What is a Gluten-Free Diet?

According to the Mayo Clinic, a gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and a cross between wheat and rye called triticale.

A gluten-free diet is essential for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten. A gluten-free diet is, however, popular among people without gluten-related medical, conditions. The claimed benefits of the diet are improved health, weight loss, and increased energy. Most clinical studies regarding gluten-free diets have been conducted with people who have celiac disease. Therefore, there is little clinical evidence about the health benefits of a gluten-free diet in the general population.

Removing gluten from your diet likely changes your overall intake of fiber, vitamins and other nutrients. Therefore, regardless of your reasons for following a gluten-free diet, it’s important to know how it can affect your overall nutritional needs.

Your doctor or a dietitian can help you make appropriate dietary choices to maintain a well-balanced diet. The gluten-free diet is essential for managing the signs and symptoms of some medical conditions:

Celiac disease is a condition in which gluten triggers immune system activity that damages the lining of the small intestine. Over time, this damage prevents the absorption of nutrients from food. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder. According to Beyond Celiac (beyondceliac.org), celiac disease (also referred to as celiac sprue, non-tropical sprue, and gluten-sensitive enteropathy) is a serious, genetic autoimmune disorder triggered by consuming a protein called gluten, which is found in wheat, barley, and rye.According to the Datamonitor Group (2009), an estimated one in 133 Americans, or about 1 percent of the population, has celiac disease. It is estimated that 83 percent of Americans who have celiac disease are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed with other conditions. When a person with celiac eats gluten, the protein interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food by damaging a part of the small intestine called villi. Damaged villi make it nearly impossible for the body to absorb nutrients into the bloodstream, leading to malnourishment and a host of other problems, including some cancers, thyroid disease, osteoporosis, infertility and the onset of other autoimmune diseases.

Chloe Vegan Foods are one way to help people with celiac disease deal effectively through a 100 percent vegetable-based, gluten-free diet – the only existing treatmentfor celiac disease.

• Non-celiac gluten sensitivity causes some signs and symptoms associated with celiac disease — including abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, “foggy brain,” rash or headache — even though there is no damage to the tissues of the small intestine. Studies show the immune system plays a role, but the process isn’t well-understood.

• Gluten ataxia, an autoimmune disorder, affects certain nerve tissues and causes problems with muscle control and voluntary muscle movement.

• Wheat allergy, like other food allergies, is the result of the immune system mistaking gluten or some other protein found in wheat as a disease-causing agent, such as a virus or bacteria. The immune system creates an antibody to the protein, prompting an immune system response that may result in congestion, breathing difficulties and other symptoms.

As a vegetable-based product line, Chloe Vegan Foods are a wonderful solution for people with gluten-related medical issues. 

Claims about the general health benefits of a gluten-free diet are the motivation for other people to avoid wheat and other grains with gluten. However, it should be noted that very little clinical research has been conducted about the benefits of the diet for people who do not have a gluten-related medical condition.