Whether you have decided to go gluten free on your own, or a medical professional has advised you to do so, eliminating gluten from the diet can be a challenging task. Adapting to the gluten free diet tends to happen in phases. The "Going Gluten Free" series of articles will attempt to provide you with information and resources in small chunks to help make the transition a little easier. First, it is important that you have the basic information.
What is the difference between celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, and a wheat allergy? Celiac Disease is clearly defined. It occurs when the body’s reaction to wheat, barley, and rye is severe enough to cause observable damage to the digestive tract. Dermatitas Herpetiformis is a manifestation of this disease that causes skin rashes and blisters. A true wheat allergy is defined by a histamine response (as opposed to a digestive system response) within the body which overreacts to the protein in the food as a foreign agent that needs to be purged. Symptoms of a food allergy can include breathing problems, tightening of the throat, itching, nausea, vomiting, etc.
From here, things get a bit murky. The terms gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity are often used interchangeably. Some experts believe that gluten sensitivity/intolerance is a truly separate diagnosis from celiac disease because, although a variety of symptoms are experienced by the individual, no damage to the intestinal tract can be found. Others believe that this condition is simply celiac disease that has not yet done observable damage to the intestinal tract.
It is important to know which of these conditions is affecting your health. You can read about testing options for celiac disease here and for food allergies here.
What's to eat??? Here is a list of UNSAFE foods/foods that contain gluten. This is a fairly comprehensive list and is updated regularly. Here is a list of SAFE foods/foods that DO NOT contain gluten. (For some gluten free recipes, click here.)
Please note that some foods appear on both lists. This is often because it depends on the source of the food/ingredient that determines whether or not it contains gluten. Also, there are some disputes about what may or may not be safe. For example, the Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) believes that oats - even those that are certified gluten free - are not safe for celiacs. All other nationally recognized bodies believe that certified gluten free oats are most likely safe in limited quantities. Also, the CSA believes that the distillation process for alcoholic beverages and vinegars does not remove gluten, while all other bodies believe that it does.
The take home message is to arm yourself with as much information as possible to make the best, most informed choices for your body and your health.
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