can observe that bread has the ability to absorb not only water but other liquids like gravy or pasta sauces, this is because of the gluten's ability to absorb liquid. This is also the reason why gluten is commonly used in many meat substitute products because gluten can imitate the absorbent quality of meat.

Two kinds are people are known to avoid gluten, those people that believe that presence of gluten in their food may cause them health problems and those people suffering from gluten allergy or also known as Celiac disease. Below are some tips that can help you to live a gluten free life:

-If you have already decided to live your life free from gluten, you have to make it a point that you know what food products and ingredients contain gluten in order for you to be able to avoid them. Foods to be avoided include rye, pasta, wheat and barley.

-Reading the labels of foods that you are buying is essential in order for you to make sure that you will not buy foods that contain gluten. Ingredients such as "food starch" and "modified food starch" may mean that they contain gluten.

-Gluten free diets is not only accepted in countries like USA but also in many other countries and there are restaurants and food chains that serve a gluten free menu to help those people that are avoiding gluten to be consistent with their diet plan.

-Several gluten free recipes are also available in the internet. Food recipes for foods such as gluten free alcoholic drinks, gluten free bread and gluten free crackers can be found be found in the internet.

-Flour normally contains gluten and it is commonly used as ingredients for food like gravy and other sauces. If ever you want to make sauces that require the use of flour, you can substitute flour by using either corn starch or arrow root.

People that experiences symptoms of gluten allergy or Celiac disease are advised to seek medical help in order for them to know what possible medical intervention is necessary for them. This is due to the fact that even though gluten is one vital part of people's nutrition, it may also be the cause for other people's digestive problems.




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