dimanche 25 août 2013

Facts About Gluten

By Scarlet Black


What is Gluten? It is a molecule of protein typically found in grains including barley, wheat and rye. Gluten can be found in almost all variety of cereal, grain or bread. But foods like sunflower seeds, oats, soybeans, teff, quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, corn and rice does not contain gluten meaning bread or food products that contain these ingredients are gluten-free.

Gluten is known as the main ingredient of bread and is responsible for giving the bread its chewiness and elasticity. Meaning, breads that do not have gluten as a main ingredient results in dough that are thick and sticky and breads that are dense and hard. Not only does gluten provide bread with its chewy and elastic characteristics but they also provide nutrients and proteins. The beautiful and mostly normal shape of the bread is also a result of having gluten as an ingredient. Gluten also has the ability to absorb water and other liquids. That is why most bread also has the ability to absorb liquids including pasta sauces and gravy. Because of gluten's ability absorb, it is also commonly used in many meat substitute products because they also imitate the meat's absorbent quality.

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.

Gluten is said to be an essential part of people's nutrition, however gluten may also cause digestive problems to some. For people who have observed that they are usually experiencing digestive problems after consuming foods that contain gluten, it is advisable to seek medical help in order for you to be diagnosed and treated if necessary.




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