Is a gluten free diet safe for health?

Gluten-free (gluten free) diets have long been popular in Western countries such as the US, Australia, UK, ... In Vietnam, this concept seems to be of less interest because of less allergic cases. with this substance. However, as a developing country and attracting more and more people from other countries to work and live, we should learn about this diet to make nutritional adjustments suitable for each person. .

What is Gluten?

First of all, we need to understand what Gluten is. Gluten is a group of proteins, in which two main types are gliadin and glutenin. These substances are found in some types of grains (wheat, barley, rye, ...) and additives (found in ice cream, canned food ...). They are insoluble in water, act as a binder, linking food together.

Gluten-free foods and beverages

There are many gluten-containing foods and drinks around us. For example: bread, dumplings, pasta, cereal cakes, beer, pastries, canned foods, processed meat, meat sauces, soups, soy sauce, malt ...

The body's response to Gluten

Gluten is not accepted by some people's bodies, causing a number of diseases such as: Gluten sensitivity, Wheat Allergy, Dermatitis and Celiac Disease.

Gluten sensitivity

Gluten- sensitive diseases are considered to be mildly reactive for the body to gluten. If you get tested, you will not be able to detect the disease because there are no specific intestinal damage. However, every time you eat a gluten-containing food that you have these symptoms, it is very likely that your body cannot respond to gluten: fatigue, bloating, constipation with alternating diarrhea, weight loss, failure. nutrition...

Wheat allergy

Mild to severe symptoms of a wheat allergy may include: swelling / itching of the mouth or throat, hives, itchy eyes, difficulty breathing, nausea, diarrhea, cramps, and anaphylaxis. This disease is positive for immunoglobulin E when a blood test is performed.

Dermatitis

People with this condition will have a rash on their skin after eating gluten. A long-term rash on the skin can cause blisters and swelling. However, people with this disease often have no special digestive symptoms.

Celiac disease

Celiac is an autoimmune disease and causes severe reactions to the body. When gluten is tolerated by the body, the cells recognize gluten as a toxin and react violently to gluten. Symptoms are quite similar to gluten sensitivity, and include intestinal damage.

Gluten free (Gluten free) diet

This is a diet that eliminates all gluten-containing or cross-contaminated foods. However, since gluten-containing whole grains contain fiber and other nutrients (including B vitamins, magnesium and iron), it is important to make up for these deficiencies.

Gluten-free foods (Gluten free)

You can include other gluten-free foods like: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs and poultry.

Besides, you can consider gluten-free whole grains such as: quinoa; brown, black or red rice; buckwheat; amaranth (amaranth); millet; Corn; sorghum (sorghum); teff seeds; oats (but must be gluten-free during growing / processing).

Are gluten free prepackaged foods safe for health?

A study conducted in Canada by Professor Charlene Elliott based on 400 pre-packaged baby foods found that gluten-free foods had less protein than those not labeled, in the same amount of sugar.

In general, pre-packaged foods have been studied mostly as unhealthy, whether they contain gluten or not. This research has been published in the American journal Pediatrics.

Pre-packaged foods are generally unhealthy

Professor Charlene Elliott has collected the foods that are sold in two major supermarket chains in Canada. She did not choose to study common snacks such as candy, chips, and soda. The items she included in her research included instant oatmeal, bar granola, pasta, cheese, cereals, peanut butter, and packaged fruit.

Charlene found that up to 88% of gluten-free foods are unhealthy, based on standard nutritional guidelines. And the prepackaged food without that label is, of course, even more unhealthy, up to 97%.

Before buying prepackaged / canned foods, read the nutrition facts carefully

The new study is limited to Canada and may not accurately reflect the foods sold in other countries, such as the US. The new study also randomly selected the sample rather than all the products of the same type, so the results may differ from other models of the same product. However, it can be said that gluten-free foods are still processed and pre-packaged foods.

Packaged foods, while not shown to be less healthy than fresh foods, have limitations in terms of composition and nutritional intake. Consumers need to carefully read the nutritional components contained in those foods and maintain a complete diet, provide adequate nutrients and vitamins for the body.

Is it necessary to go on a gluten free diet?

As you can see, gluten is only harmful to people with gluten allergies, their bodies are intolerant to this substance and cause related diseases. Besides, there are many delicious foods and drinks containing gluten (bread, dumplings, cakes, beer, ...).

 

If your body is not allergic to gluten, why should you switch to gluten free? If for weight loss reasons, you can take advantage of other weight loss methods to maintain a healthy diet for your body.

Eating gluten free can lead to a lack of fiber and other vitamins. Even if there is no gluten to give biscuits, bread or pizza crust ..., sometimes the cook uses added fat or sugar to increase the palatability, invisible overall. This increases the calorie count significantly compared to using gluten.

Although many people believe that the gluten free diet is a healthy way of dieting against disease, everyone's body is different. Readers will find out the information carefully and learn the reactions of their body, to make a wise decision, will you?

See more:

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