What grains can you eat on a gluten-free diet?
Gluten is a staple protein found in some types of grain. Permitted products, i.e. gluten-free, are: potatoes, rice, corn, soybeans, lentils, beans, millet, amaranth, tapioca, cassava.
What grains should be excluded on a gluten-free diet?
When following a gluten-free diet, you should eliminate from your daily diet products containing: wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelled, and oats, which may be contaminated with other grains, including those containing gluten.
If you want to include oats in your menu, choose only certified oats. This way you can be sure that it is gluten-free. However, not everyone on the diet in question tolerates it well.
Why eliminate gluten?
Gluten is harmful to people with celiac disease. It causes the destruction of the intestinal villi, whose task is to increase the absorptive surface of the intestine. As a result, malabsorption of food occurs, accompanied by abdominal pain, discomfort in the abdominal cavity. In addition, a number of deficiencies are observed as a result of malabsorption. Its unfavorable influence affects the functioning of the whole organism. Patients with celiac disease may be deficient in iron as well as folate. The disease also affects children’s development as well as their mental condition.
Who is the gluten-free diet for?
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease with a genetic basis in the therapy of which a gluten-free diet is used. The element differentiating it from other diseases is permanent gluten intolerance. Nutritional therapy must be used continuously for the rest of the patient’s life. Apart from celiac disease, gluten allergy is distinguished. Both disease entities belong to food intolerances. However, they need to be differentiated. Your gluten allergy may go away. In this disease, intestinal villi are not damaged and atrophied. There are also people who are hypersensitive to gluten.
What products should you choose in a gluten-free diet?
Permitted products, i.e. gluten-free, are: potatoes, rice, corn, soybeans, lentils, beans, millet, amaranth, tapioca, cassava. In addition, fruit, vegetables, meat and nuts are safe.
Keep in mind that naturally gluten-free products can get contaminated during almost any stage of production!
How can you be sure your product is gluten-free?
It is worth reaching for products marked with the symbol of the crossed out ear. It is a reliable label that allows consumers to make informed choices. Products containing up to 20 mg of gluten per 1 kg of product are gluten-free.
What to eat and what to avoid in a gluten-free diet?
Grain products
- allowed: rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, rice flakes, gluten-free flour and groats, gluten-free breadcrumbs, corn crisps, popcorn, gluten-free oats
- pay special attention to: corn flakes (the composition may include barley malt); flours: corn, rice, buckwheat – available for sale, as they may be contaminated with gluten
- prohibited: wheat, spelled, rye, triticale, oats, flours from the above-mentioned cereals, couscous, pearl barley, Masurian groats, dumplings, pancakes, bread – except for those labeled gluten-free, pizza, cookies, bread crumbs
Meat, fish, eggs
- allowed: fresh meat, fish and eggs
- pay special attention to: cold cuts, canned fish, meat; pates, black pudding, sausages, minced cutlets, meatballs
- prohibited: traditional breaded meat and fish
Milk and dairy products
- allowed: milk: fresh, from cardboard, powder; yoghurt, buttermilk, natural kefir, unprocessed white and yellow cheese
- pay special attention to: yoghurts, buttermilk, fruit kefirs, chocolate and flavored milk products, reduced-fat dairy products, low-quality yellow cheeses, ready-made white cheeses (producers often use wheat fiber in their production), processed cheese
- prohibited: milk drinks containing barley malt, blue cheese with blue mold
Fats
- allowed: butter, margarine, lard, olive oil, vegetable oil
- pay special attention to: ready-made salad dressings, mayonnaise
- prohibited: none
Vegetables
- allowed: vegetables and fruits are recommended: fresh, canned without additives, frozen, legumes, potatoes
- pay special attention to: salads with sauces, tomato puree, vegetarian products: soy chops, pates, soy mayonnaise
- prohibited: none
Fruits
- allowed: all: fresh, preserved, frozen
- pay particular attention to: dried, may be sprinkled with flour
- prohibited: none
Sugar, sweets, desserts
- allowed: sugar, jams, honey, cakes and cookies baked with permitted ingredients, or labeled gluten-free, potato flour puddings
- Pay special attention to: chewing gums, filled candies, ice cream, ready-made puddings, chocolate, chocolates, crisps, bars
- prohibited: cookies and cakes with the addition of prohibited flour or baking powder or barley malt
Soups
- allowed: homemade from the indicated products
- pay special attention: instant soups, bouillon cubes
- prohibited: soups with the addition of pasta, mousse, seasoned with flour
Beverages
- allowed: tea, natural coffee, fruit juices, mineral water, compotes, herbal infusions
- pay particular attention to: instant coffee, especially flavored coffee, fruit and vegetable drinks
- prohibited: grain coffee, oat cocoa, drinks with barley malt, beer
Spices
- allowed: salt, pepper, wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar, single-ingredient spices
- pay special attention to: vegeta spices, spice mixes, ketchups, mustards, ready-made sauces and dips, soy sauces
- prohibited: none
Gluten-free diet from the kitchen
1. Use separate kitchen utensils to prepare gluten-free meals. You should be aware that even bread crumbs or cakes are harmful. The sieve on which the wheat noodles was drained should not be used for gluten-free pasta.
2. Use separate food boxes: a person with celiac disease should have their own margarine and jam to prevent bread crumbs from getting into them.
3. For safety, use unprocessed, natural products.
4. Use potato or corn flour to thicken the soups.
5. You can make breadcrumbs for meats with almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame, which will give your dish a new flavor. You can also omit breading and prepare roast meats.
6. When preparing your dough, choose gluten-free flours, and also give up traditional baking powder, as it contains wheat flour.
7. Be aware that gluten-free flour blends are poorer in protein, vitamins and minerals.
8. People suffering from celiac disease due to impaired absorption should pay special attention to the variety of groats used. Do not forget about millet and buckwheat. It is important that the menu includes the seeds of legumes.
9. Fruit and vegetables, preferably unprocessed and raw, should be an important part of any menu, in order to prevent vitamin loss.
The author of the article is Aleksandra Turska, a dietitian
The photo is from: diekatrin / Foter / CC BY-SA