4 Benefits Of A Gluten Free Diet in 2023

BENEFITS OF A GLUTEN FREE DIET

 

Are you worried about your gluten intake? Does it bother you that your gluten free meals deprive you of any nutrients? If yes then this article on the benefits of indulging on a diet free of gluten is a must-read. With recent trends in the health and wellness industry, gluten diets happen to be one of the latest casualties. Most health and wellness enthusiasts, writers and practitioners advice for a drastic reduction in the consumption of gluten containing foods. They rather advocate for gluten free diets, because of its enormous health benefits.

 

What is Gluten?

A gluten diet is one that contains a sticky, stretchy or elastic, glue-like protein called gluten. Gluten is a protein present in foods like wheat, barley and rye. All foods made from wheat, barley and rye have a high concentration of  gluten. The word gluten has its origin from "glue", which is a gum. It is used in some foods as a thickening agent or to improve the flavor or chewy feel. A gluten free diet is one that is devoid of gluten and other gluten containing foods. 

 

Health Benefits of Gluten Free Diets

Whether you are gluten intolerant or suffering from celiac disease, cutting down your gluten intake is a win win for you. This is because apart from the health challenges mentioned earlier, indulging in gluten food intake has been linked to body weight gain and most other health challenges. The following are the goodies that come with maintaining a gluten free diet.

 

• A Spike in Energy: If you are suffering from gluten intolerance or celiac disease, you need to stay away from its foods. Consumption of gluten foods damages the intestines of those who are intolerant to it, thereby reducing the rate of absorption of nutrients into the system. Since energy is produced from the absorbed nutrient, this only means that lower energy would be produced. This leads to fatigue and low energy. Consumption of a gluten free diet on the other hand, means that your intestines would always be in good shape to absorb as much nutrients required to Spike your energy levels. 
   
• Weight Gain: Diets free of gluten are known for promoting a healthy weight gain or maintaining such healthy body weight. Gluten intolerance leads to conditions that result in loss of nutrients. These conditions may include diarrhea, gas, fatigue. These conditions may go on mildly for a long time. As a result, poor nutrient intake may also go on unnoticed for a long time. This is what usually leads to a drastic drop in weight for people in such conditions. If you are suffering from celiac disease or gluten intolerance, gluten free foods would help you keep or gain a healthy body weight.
   
• Removes gas and reduces bloating: If you are suffering from gluten sensitivity, consuming gluten foods would lead to a high accumulation of gas and bloating. This is largely due to the poor digestion and absorption as a result of malfunctioning intestines. A switch to a gluten free diet would ensure that all the gasses are eliminated, which also stops bloating.
   
• Helps Cure Digestive Issues: The smallest amount of gluten foods intake in a celiac patient is unhealthy. If you have celiac disease or suffer from gluten sensitivity, consumption of such foods may be an invitation to digestive issues. Celiac disease causes an autoimmune reaction at sensing of gluten foods. Gluten free foods are known for being friendly to celiac patients. 
   
• Reduces the possibility of regular migraines: As all body parts are connected to others, so is the gastrointestinal tract connected to the brain. From studies, it has been found that whenever the gut(gastrointestinal tract) is affected, migraines begin to occur regularly. Due to gluten’s sticky texture it tends to get stuck in the intestine and cause migraines. A switch to gluten free foods reduces the regular occurrence of migraines. 
   
• Reduces the rate of intolerance to lactose: Lactose is the sugar from dairy products such as milk. The enzyme that breaks down lactose is called lactase. This enzyme is usually found in the walls of the gut. People who are gluten intolerant or suffer from celiac disease are usually intolerant to lactose because they have a damaged gut. A damaged gut means that the concentration of the enzyme lactase would be seriously affected. A poor presence of lactase would lead to inability to break down lactose. This is what leads to lactose intolerance. Indulging in gluten free diets would help to reduce the rate of lactose intolerance.
   
• Healthy bones: a major component of the bones is calcium. A poor concentration of calcium implies that one would have unhealthy bones. This may be related to diseases prevalent like osteoporosis, and osteopenia. Due to the poor absorption of nutrients from the gut, celiac patients usually suffer from severe bone pains. A further consumption of gluten foods would only worsen the state of the bones. If you are suffering from celiac disease you are advised to eat more gluten free foods, as this would provide more nutrients like calcium to maintain your bones' health.
   
• Increase in the skin's Health: Consumption of gluten free foods has been found to increase the health of the skin. Most gluten free foods such as vegetables and fruits are rich in vitamins C, E and K. These vitamins have been established to improve and maintain the health of the skin. Vitamin D is also very important to the skin. They help to reduce dryness, eliminate rashes, dark spots, rough patches, wrinkles and redness.

 

Why You Should Maintain a Strict Gluten Free Diet

 

1. Celiac: This is a disease that occurs when the body defense system takes gluten for a harmful substance. The white blood cells attack gluten, thereby causing damage to the intestines. Those with celiac are likely to have other health challenges due to the poor absorption of nutrients by the body. The most prevalent are neurological problems and bone related diseases like osteoporosis, infertility, arthritis or rheumatism. 
    
2. Gluten Intolerance: It is possible to have issues with gluten without having celiac. The inability of the body to properly digest gluten is always an issue. If you notice that you have issues with your digestive system after eating gluten, you may just be gluten sensitive. This condition is called Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity (NCGS).
    
3. Allergy to wheat: Some people are allergic to wheat and other grains. At the consumption of any of these foods, some people may develop symptoms like:
   1. Diarrhea
   2. Vomiting
   3. Shortness of breath 
   4. Coughing
   5. Skin rashes 
   6. Irritation or swelling of the mouth or throatSkin Reaction
   7. The same antibodies that cause celiac also cause skin reactions such as dermatitis herpetiformis. This disease is associated with the body's inability to properly digest gluten.

 

Identifying Gluten Foods

 

Gluten foods are foods made from wheat, barley and rye. These foods usually contain a high concentration of gluten. Wheat is the most commonly used among them. Examples of gluten foods include:

• Bread: Most breads contain high quantities of gluten. However, some specially made bread don't contain gluten. 
• Cakes, doughnuts, and all baked foods
• All kinds of pasta, including spaghetti, macaroni, etc
• Cereals like oath, unless labeled as "gluten free"
• Crackers
• Beer: it's made from wheat and barley

 

Idenitfying Of Gluten Free Foods:

 

Gluten free foods can be classified into;

• Natural(organic)  
• Processed

 

Example of natural gluten free foods include:

• Unprocessed poultry products like meat and egg
• Unprocessed meat or fish
• Natural form of seeds such as beans and legumes
• Dairy products
• Vegetables and fruits
• Tubers like potatoes in their organic state
• Natural form of rice

 

Examples of the processed form of gluten foods include:

• Popcorn
• Coffee
• Chocolate
• Yogurt
• Rice cakes
• Plain potatoes chips
   

Examples of Gluten Free Foods in India

 

Are you planning on traveling to Delhi ncr, or do you live there permanently?  Are you thinking of what best foods to eat to stay away from gluten in that city? You don't need to worry much. Delhi and most of India have a rich list of gluten free foods. Here's a list of some you may fall in love with:

• Poha
• Bajra Roti also called Makki ki Roti
• Dosa
• Papadum
• Pakora
• Thali
• Lassi
• Bhujia
• Pulao and Biryani
• Dal
• Grilled meat
• Gluten free bread

 

If you are looking for a nice restaurant to spoil yourself with some nice gluten free cuisines in Delhi ncr, here's a list of some:

• Greenr Cafe
• Burma Burma
• AMPM Cafe and Bar
• Town Hall
• Fig At museo
• Fab Cafe By The Lake
• Getafix
• Sweet obsession Bakery
• Nutrio Box
• Hale and Hearty
• Ladera
• Baketards
• Dayum
• GreeNox Lounge
• Stop My Starvation
• Norshers Cafe
• Baking Bliss
• Cream Forest Bakery
• Cake Bhandar
• Choko Lar
• Browntown
• Geetanjali Sweets and Restaurant

 

How to Stay Free Gluten in a Covid Regime

 

With the prevalence of disease outbreaks such as Covid, knowing what to eat has become so important. A healthy dieting system is helpful in fighting invading microbes. But, how do you remain gluten free in a Covid Regime of lockdowns? Here's a few tips to help guide you through:

 

• Remain disciplined on a healthy gluten free diet
• Stock up enough gluten free foods to ensure that you don't run short.
• Store your foods in the right conditions to ensure that they don't go off nutrients and taste.
• Stay in contact with a Gluten free bank or shop to ensure that you get supplied as often as you need.
• Always make a list of what items to buy before you go shopping, to ensure that you don't buy gluten contents by chance.
• Drink a lot of water to flush away any few traces of gluten
• Stay in contact with virtual friends who are following a gluten free diet for accountability

 

How to Flush out Gluten From Your Body

If you want to keep gluten in check to maintain your health or you want to flush it out of your system, drink plenty of water. Water being a universal solvent is capable of dissolving and excreting any trace quantity of gluten from your body.

 

Why exactly is Gluten unhealthy?

Gluten, being a protein, is made up of smaller units of amino acids, which are linked together by peptide bonds. The hydrochloric (HCl) acid in the stomach hardly breaks it's bonds. This is why gluten is not easily digested in the digestive system. For those with autoimmune response disorder, gluten is seen as a harmful substance by the white blood cells. Then, the defense system starts fighting against it. Ordinarily, gluten is a healthy food nutrient.

 

Gluten Free During Pregnancy

 

Pregnant women who are gluten sensitive or suffer from celiac disease must maintain a gluten free diet during pregnancy in order to protect their health and the fetus. If proper diet is not followed by a pregnant celiac disease mother, serious health challenges may occur such as:

• Baby with low birth weight
• Tendency of having a preterm baby
• Increase chances of cesarean section
• Unhealthy weight loss by the pregnant mother
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Gluten Free Diet for Diabetics

People living with diabetes have no health issues with gluten. However, most gluten foods such as bread, cake, and doughnuts are rich sources of carbohydrates. In fact, nearly all gluten foods are rich sources of sugars, which are not healthy for Diabetics.

 

Gluten free foods on the other hand are largely good for diabetics. Vegetables, low sugar fruits, fish, meat, egg are all healthy gluten free foods for diabetics.

 

People living with both celiac disease and diabetes can work with a dietitian to plan their meals. Adequate meal planning would ensure that all nutrient(s) is/are properly included.

For diabetics without celiac disease, they can indulge on both gluten and gluten free diets without any worries.