Why Eat Gluten Free if you are not a Coeliac?

Why Eat Gluten Free if you are not a Coeliac?

Should or shouldn't you eat a gluten free diet?

A gluten-free diet is the only option for people with coeliac disease, a severe gluten intolerance. In the last ten years or so, many people without this condition are 'going gluten free' because they believe it is a healthful option.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and triticale, a combination of wheat and rye. It helps foods such as cereal, bread, and pasta, to hold their shape.

A person with coeliac disease must avoid all foods that contain gluten, even in the smallest amounts.
These can include:
any food made with cereals such as wheat, barley, triticale, rye, and malt
breads
beer
some candies
many desserts
cereals
cakes and pies
purchased french fries
pasta
processed meats
soups
sauce mixes
brown-rice syrup
malt derivatives, including malt loaf, malt vinegar, brewer's yeast, and malt-based beer and malted milk or milk shakes
some types of soy sauce

Of course the more of these foods you make yourself, the more control you have over the gluten you are consuming and in severe cases such as coeliac disease you can control your gluten intake with exactness.

Many foods of course are naturally gluten free and there is no need to be concerned about eating any of those. (Think fruit, meats, eggs, unprocessed nuts, seeds or beans, most dairy products and white rice.

Grains and starches that also may be acceptable as part of a gluten-free diet include buckwheat, corn and cornmeal, linseed, quinoa, rice, soy, arrowroot, and millet.

However, if these grains may have come into contact with grains, preservatives, or additives that contain gluten, a person with celiac disease should avoid them.

SO, why all the hype about gluten free diets being good for you even if you don't have coeliac disease?

Avoiding gluten does no harm;
Rafe Bundy, a nutritionist and spokesperson for the American Association for Nutrition:

"There are many people around the world that consume a diet which is naturally gluten free or low in gluten. A good example is most of Asia, where the main staple food is rice, not wheat. It's perfectly possible to have a healthy diet which is also gluten-free diet using most standard dietary advice."

Some nutritionists believe that the focus on gluten-free diets and the growing availability of gluten-free foods may also be driving awareness of coeliac disease. This is helpful for people with coeliac disease.

Whatever your story with gluten, there is no harm in following a gluten free diet, though I personally would find it difficult to give up a great slice of sourdough rye slathered in butter and topped with a perfectly poached egg!

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Tenina Holder

Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of six, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.

Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!

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