What and Why of A Gluten Free Diet

If you have an allergy to wheat and wheat products then a Gluten- free diet is a must for you. Simply put, gluten is a kind of protein present in wheat, rye and barley, and used as a flavoring agent in some foods. A gluten free diet is popularly recommended by doctors for people with celiac disease, more commonly known as wheat allergy. There is some degree of contention regarding the term "gluten" diet with some doctors claiming that the term refers to a so- called harmless level of the protein instead of its complete absence. Even the actual level up to which gluten is considered harmless is a highly debated topic. Owing to this contention, different countries fix different caps on the amount of gluten present in a food in order for it to be labelled ‘gluten- free’. The recent International Codex Alimentarius standard permits 20 ppm of gluten in gluten- free products. A negative effect of the gluten free diet is that it does not provide the same amount of nutrients like irons and fibers in comparison to other diets. People following this diet must look for alternate means of nutrition to avoid the onset of anemia and other related ailments. The diet if not supported by the necessary nutrition may also affect calcium levels leading to weakness and degeneration of bones. The most common foods included in the gluten free diet include rich sources of starch rice, potatoes and corn. Besides these, several types of beans like soybeans are considered appropriate for this diet. People with wheat allergies should be extra cautious because lip balms and lip sticks often contain gluten. In fact gluten is also popularly used as a thickener in ice creams. One should also be careful while buying medicines as some drugs do have gluten content. Interestingly, the glue used to seal on envelopes also contains gluten.