What Is Gluten Free Diet?

The gluten free diet is an eating plan that is void of the protein gluten. Various grains such as wheat, rye and barley contain this protein. A diet free from this protein was devised to help provide relief for people with celiac disease. People with this disease have issues assimilating gluten into their bodies, and this causes them to have intestinal inflammation. By removing the gluten from their diets, these people can alleviate their symptoms and avoid complications. Other people who may suffer from gluten sensitivity without it being celiac disease may also benefit from this diet to relieve their issues. If a person does not have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, he or she can eat foods that contain this protein without issue.

Adopting a Diet Free of Gluten Is a Challenge at First

When you need to remove gluten from your food intake, you will find the first few months on a diet free of gluten a bit of a challenge until you learn which foods to and not to eat. In addition, if you bake cakes, cookies and other treats along with preparing meals, you will need to learn which gluten-free products will work in your recipes. For this reason, before you change over you should read up on allowable foods for this diet.

Allowable Foods

You may be a bit hesitant about gluten-free foods thinking that they will taste bad or cook up in strange ways, but this will all change when you learn that the following foods are allowable on your new diet:

• Fruits
• Fresh fish, poultry and other meats without breading or seasoning
• All types of vegetables, including beans
• Nuts and seeds
• Milk and a number of other dairy products
• Fresh eggs

The following gluten-free foods also are allowable as long as you ensure that they are not processed in the same plant as those that contain gluten:

• Buckwheat
• Rice
• Corn meal
• Quinoa
• Gluten-free flours
• Oats and oatmeal

Foods to Avoid on This Diet

To consume a diet free of gluten, you must avoid the following foods:

• Wheat, barley, rye and products that contain them such as certain flours and processed products
• Malt, malt vinegar and malt flavouring since they contain barley
• Graham flour and crackers
• Semolina products
• Farina

The above is just a sampling of what a gluten free diet is all about, and to ensure that you change over easily you must read all labeling since processed products such as bread, pasta, gravies and sauces, cakes and many other items contain gluten in some form at times. When you are careful, though, you can transition in a short time to relieve your celiac or gluten-sensitivity issues.