Gluten free diet

Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale.

A gluten-free diet is essential for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten. A gluten-free diet seems to be trending among people without gluten-related medical conditions. The claimed benefits of the diet are improved health, weight loss and increased energy.

Most clinical studies regarding gluten-free diets have been conducted with people who have celiac disease. Therefore, there is little clinical evidence about the health benefits of a gluten-free diet in the general population.

Removing gluten from your diet likely changes your overall intake of fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Therefore, regardless of your reasons for following a gluten-free diet, it's important to know how it can affect your overall nutritional needs.

Diet details

Following a gluten-free diet requires paying careful attention to both the ingredients of foods and their nutritional content.

Allowed fresh foods

Many naturally gluten-free foods can be a part of a healthy diet:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Beans, seeds and nuts in their natural, unprocessed forms
• Eggs
• Lean, nonprocessed meats, fish and poultry
• Most low-fat dairy products

Grains, starches or flours that you can include in a gluten-free diet include:

• Amaranth
• Arrowroot
• Buckwheat
• Corn and cornmeal
• Flax
• Gluten-free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato, bean)
• Hominy (corn)
• Millet
• Quinoa
• Rice
• Sorghum
• Soy
• Tapioca (cassava root)
• Teff

Grains not allowed

Avoid all foods and drinks containing the following:

• Wheat
• Barley
• Rye
• Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
• Oats (in some cases)

While oats are naturally gluten-free, they may be contaminated during production with wheat, barley or rye. Oats and oat products labeled gluten-free have not been cross-contaminated. Some people with celiac disease, however, cannot tolerate the gluten-free labeled oats.

Wheat terms to know

There are different varieties of wheat, all of which contain wheat gluten:

• Durum
• Einkorn
• Emmer
• Kamut
• Spelt

Wheat flours have different names based on how the wheat is milled or the flour is processed. All of the following flours have gluten:

• Enriched flour with added vitamins and minerals
• Farina, milled wheat usually used in hot cereals
• Graham flour, a course whole-wheat flour
• Self-rising flour, also called phosphate flour
• Semolina, the part of milled wheat used in pasta and couscous