What is Gluten?

Gluten is a naturally occurring protein that can be found in whole grains, such as wheat, rye and barley and it's a dual combination of proteins like prolamin and glutelin, which can trigger celiac disease. The presence of gluten is seen in many wheat species like common wheat, spelt, durum, karasam, emer, einkorn, oats, barley and rye. Gluten consists of 75%-85% of the protein in wheat.

Naturally, when gluten is added to water, it turns into a gummy texture, specifically the triticeae glutens are found to be viscoelastic because of its high range of consistency, making the dough bulge and noticeably eatable. Because of its low range of cost, it is utilised in both the food and non-food industries. 

Wheat glutens have two kinds of proteins “glutenins and gliadins” in which they are separated into “high molecular weight” and  “low molecular weight”. Rice and maize have gluten, but there is no medical proof of triggering any kind of ill-health condition.

Gluten resulted in rising celiac diseases, inflammatory, immunological and autoimmune disorders. Recent studies have shown that gluten triggers in developing neurological disorders and they are usually treated by a gluten-free diet.

How Gluten Affects the Body?

Though gluten is a protein, it does have ill effects on the body. Some people are not tolerant to gluten, it shows an ill impact on health. Gluten effect varies from person to person, some people show symptoms of fatigue, constipation, bloating, diarrhoea, and in extreme cases intestinal damage, weight loss, malnutrition and maybe cancer.

According to recent studies in the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, one in 137 people may have gluten intolerance. There is an estimation that celiac disease has a link with epilepsy, schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease. Gluten hinders the absorption of nutrients in the body and the person turns undernourished. Ingestion, assimilation and absorption are the steps of digestion, if this process does not synchronise properly, they may cause ill effects on the body.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder, which is attacked, lif a person is not tolerant to gluten. It is also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy, non-tropical sprue. And its protein in wheat, barley and rye has adhesive properties and projects a chewy texture in bread. Villi are the tiny finger-like projections found in the small intestine, these structures get damaged if the person who is gluten intolerant ingests gluten food products. 

This results in inadequate absorption of nutrients in the small intestine which triggers arising diseases like bone depletion, miscarriage, under-nourishment and neurological disorders. Often many people don’t know they are gluten intolerant and they continue to eat gluten products and increase the risk of falling prey to celiac disease. 

Two types of tests are conducted in the laboratory to know whether a person is gluten-intolerant are serological testing and genetic testing. If a person tests positive for this disease, the doctor recommends the patient undergo endoscopy to examine the physiology and functioning of the digestive tract and prescribe medications.

To stay healthy and fit, gluten intolerant people should ban eating food that has a content of gluten in it. So, that person can recover from the existing symptoms of celiac disease.

• Soups
• Wheat, barley and rye
• Fries
• Beer
• Brown rice syrup
• Cakes and pies
• Pasta
• Processed meats
• Candies
• Sauce mixes
• Desserts
• Cereals made of wheat, barley, rye
• Malt derivatives
• Soy sauces

Gluten-Free Diet

The people who ought to follow the gluten-free diet must check the label before eating the product. It is pretty obvious that, though they mentioned NO-GLUTEN, there are possibilities to have traces of gluten in those products. So, better avoid processed food.

Foods that you can eat include:

• Fish
• Dairy products
• Milk
• Fruits and vegetables
• White rice
• Tapioca
• Quinoa
• Fresh meats
• Poultry

These are the foods to be included in a gluten-free diet and completely avoid processed food like Maggi and pasta. According to the food and drug administration FDA, industries can label gluten-free on their products if they have less than 20% of gluten.

There are some deficiencies seen after cutting down the gluten from the food. Though whole-wheat grain has gluten it is also loaded with essential nutrients and cereals are ingested with viable vitamins. By restricting these foods, deficiencies are caused like fiber, folate, iron, calcium, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin.

Take Away

According to research, avoiding gluten has been shown to have benefits for the people who are gluten tolerant, which have impacted their digestion in a wide positive way and prevented them from falling ill by any gastrointestinal tract diseases. People who are gluten intolerant should include fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy and poultry to retain the nutrition balance in the body.