gluttenfree

Special Diets – A Fad Or A Solution? – By Jeeva Anna George

“If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise, not too little and not too much, we would have found the safest way to health.” Hippocrates

Fat free, sugar free, egg less, lactose free are terms which we hear very often these days, isn’t it so?

Many products with these labels are seen these days on shelves of stores. Special diet ingredients and fancy gourmet stores are popping up everywhere. Everyone wants health foods with fewer calories. Everyone knows about fat and calories, including children. It’s the age of Diet Pepsi, Sugar Free Drinks, Sweeteners and Low Calorie Low Cholesterol Chips!

So, the question that we all fail to understand and recognize is – Is all of it beneficial to us?

Along with all these fad diets and ingredients there are scores of adults and children who have some kind of allergy ranging from dust to nuts. Almost all cause discomfort or are life threatening or dangerous.

As like the West, in India we too started processing grains and moved to processed foods. As a result, Indians too have such allergies previously only heard in the West. Why? This is because unlike our grandparents or forefathers, we do NOT have enough exercise and are eating way too much processed food and to top it, we eat it with all sorts of pesticides, the toxic content in most grains are growing.

So, now what the Americans and Europeans have, we have too! Let us accept that reality and bust this myth that only the West has seen allergies and intolerances.

One such medical condition is Celiac Disease, till today Indian Doctors feel it’s a Western Disease while there are millions suffering because it is not diagnosed in our own country.

In India, 1 in 96 people has Celiac. These are the statistics for 2011 according to the Indian Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac is a genetic disease. This means, if you have the gene then you are predisposed to getting the disease. At any time in your life, you could develop the disease though you may not develop symptoms.

Those with Celiac cannot consume gluten. In fact, the body treats it as poison and tries to eject it. Gluten also damages intestinal tissue causing symptoms such as diarrhea, headache, skin rash, joint pain, mucosis, depression, fatigue and anxiety.

How can Celiac be treated?

The only treatment is a gluten-free diet, though there is research under way that could produce an enzyme people could take in addition to or supplement the diet.

The gold standard for those with Celiac is a combination of: 1) specific blood test (anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody level), 2) small-intestine biopsy and 3) positive response to a gluten-free diet.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found primarily in wheat, bran, barley, rye. Oats is in the list too because of constant cross contamination as it is harvested alongside wheat. Oats are also processed in a wheat manufacturing facility.

gluten free foodWhat is safe to consume?

Rice, ragi, jowar, bajra, corn, cornmeal, amaranth, buckwheat/ kuttu, tapioca flour, potato flour, quinoa, water chestnut flour, potato starch, xanthan gum, guar gum, flax meal, almond meal, chia seeds, psyllium husk and all nuts.

What should I watch out for?

Commercial powdered compounded asafoetida /heeng and maida, soya sauce, wheat binders used in frozen meats and products, lipsticks, play-dough for children.

Other than Celiacs the following people with these problems also need a gluten-free diet:

  • Wheat Allergy which is like any other allergy
  • Gluten Sensitivity – which tennis star like Novak Djokovic has because he does well on a gluten free diet and it eliminates problems such as fatigue and joint pain for him.

The generic term for all these problems is Gluten Intolerance.

There also others who do well on a Gluten Free diet. Autistic kids are advised to have GFCF diet, a diet without gluten and dairy. People with all sorts of autoimmune disorders and sometimes even cancer patients are asked to go gluten free these days.

Every time you feel sick or have minor aches and pains for all you know it could be what you are eating that is causing you all the trouble!

Maintain a Food Diary and trust me, you will know for sure what foods are best for you and what to eliminate. In case of very bad symptoms, please DO NOT self-diagnose and consult a Doctor immediately.

So, the next time you are shopping, check your labels! Stick to eating a balanced diet with lot of colorful vegetables – the more the color, the more the antioxidants.

Be Positive and Read Labels.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates

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