What Is Gluten?
What Is Gluten?
You may have heard that more and more people are finding that they have gluten sensitivity. Most people that are diagnosed with gluten intolerance don't even know what gluten is. Quite simply, gluten is a protein that is found in such things as wheat, rye, barley and other carbohydrates. For most people, gluten is simply another substance in the foods they eat and is not, in and of itself, bad for your health. However, there are some people who find it is difficult to digest so it must be avoided.
Understanding what gluten is and how it affects your body can help you understand whether or not it is best to be avoided. First, you must toss out the misconception that most people have that it is grain. While wheat and some other grains and cereals do contain gluten, there are other grains that do not contain any gluten. The biggest offenders are wheat, barley, and rye.
Some people have found that gluten can cause such reactions as stomachaches, chronic tiredness, irritability, headaches, diarrhea, swelling, depression, skin rashes, and so on. If a person has a gluten allergy, or celiac disease, the body has an immune response whenever gluten is eaten. This type of reaction can be mild or violent, but can actually damage the walls of the digestive tract. In addition, the damage to the small intestine can cause a person with this disease to become malnourished. Many people who do not have an actual gluten allergy but are gluten intolerant can have similar symptoms. It has also been found that some people with this problem don't show any symptoms.
Most people who have problems with gluten find that by eating foods that do not contain gluten, the symptoms quickly go away and that their health is greatly improved. In fact, it is critical that a person with celiac disease avoid gluten, because even a little bit can cause damage. Even people without gluten intolerance can benefit from a gluten-free diet because many of the foods that contain gluten are processed foods that are not particularly healthy.
While it may seem challenging to find foods that are free of gluten, there are many things that are normally in your diet that you can continue to eat. Beans, eggs, nuts, fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and poultry, and even most dairy products are naturally gluten-free. You should always check to make sure your foods are not processed with grains that contain gluten. There are many grains that do not contain gluten, such as rice, corn, soy, and so on. Watching labels is your best bet when you want to stay gluten-free.
You may have heard that more and more people are finding that they have gluten sensitivity. Most people that are diagnosed with gluten intolerance don't even know what gluten is. Quite simply, gluten is a protein that is found in such things as wheat, rye, barley and other carbohydrates. For most people, gluten is simply another substance in the foods they eat and is not, in and of itself, bad for your health. However, there are some people who find it is difficult to digest so it must be avoided.
Understanding what gluten is and how it affects your body can help you understand whether or not it is best to be avoided. First, you must toss out the misconception that most people have that it is grain. While wheat and some other grains and cereals do contain gluten, there are other grains that do not contain any gluten. The biggest offenders are wheat, barley, and rye.
Some people have found that gluten can cause such reactions as stomachaches, chronic tiredness, irritability, headaches, diarrhea, swelling, depression, skin rashes, and so on. If a person has a gluten allergy, or celiac disease, the body has an immune response whenever gluten is eaten. This type of reaction can be mild or violent, but can actually damage the walls of the digestive tract. In addition, the damage to the small intestine can cause a person with this disease to become malnourished. Many people who do not have an actual gluten allergy but are gluten intolerant can have similar symptoms. It has also been found that some people with this problem don't show any symptoms.
Most people who have problems with gluten find that by eating foods that do not contain gluten, the symptoms quickly go away and that their health is greatly improved. In fact, it is critical that a person with celiac disease avoid gluten, because even a little bit can cause damage. Even people without gluten intolerance can benefit from a gluten-free diet because many of the foods that contain gluten are processed foods that are not particularly healthy.
While it may seem challenging to find foods that are free of gluten, there are many things that are normally in your diet that you can continue to eat. Beans, eggs, nuts, fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and poultry, and even most dairy products are naturally gluten-free. You should always check to make sure your foods are not processed with grains that contain gluten. There are many grains that do not contain gluten, such as rice, corn, soy, and so on. Watching labels is your best bet when you want to stay gluten-free.
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