Gluten - what is it and why is it harmful

How dangerous gluten can be for a person, how intolerant of this substance is, what foods it contains and whether to avoid them are issues that concern most people who care about their diet, health and, of course, figure.

Content

  • 1 What is Gluten "> 2 Gluten Free Products
  • 3 Celiac disease - gluten intolerance
  • 4 How to recognize celiac disease?
  • 5 What foods do not contain gluten?
  • 6 How to diagnose an allergy to gluten?
  • 7 How dangerous is gluten for an ordinary person?
  • 8 Summary
  • 9 Video Review

What is gluten free?

This substance, which is a complex protein present in rye, wheat, barley and many cereals. It accounts for about 80 percent of the total mass of grain. Translated from Latin, “gluten” means “glue”, therefore it is often called “gluten”, which fully reflects the peculiarity of this protein.

The presence of gluten in the composition of cereal flour allows you to knead the dough using liquid. The more it is in wheat, the easier it is to knead the elastic dough, from which airy and magnificent pastries are then obtained. If the amount of gluten is low, it becomes almost impossible to do.

Gluten Free Products

Along with cereal food, various types of sauces and ketchup may contain it, where the substance acts as a thickener. The presence of gluten in the composition may be hidden behind such designations as modified food starch and hydrolyzed protein.

The consumed amount of gluten per day is from 10 to 40 g. It enters the body through the use of bakery products, pasta, bread, about 10-15 of the dry weight of which is gluten. Barley and oatmeal are gluten-free products, but traces of the substance may be present in their composition.

Celiac disease - gluten intolerance

Flour disease occurs in every 100-150 people, that is, in one percent of the population. It lies in the fact that the body is struggling with gluten, because it is perceived by the immune system as a foreign substance. To provoke an allergic reaction, even 0.1 grams is enough.

Gluten is consumed with food and directly affects the stomach. It leads to intestinal dysfunction, reduces the absorption of fats, sugars, minerals and vitamins. Constant abuse of gluten provokes a set of extra pounds, deposited mainly in the abdomen.

How to recognize celiac disease "> What foods do not contain gluten?

Gluten is completely absent in any kind of meat or fish, eggs, potatoes, rice, nuts, corn, fruits, legumes, and vegetables. This also applies to the so-called pseudo-cereal, that is, amaranth, buckwheat, sorghum and so on.

Gluten in some cereals is due to the use of the same equipment as in the processing of wheat. The amount of substance that enters the pearl barley and oatmeal, which in their pure form do not contain gluten, may be sufficient for the manifestation of allergies.

How to diagnose an allergy to gluten?

To identify gluten intolerance at home, you need to completely remove any gluten-free foods from the diet, and monitor your well-being. To give an accurate assessment of the results of such a test allows returning to the menu of bakery products and comparing the state of health “before” and “after”.

Recovery of intestinal microflora takes from ten days to two weeks. And if eating gluten-free foods after a gluten-free pause leads to digestive problems, you should visit your doctor for a medical test for celiac disease.

How gluten dangerous for an ordinary person?

Gluten intolerance can be inherited. If one or both parents have such a disease, the child is also at risk. People with celiac disease have to completely refuse all products that contain gluten.

Eating cereals for a healthy person who is not allergic to gluten is not something dangerous if it is not about abuse of white bread and pastries. The mass hysteria around gluten that has been observed in recent years is more a marketing move than a real concern for public health.

Summarizing

Celiac disease, expressed in decreased immunity, problems with bowel function, and an increased risk of cancer, occurs in one percent of people. For those who do not suffer from this disease, cereals do not pose a threat.

Video review

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