What is Gluten?

Gluten is part of the elastic, rubbery protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. It binds the dough in baking and prevents crumbling. Gluten can be found in breads, cakes, pastries, cookies, biscuits, crackers, battered foods, cereals, snack foods, pastas and pizza. Because gluten is also used as a thickener and filler it is found in soups, gravies, sauces, processed meats, pickles, sweets, instant pudding and chocolate. Excess gluten can damage the villi (the absorptive surface) of the small intestine. Excessive gluten in your diet may lead to poor nutrient absorption.

Some of the more common gluten containing grains are:

• Barley

• Bulgur

• Couscous

• Durum

• Kamut

• Rye

• Spelt Graham Flour (used in graham crackers)

• Malt, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring

• Oats, Oat bran, oat syrup

• Semolina (Pronounced “seh-mo-lina”)

• Triticale (Pronounced "tri-ti-cay-lee")

• Wheat, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat starch

Gluten-Free Foods

There are many foods you can ingest if you’re gluten intolerant. Some of them include:

• Amaranth

• Dal

• Flax

• Millet

• Buckwheat, kasha

• Soya flour

• Cream of tartar

• Teff Arrowroot flour

• Bean flours (such as chickpea or soya flour)

• Potato flour, potato starch

• Cornmeal, cornstarch or polenta

• Tapioca flour, tapioca starch

• Quinoa (Pronounced "kee-no-a")

• Rice, rice bran, rice flour, rice starch

Be sure to include a variety of whole grains in your diet as each grain provides its own unique nutritional make-up.

Reasons for Eating Gluten-Free Foods

For people with either Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity it is important to choose gluten-free foods and to learn more about which foods contain gluten. Since gluten is found in many foods in the Western diet it is quite a challenge at first to eat a gluten-free diet. However, with a little research and creativity you can learn to cook up a varied and exciting diet using only gluten-free foods.

Gluten-Free recipes from our very own Savvy Chefs:

Cauliflower Soup: Lisa O's Alternative Kitchen

Peanut Butter Cookie Sandwiches: Lisa O's Alternative Kitchen

Banana Muffins: Jodi Bager and Jenny Lass' Grain-Free cooking

Chocolate Pudding: Shannon's Raw Foods