Myths About Gluten

I was just thinking about how misinformed a lot of folks are when it comes to what is and is not gluten. Some people think that it's a new(ish) fad diet...it's not. It's a serious disease that effects 1 out of 133 people in the U.S. It's an autoimmune disease where your body forms antibodies to combat the protein, gluten, but instead ends up destroying the villi in the small intestine. I do have to admit that I'm a teeny bit thankful for the gluten-free diet craze because it's made product manufacturers produce more gluten free goods than were available in the past.

Here are some other common inaccuracies:
1) It's a low fat diet.  This is false. Just because something doesn't have gluten in it doesn't mean that it won't also have a lot of carbs, fat, or calories. It's not carbohydrate free but there are certainly fewer carbs in gluten free foods.

2) Gluten is only found in bread.  False, false, false! Gluten is in a LOT of things. Trust me, I know, I've read a LOT of labels. Gluten is in everything from beer to soy sauce to bread to some condiments. If you're a celiac or love a celiac you read food labels carefully. Look for things like: wheat flour, malt, wheat starch, modified food starch, etc...Gluten is a thickener so watch out for those things too.

3) Gluten does not cause people to gain weight. Often times newly diagnosed celiacs will lose a bit of weight in the beginning. This is merely because they are still researching and finding out what they can and cannot safely eat. Therefore, a lot of breads, pastas, alcohol, and other obvious choices get cut from the diet immediately. That doesn't mean that if you keep gluten in your diet that you will gain weight.

4) If a product is labeled as "wheat-free" that means that it's gluten free too.  This is also false. This is why I say to look at the ingredient list very carefully. Your product might not contain whole wheat flour but it might contain wheat starch, modified food starch, rye, barley, etc...Check the label. If you're unsure, call the manufacturer (their number should be on the label) or go without it. Oh, another note about labels. Read them every time you purchase the product. Manufacturers sometimes change the ingredients so keep an eye on them.

Other things to note:

• Gluten can also hide in medications so definitely tell your pharmacists if you or your loved one are celiac;
• Most spices are ok but check the spice blends; and
• Be aware that if you go into a restaurant and inform the wait staff that you are a celiac your food might come out of the kitchen unseasoned. The restaurants have codes they have to abide by. Be patient, they are only looking out for your safety.

 Once again, I'm not an expert. I just want you to have best information you can have. I've compiled all of this information from various sources of the web. As always, check the labels, call the manufacturer. And remember, if in doubt, do without.

Until next time,
Eat safely!