A handout on gluten free eating.

1. Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Pub No 95
Why Eat Gluten Free?
Gluten Free Eating
Wheat products
Individuals who have
celiac disease or are
sensitive to gluten
cannot have any food
products that have
gluten in them. Gluten
is a protein found in
wheat, barley and rye.
Wheat is a very com-
mon food ingredient,
used in many prepared
foods because of its
properties. It makes
bread rise, it gives texture to sauces and
soups, and has a mild
flavor that does not
overpower foods. Be-
cause of its prevalence
in foods, it makes it
very difficult to find
gluten free products.
When eating gluten
free, most pre-prepared
foods are off limits.
This would include
breaded or battered
vegetables, vegetables
with sauces, frozen potato products, tortillas,
pasta, pizza, cereals,
and malt flavored
drinks. All pre-made
cookies, cakes, breads,
desserts, ice-cream, pre
-made soup and sauces
and all pre-made snack
foods such as pretzels,
potato chips, crackers,
and some candy also
contain gluten.
Hidden sources
of gluten
 Beer
 Broth, bouillon cubes
 Candies
 Flavored coffee and tea
 Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
 Imitation foods
 Luncheon meats, sausages,
hot dogs
 Medications
 Modified food starch
 Sauces and marinades
 Seasoning blends
 Soups and stews
Avoid products that
have:

What can you have?
There are many
grains and other
starches which can be
consumed on a gluten
free diet. Some accepted grains and
starches include rice,
oats, potatoes, corn,
legumes, tapioca,
and soy flour. Also
millet, quinoa, buckwheat, teff, almond
meal flour, flax seed
meal. coconut flour,
amaranth, pea flour,
sorghum and guar gum
are available.
All fresh fruits and
vegetables can be consumed by those with
celiac disease. Be
aware of canned and
frozen fruits and vegetables, because it is
likely to find added
ingredients that in-
clude wheat starch.
Make sure to read the
label. All fresh meats,
poultry and fish are
also allowable. Again if
meats poultry and fish
are pre-prepared with
sauces and/or breading
it is likely to contain
wheat starch and
should not be consumed. All dairy products are also allowed.

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
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


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Barley (malt, malt
flavoring, malt vinegar)
Bulgur
Durum flour
Farina
Rye
Graham flour
Kamut
Semolina
Some medications
Spelt
Triticale (a cross between wheat and
rye)
Wheat

2. When to eat gluten free?
Eating gluten free has
become popular in recent
years. Perhaps people
interpret gluten free
‘diet’ to as a method of
weight loss. This is a
myth. There isn’t any
evidence of weight loss to
those who eat a gluten
free diet; and there is only a health benefit to
those who have a medical
condition that requires
that they follow a gluten
free diet. For people
with celiac disease, they
are prescribed a gluten
free diet, which is necessary to manage their
medical condition. Therefore, unless you have a
diagnosed medical condition, there really isn’t any
reason or benefit to eat
gluten free. Gluten is a
protein found in wheat,
barley and rye, which are
common ingredients in
many foods, such as pasta, pizza, cereal, breads
and snack foods. Wheat is
a good source of fiber and
eliminating it from the
diet could result in low
fiber intake. Fiber is helpful in reducing cholesterol,
regulating insulin and glu-
cose levels and with elimination.
Wheat flour is enriched
with B vitamins and iron
and elimination of wheat
products could result in
vitamin B deficiency and
iron deficiency anemia.
Eating gluten free is expensive. Products such as
breads and other ready
made gluten free products
are two to three times as
expensive as regular
products, and they are
hard to find. Most grocery
stores do not carry gluten
free products.
There are several
reasons why you
should not eat gluten
free unless you have
a medical condition.
 Gluten free eating is
expensive.
 You might not get
enough fiber.
 Wheat products are
a good source of vitamin B and not eating enriched breads
and cereals could
lead to vitamin B
deficiency.
 Grain products are
fortified with iron
and elimination of
them could lead to
iron deficiency anemia.
 Eating gluten free is
not a weight loss
diet.
Benefits of whole grains
Whole grain bread
Whole grains contain diseasefighting phytochemicals and antioxidants, as do fruits and vegetables. Whole grains also have B
vitamins, vitamin E, magnesium,
iron and fiber and have been
shown to reduce the risk of heart
disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes
and obesity. People who eat
whole grains have lower waist
circumference due to reduced abdominal fat content, which translates to reduced risk of many
Author: Heli J. Roy, PhD, MBA, RD
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
01/14 Pub no 95
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
chronic diseases, such as diabetes
and heart disease. The fiber in
whole grains also helps to regulate
cholesterol and insulin levels.
People who eat three daily servings of whole grains have been
shown to reduce their risk of heart
disease by 25-36%, stroke by 37%,
Type II diabetes by 21-27%, digestive system cancers by 21-43%,
and hormone-related cancers by
10-40%.