There has been a lot of news recently about gluten and how it negatively affects people’s health. Many, not just people with celiac disease or people with gluten intolerance, have been advised to follow a gluten-free diet for a while to see if their health problems or symptoms improve. A gluten-free diet means you stay away from any foods that might contain this special protein.

Research has consistently shown, more than anything else, that lifestyle-related diseases and conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes are the leading causes of death in the world. More than 31 percent of Americans suffer from high blood pressure and related conditions. Lifestyle-related diseases means that many diseases and conditions that people live with and suffer from are related to their lifestyle, and this is largely due to their diet. The ray of hope here is that people can change their diet and lifestyle to take a different path and make healthy eating choices.

What is gluten?

Gluten refers to a special type of protein found in wheat, rye and its cousin triticale (trit uh KAY lee) barley and others. Gluten is the component that gives bread dough the ability to stretch when making bread.

Gluten is not just limited to wheat and similar grain products. This protein is available in many foods, including beer, processed meat, salad dressings, crackers, soy sauce, candy, cookies, various types of condiments, gravy mixes, soup mixes, even lip balm and envelope glue.

There are many gluten-free foods and some of these are oats, rice, rice bran, rice flour, quinoa, amaranth, millet, arrowroot, potato starch, tapioca, flax seed , buckwheat, chickpeas (Garbanzos beans), bean-based flour, nuts and seeds, just to name a few.

Note: Some oat products are stored with wheat and may be contaminated with gluten. When you want to buy oatmeal, you should look for oats that are labeled “gluten-free oats.”

Benefits of a gluten-free diet:

There are many benefits. One of the main benefits of such a diet is the improvement of cholesterol levels. This diet also improves the digestive processes and improves the overall health of the body. The results of following such a diet include obtaining high energy levels. Gas and bloating are commonly reduced side effects. Perhaps one of the most important things about this diet is that once you start, you will almost certainly eliminate many unhealthy foods that you have been consuming.

Basic tips for preparing gluten-free foods:

1. Be sure that your ingredients are gluten-free

2. Rely more on natural gluten-free foods, such as vegetables, fruits, and certain grains.

3. Know where and what are the hidden sources of gluten

4. Make sure your seasonings and seasoning mixes are gluten-free. Seasonings often contain gluten such as wheat as a filler. You must diligently read food labels, know the ingredients, and identify them so that they are truly gluten-free. If you’re not sure, don’t eat it.

5. Beware of cross contamination

Here are some tips to avoid gluten contamination:

1. Don’t use the same strainer to drain gluten-free pasta that you use for regular wheat pasta.

2. Don’t use the same toaster for your gluten-free bread as you do for regular bread. Try a toaster oven and use the top rack for gluten-free so crumbs don’t fall out and get contaminated.

3. Be careful not to use the same container, such as mayonnaise, mustard or ketchup, in which someone put their bread spreader and insert this spreader back into the bottle for more. It has now been contaminated with gluten. When in doubt, use seasoning packets.

You may think this is going too far, but this is especially important for people who are allergic to gluten, as they can get very sick. For this reason, you should follow the experts and learn from their gluten-free blogs, articles, and recipes.

A gluten-free diet actually promotes a healthy lifestyle and healthy eating.