Gluten in foods - benefits and harms

Recently, it has become fashionable to adhere to various diets. Among them, a gluten-free diet began to come across more and more often. Its essence is that you need to eat only gluten-free foods. A natural question arises: what is this gluten, the benefits and harms of it, what products does it contain? Let's figure out whether the “beast” is so terrible, how it is painted, whether it is worth excluding gluten-containing products from the diet.

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What is gluten free?

Recently, price tags with the words “caution, gluten”, or “gluten-free” have appeared on store shelves, cafes and restaurants. What is gluten? Is it necessary to be afraid of it and is it worth giving up the usual food?

Gluten is a complex protein that has the ability to glue other proteins into one group. That is why its other name is gluten. It was first isolated from flour. The more gluten this flour has, the higher its quality, since it is thanks to it that the dough acquires elasticity when kneaded.

Synthesized gluten, called modified food starch, is used as a preservative in the preparation of ketchups, soy sauces, and other products. It is also added to various sweets, it is present in pasta. Gluten is also often part of sports nutrition in athletes.

Important! If you are seriously puzzled by your health problem, be sure to read about what foods are good for health.

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The harm and benefits of gluten

A healthy person should have no complaints about products containing gluten. Of course, since it is most often found in flour, it means there is a lot of it in bread, pastries and other flour products. Useful such food can not be called. But you should not rush to completely refuse such products. After all, there is a benefit, which is as follows:

• Gluten enriches the body with proteins.
• It promotes the absorption of vitamins B and D, as well as minerals such as iron and magnesium.

Important! Therefore, if you suddenly decided to abandon products containing gluten, then experimenting with diets can lead to unpleasant consequences. Without gluten, your body will stop receiving the vitamins and minerals it needs. Another thing is if you are allergic to gluten. This disease is called celiac disease.

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Celiac disease - gluten allergy

Statistics tells us. that about 1% of people in the world are allergic to gluten. Moreover, this disease, as a rule, is inherited. In such people, even a small amount of gluten-containing products can cause a very serious allergic reaction, since the immune system perceives this protein as an enemy and begins to actively fight it. The stomach, the entire digestive tract, joints, and the brain suffer.

The main symptoms are as follows:

1. Constant bloating.
2. Diarrhea.
3. Pale and foamy stools.

Important! If such problems are observed in your child, do not immediately write off everything on gluten. Perhaps the reason is completely different. What exactly - find out from our article "Liquid stool in a child". And be sure to consult a doctor, take tests.

Secondary symptoms are frequent headaches, weak immunity, hair loss. Since such symptoms are not pronounced, many patients do not even suspect their illness.

Important! If you are allergic to gluten, you will have to follow a gluten-free diet throughout your life.

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Where is gluten contained and where is it not?

What to do on a gluten-free diet? You will have to give up baking, bread, fast food. Carefully study the composition of the proposed food products, choosing only those that do not contain gluten.

What foods have gluten?

• As we have said, gluten is most found in flour, so you have to abandon flour and bakery products. But in rice and corn it is not. Therefore, you can replace wheat flour with rice, corn or amaranth. Such a choice will only benefit you.
• Have to give up sweets, ice cream, soft drinks and alcohol.
• In addition, all types of convenience foods will be banned.

Important! Absolutely, there is no gluten in meat, fish, mushrooms, seafood, buckwheat, potatoes. You just need to replace some products with others. Go for healthy foods.

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Synthetic additives

How else can you help yourself? Pay attention to the following additives - food products containing them should not be taken:

• E 150 d;
• E 160 b;
• E 953;
• E 636;
• E 965.

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So, the conclusions regarding the dangers and benefits of gluten are mixed. This substance is present in various products and performs its function that is significant for human health. In fact, with a normal healthy lifestyle and nutrition, you need to limit yourself only to food containing harmful synthetic additives. Or focus on the proposed diet by a doctor if you have discovered an individual intolerance.