Chatham - Gluten free lifestyle : a health guide, shopping & home tips, 66 easy recipes

Table of Contents

Copyright 2012 by Rockridge University Press, Berkeley, California

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ISBNs: 978-1-62315-019-8 (eb) | 978-1-62315-028-0 (pb)

INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW

G luten-free diets are not just the latest fad. Ever-increasing numbers of people are choosing to embrace gluten-free diets as awareness of celiac disease, wheat allergies and gluten intolerance grows. Whether you have decided to live gluten-free by necessity or by choice, following a gluten-free diet is a challenge. It is a lifestyle change that requires diligence, creativity and a commitment that will help you get past the daily hurdles.

The Gluten-Free Lifestyle is designed to help you make the transition to a gluten-free lifestyle with less confusion and more delicious recipes. Ill explain what gluten is, the different health issues people may have with gluten, and how to live without it and still enjoy great food.

Its important that you make your gluten-free decision an informed one. If you feel your body reacts badly to gluten or to wheat products, it is essential to be tested for celiac disease before you cut gluten from your diet. This test diagnoses the disease by looking for specific antibodies antibodies that will not be present after you are no longer eating gluten. Thats why you must take the test before you change your diet.

It is essential to understand the exact reason why your body doesnt tolerate gluten, because there are important differences between celiac disease, wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity. Its also the only way youll know if other family members are affected, since celiac disease tends to be inherited. Once you know why your health is affected by eating gluten or wheat, youll know how seriously you need to take going gluten-free, whether your problem is all types of gluten or just wheat, and whether deviating from the gluten-free diet is a matter of choice or a matter of safety.

Gluten is a compound protein that, along with starch, is stored in the endosperm of certain grassy grains, such as wheat, barley and rye. The endosperm is the part of a seed that stores food for the developing plant embryo. The presence of gluten in flour is what gives dough its elasticity, helps it rise and imparts a chewy texture to foods like bread.

Gluten can be removed from dough by rinsing the unrisen dough in water. This separated gluten is used as a stabilizer in many products that dont ordinarily contain flour, and is also used to add protein to foods that are naturally low in protein. This is what is known as hidden gluten, since most people are unaware of the gluten content in those foods and the FDA doesnt require it to be included in ingredient labels.

When you make a decision to eat a gluten-free diet, it suddenly seems that gluten is in everything and it is in a great deal of things you might not expect. It can be difficult at first to weed out all of foods youre used to eating but can no longer have.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to enjoy some of your favorite foods by using recipes that take traditional favorites and make them without wheat, barley, rye or oats. Ive included many wonderful recipes in the cookbook section of this book, and even a bonus selection of gluten-free treats you may have thought youd have to do without, such as fudgy brownies, pizza and even French bread.

SECTION ONE

Why Go Gluten-Free?

CELIAC DISEASE, WHEAT ALLERGY AND GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

T he reported number of patients diagnosed with some form of poor reaction to gluten is on the rise in Western countries. The reason for this is not fully understood. Some blame it on the high amounts of processed foods, breads and baked goods in the Western diet. Another theory is that we are not exposed to enough antigens during childhood as our immune systems are developing. Because of this, our immune systems see gluten as an interloper or allergen.

There are three main types of diagnoses related to gluten reactions: celiac disease, wheat allergy and gluten sensitivity. Since they share many symptoms, its important to get a correct diagnosis from your doctor, because a self-diagnosis based on your symptoms stands a decent chance of being incorrect and can lead to the wrong corrective action.

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is considered the most serious of the three types of gluten reactions, and is often misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome or a food intolerance such as wheat allergy. Often, it is only when treatment for these issues doesnt alleviate symptoms that doctors begin looking at celiac disease as a possibility.

If celiac disease is suspected, a doctor will order blood tests to detect and measure two types of antibodies: IgAtTG (Immunoglobulin A [IgA] anti-tissue transglutaminase [tTG] antibody) and IgAEMA (Immunoglobulin A [IgA] antiendomysial antibody [EMA]). If these antibodies are detected, doctors often confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease with a biopsy of the small intestine conducted during an endoscopy. An endoscopy is performed by guiding a small scope (called an endoscope) into the small intestine via the throat.