Gluten Allergy Information

Nearly 1 in 100 people in America have some form of allergy to gluten, a protein found in several different grains. Symptoms of this allergy are varied and wide-ranging, but can include stomach and gastro-intestinal upset, unexplained fatigue, weight loss, and skin problems, as well as more serious conditions such as Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, asthma and autism.

Due to the fact that the possible symptoms associated with a gluten allergy, and its related allergies and diseases, it is very difficult to diagnose a gluten allergy in most cases. Generally several other possibilities are looked at and considered first, and only when it is clear that they are not to blame is a gluten allergy considered. In this article we'll explore exactly what a gluten allergy is, what you should do if you think you may have one, and how to avoid getting gluten in your diet.

Gluten is a protein found in several grains: wheat, barley, rye, and oats. Have you ever mixed wheat flour together with water and seen how sticky and stretchy the dough gets? That's the gluten reacting with the water to form an elastic, stretchable network throughout the dough. The network that gluten forms is what allows wheat bread to rise and keep air in the loaf, instead of having all of the air escape and the loaf fall.

As harmless as gluten sounds - and for most people, it is completely harmless - there are a number of people in America and around the world that have some sort of allergy or negative reaction to the protein. These allergies have essentially three levels of severity: wheat allergy, gluten allergy and celiac disease.

A wheat allergy is when a person has an allergic reaction to wheat and only wheat. It is closely linked to a gluten allergy, but someone who is allergic to only wheat can eat the other gluten-containing grains with no problem.As with any allergy, the solution to the problem is fairly straightforward: simply avoid the offending substance and you'll be OK. Avoiding wheat will take a good bit of work, but it's entirely possible to do.

A gluten allergy is when a person is actually allergic to the gluten protein. They cannot eat any of the gluten grains mentioned above without some sort of reaction. Again, simply avoiding the offending grains in their diet will take care of the problem.

The most serious of the three conditions, celiac disease is an auto-immune disorder that causes the body to damage itself when gluten is introduced into the digestive tract of a person with the disease. The primary difference between celiac and a gluten allergy is that any gluten in the system of a person with celiac is going to cause damage to their digestive tract, whereas a person with a gluten allergy can have some limited amounts of gluten in his diet with no harmful effects.

Trying to eat a gluten free diet can be very overwhelming at first, but once you get used to the idea it's not too difficult. You can cook your own gluten free foods, with just a little bit of practice, so the two biggest problem areas are buying food from the store and eating in restaurants. Let's talk about some things to look out for when buying groceries.

First off, any and all bread products you find in a grocery store are completely off limits (unless they are specifically marked "Gluten Free"). This includes loaves of bread, rolls, biscuits, pastries, doughnuts, crackers and anything else made with dough. Practically 100% of the time wheat flour is going to be used, and if they use another flour to make the bread, the chances of cross contamination are still very high.

Other things to look out for are pasta (which is usually made with semolina, a wheat flour), gravies, soups (especially cream of chicken/broccoli/mushroom etc), broth thickeners, cereals. The great thing about being in a grocery store is that you can just check the ingredient list of each item you buy to make sure it's clean. Remember, if you're avoiding all gluten, then any mention of what, rye, barley or oats means it's no good.

Your first trip to the grocery store when you're trying to buy gluten free products is going to be overwhelming, but just take a deep breath and get through it. Once you know what products you used to buy are no good and which ones you can substitute for them, things will get much faster and easier.

I don't really have room here to give you any full gluten free recipes, but you can certainly cook your own gluten free foods if you have a little bit of skill in the kitchen. Let's talk about some standard gluten free ingredients that you'll be using.

Gluten free flours are the first place to start when you begin cooking gluten free foods. The most popular gluten free flour is whole grain brown rice flour. It has a great taste and there's not a whole lot that you have to change in your recipes to start using it. Other popular gluten free flours are gar-fava flour (a mixture of garbanzo bean and fava bean flours), tapioca flour and potato flour.

Another item you'll be using a good bit is xanthan gum. This ingredient takes the place of gluten in the flours you'll be using and provides the stretchy elasticity that you would be lacking otherwise with the removal of gluten from your foods.

For more information on health and diet related topics, check out the links to my other Hubs below.

• Some great juicer recipes for fresh juice
• Eating a Gluten Free Diet