What is gluten and what damage does it do?

If you mix wheat flour with a little water the result is a sort of stretchy paste. The gluten in the flour is what makes the paste "elastic" and binds it together. In fact "strong" flour, sold for making bread, has extra gluten added.

Wheat gluten itself, is a cheap source of protein. In China and Japan pure gluten is traditionally used as a protein substitute in vegetarian food such as burgers, giving them a "meat like texture." The Japanese call it Fu but it is more commonly known as seitan -- or wheat meat in America -- where it is also sometimes added to breads to increase density or improve the texture. You may even find it in shampoo!

Oats are a gray area. The general consensus is they do not contain gluten, but the risk of contamination is so high that most people on a gluten free diet avoid them.

Is gluten necessary in the normal diet?

In fact many eastern cultures, would also ask "what is gluten?" as they rely mainly on rice, a grain that does not contain gluten, and therefore may never eat any during their whole life!

Some people need a high protein diet and the additional protein (gluten) in wheat flour can prove useful to them.

Who needs a gluten free diet?

People suffering from Coeliac disease or gluten intolerance need to avoid foods containing gluten in order to live well.

The gluten free food list contains many healthy alternatives to wheat based products.

A strict gluten free diet is also the treatment for a related condition called Dermatitis Herpetiformis, which is a severe itchy skin condition.

And it is often recommended for people with autism, ADHD (attention deficit disorder) or fibromyalgia.

What is gluten and how does it cause damage to a coeliac?

Other people can tolerate the excess of zonulin, the protein produced by the body wheat is eaten, but if you have Coeliac disease the zonulin causes the gaps between the cells in the small intestine to open too wide and allows toxins and gluten fragments into the bloodstream. These particles of gluten are seen as alien invaders by the body and are attacked.

Due to its autoimmune nature, Coeliac disease also attacks the body itself, causing inflammation and damage to the inside of the small intestine. The normal small intestine features small hair like projections along its length known as villi. The villi increase the surface area of the small intestine and therefore assist in the absorption of the nutrients that the body needs to stay healthy.

The autoimmune response we talked about earlier, causes so much damage to these villi that they are no longer effective in absorbing nutrients.

However, all is not lost! Changing over to a gluten free diet will allow your body to repair these villi, and your health will improve tremendously.

WELCOME

My name is Carol and I have been on a gluten free diet for nearly 50 years!

Long enough to learn a thing or two about it wouldn't you say?

Now its time for me to pass on some of that knowledge and help you rise to the challenge of following a gluten free diet yourself!

Want to know a bit more about me and whether you can trust the information on this site? Read my story.