Gluten free diet for celiac disease

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, and food additive in the form of a flavoring, stabilizing or thickening agent. Gluten may cause health problems for some people. Gluten is mainly found in foods, medicines, lip balms and vitamins. Gluten free diet is essential for gluten allergies and celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a autoimmune disorder triggered by eating gluten. It is a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. Celiac disease is also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy. People who have celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten. Many health stores and super markets now carry gluten free foods. These stores make foods with rice flour, potato flour instead of wheat flour.

Symptoms of celiac disease:

Some of the common symptoms include:

• Abdominal bloating
• Pain in abdomen
• Vomitting
• Chronic diarrhea
• Foul smelling stool
• Weight loss

More serious problems include bone and joint pains, dermatitis herpetiforms, infertility problems, seizures, missed periods and depression.

Grains to avoid on a gluten free diet:

Some of the grains to avoid on a gluten free diet are barley, wheat, rye, commercial oats, malt, and malt extract, couscous, semolina, bulgar, durum, spelt, farina, kamut, farro, and einkorn. Avoid all breads, cereals, baking items, pastas and mixes that contain these garins.

Foods to avoid on a gluten free diet:

Bread crumbs, pretzels, crackers, packaged rice and noodle mixes, chocolate drinks, hot cocoa mixes, processed cheeses, wheat tortillas, breaded vegetables, canned baked beans, flavored yogurts, flavored vegeatbles, breaded meat, imitation seafood, fish, poultry. Avoid foods containing hydrolyzed vegetable protein and soy sauce. Hydrolyzed vegetable protein contain gluten

Beers: Beer contain gluten. Most of the beers are brewed with malted barley or wheat. You can buy gluten free beers. It is made with sorghum and buckwheat.

Grains allowed on a gluten free diet:

Several grains are acceptable for a gluten free diet. You can eat grains such as rice, potato, corn, uncontaminated oats, buckwheat, quinoa, tapoca, yam, amaranth, arrowroot flour, guar gum, gelatin, and sorghum.