Before you jump on the gluten-free bandwagon and experience something new in your life, it is important to know a few things surrounding gluten and the gluten-free diet. In fact, long before gluten-free diet came into existence there were Atkins diet and low carb diets that aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Today’s gluten-free diet that aims to eliminate all food items that contain gluten also serves the same purpose.

 

No doubt, if you’re sensitive to gluten or suffering from the celiac disease then you need to stay away from all those foods that contain gluten. However, at the same time, relying on the gluten-free items that make up for a 12 billion gluten-free market worldwide is also not the answer you should be relying upon heavily.

This is because research has indicated that celiac patients have grown to be intolerant to gluten-free products off lately and that they’ve seen inflammations in their gut.

But still, does this mean you need to stop trying with your gluten-free diet? Not really.

 

One thing most people sensitive towards gluten items feel is whether the products consumed by them is, in any way, contaminated by items that contain gluten. Remember, most of the gluten-free items manufactured by the companies pass through the same assembly line as that of gluten-rich items.

Therefore, there is always a possibility of gluten-free being not so ‘gluten-free’!Even a small amount of contamination is enough for a celiac to face adverse consequences.

 

Another issue most people deal with, especially after embarking on a gluten-free diet journey, is that they’re completely gluten-free after eliminating the usual suspects like whole wheat flour, white flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, and graham flour. But the sad part is that the reality is different. There are still many food items in the market that could possibly contain gluten.

If you have the heart to look at some of these items, then please have a look at the list given below:

• Malt
• Fried foods
• Couscous
• Soy Sauce
• Matzo
• Salad dressings
• Muffins
• Pasta
• Modified food starch
• Croutons and breadcrumbs
• Gravy
• Oats
• Beer
• Toothpaste
• Frozen vegetables
• Pastries
• Seasoned rice mixes
• Cereal
• Tortillas, and others

The above list includes only some of the items that we use on a regular basis. There are many more items that could go into that list easily.

 

Another important thing you need to know if you embark on a gluten-free journey is that celiac disease affects about 1 percent or less than the total population if the research undertaken by the University of Maryland is anything to go by. However, what is even more interesting to know is that all of the remaining people are not completely intolerant!

There’s another interesting observation to be made here. Even those people, who think they are gluten intolerant, have not actually tested for that condition. These people usually fall prey to the general belief that experiencing symptoms like headaches, low energy levels, bloating; etc means that you’re gluten intolerant.

However, if following a gluten-free diet makes you feel better, then there’s absolutely no harm in following it to the core. Just make sure to take the opinion of your doctor, before you proceed with it.