Gluten – it’s a sticky subject. It may seems like another quirky diet trend and while some need to cut out gluten for good, we can all benefit from less doughiness in our lives. It’s time to sort the wheat from the chaff.
An excellent source of protein and fibre, naturally occurring gluten is harmless in small doses. Gluten intolerance is a serious problem, but dietitians agree there’s no advantage to adopting a gluten free diet if you don’t have coeliac disease or a related medical condition. However, if your diet is full of white bread, pastry and pasta, and chewy processed foods, you are getting the sticky end of the deal when it comes to gluten. The golden rule? All good things in moderation. Subtract a muffin and replace it with a wholefood cake packed with nuts, fruits and seeds, to give your tummy a break.
What is Gluten?
Remember the simple papier-mâché paste you made in kindergarten out of flour and water? Gluten is what made it, well, gluey. It’s a mix of two proteins which occurs naturally in certain grains such as barley, wheat, rye, triticale and spelt, and makes it’s way into everyday foods like bread, cakes and pies, cereal, pasta, crackers and beer. Foods we’ve been eating for thousands of years – correct. Archaeological evidence has suggested that grains entered the human diet perhaps 23,000 years ago (and grain storage started more recently, around 11,000 years ago), but recently discovered tools suggest that over 100,000 years ago, some very earliest ancestors were eating gluten free sorghum grains, not wheat.
Processed gluten is also added to foods as a separate ingredient in its own right. It makes pasta springy and rubbery, gravy thick and gluey and candy bars chewy.
It’s added to bread to enhance flavour and for increased dough strength and elasticity, which gives structure; as well as increased water absorption, improving softness and extending shelf life.
Accredited Practising Dietitian Lisa Donaldson, who has coeliac disease herself, says “The main problem areas are processed and pre-packaged foods, so reading labels becomes critically important.”
Check processed food packets for glutenous ingredients such as:
1. Emulsifiers
2. Flavourings
3. Hydrolysed plant protein
4. Natural flavourings
5. Stabilisers
6. Starch
Likewise, heavily processed gluten free bread, cakes and cookies, can have more kilojules per serve and no more fibre than normal bread. Lisa recommends whole foods across the board.
Coeliac Disease or Gluten Intolerance?
People who have coeliac disease have a genetic auto-immune disorder that triggers the tiny, finger-like projections (or ‘villi’) in their small intestine to swell up and lie flat when they ingest gluten. This interferes with the absorption of nutrients and can cause malnutrition.
Symptoms of celiac disease include bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, lethargy, migraines, mineral deficiencies, anaemia and weight loss.
Gluten intolerance, meanwhile, is an emerging area and until recently was not recognised because the basic symptoms can overlap with coeliac disease. However most people suffering from gluten intolerance experience a wealth of benefits, including less bloating, more energy, clearer skin and better sleep, from cutting out gluten altogether.
Get Tested
Even with the growing awareness of gluten and the gluten free diet trend, Coeliac Australia reports that, while the disease affects about one in 100 Australians, with 75 per cent of sufferers remain undiagnosed. Untreated, coeliac disease may lead to infertility, osteoporosis and bowel cancer. Gluten intolerance can also lead to infertility and osteoporosis, as well as depression and liver disease.
If you’re showing symptoms, it’s a good idea to see your doctor, who may schedule a blood test and a biopsy. “This is the gold standard for true diagnosis of coeliac disease,” says Lisa.
But don’t start a gluten free diet until after you’ve been diagnosed, Lisa warns, as the small intestine lining may then heal itself and the tests will be inconclusive.
A Gluten Free Diet
If you have been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or coeliac disease, it’s not too difficult to put a gluten free diet into practice.
“People following a gluten free lifestyle can still manage to eat a varied, fibre-rich diet,” says Lisa. “Fruits and vegetables play a valuable role, but legumes such as baked beans, chickpeas and lentils are also a great source of fibre.
“Gluten free products that include nuts and seeds are fabulous and delicious, and adding chia seeds and psyllium husks to skinny smoothies or natural yoghurt is an easy way to boost fibre content. At meal times, include brown rice, quinoa or a cob of corn to increase the fibre content, along with the carbohydrate content.”
No Excuses Carbs
That’s right – a gluten free diet is not an excuse to cut back on complex carbohydrates. The Australian Dietary Guidelines stress the importance of enjoying six serves of wholegrain foods per day. Wheat, oats and barley may be off the menu, but rice, millet and corn are gluten free, as is sorghum.
Not only are they excellent source of energy, wholegrain foods are packed with key nutrients, including protein, dietary fibre, B group vitamins, vitamin E, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus. A diet rich with complex carbs is associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and excess weight gain, with evidence for this strengthening each year.
Lisa’s Gluten Free Shopping List
Meat products: Unprocessed meat, fish, chicken, turkey, seafood, ham off the bone, lamb, beef, kangaroo and duck are gluten free. Beware of meats that are crumbed or marinated in sauces. Be extremely cautious of deli meats and sausages as gluten can be used as a firming agent.
Eggs: Enjoy them boiled, poached, scrambled or use them in omelettes and frittatas. Just be careful of quiches and the dreaded gluten rich pastry.
Dairy products: From full cream to skim milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, fresh cream, feta, ricotta, cottage cheese, cheddar, mozzarella and soon, dairy is a safe zone for the gluten intolerant. But be cautious of some custards, yoghurts, ice-creams and dairy alternatives like soymilk. Barley, which contains gluten, is often added to make milk alternatives creamy, and to boost the fibre content.
Fruits and vegetables: Fresh, canned and frozen fruit and veggies are fine, as is fruit juice. Be careful of vegetables that come in sauces. Corn and potatoes are both excellent sources of fibre.
Seeds, nuts and nut butters: Delicious and gluten free.
Cereal and baking products: Corn (maize) flour, soy flour, lentil flour, rice (all types), rice flour, chickpea flour, almond meal, lupin flour, rice bran, potato flour, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, polenta, psyllium, sorghum and breakfast cereals made from corn and rice are gluten free. New gluten free “flours” are being developed all the time.
Bread and biscuits: Most rice crackers, corn cakes, rice crispbreads, corn tortillas and corn taco shells are gluten free. To be on the safe side, always double check the ingredient lists and look for gluten free labelling.
Legumes: Chow down on chickpeas, kidney beans, berlotti beans, cannellini beans, black eyed peas, four bean mix, lentils and most baked beans (check the label).
Pasta and noodles: Most regular pasta contains gluten, so look for the gluten free variety. Rice noodles, rice or bean vermicelli and 100 per cent buckwheat noodles are fine for gluten intolerant pasta addicts. Fresh pasta has less gluten than processed pasta.
Condiments: Tomato paste, tahini, jam, honey, maple syrup, cocoa, all kinds of vinegars (except malt), some sauces such as tamari, and some salad dressings are gluten free. Always check labels though.
Occasional Treats: Plain chips and corn chips, popcorn and plain chocolate are still on the menu, so you can accept those party invites.
Drinks: Tea, coffee, mineral water, fruit and vegetable juices, wine and spirits will do you no harm. But beer is not gluten free, so you’ll need to abstain from ale.
Lisa’s Gluten Free Snacks
- Gluten free hummus with veggie sticks
- Fresh fruit and natural yoghurt
- Popcorn with gluten free toppings
- Rice cakes with ricotta, tomato and cracked pepper
- A hard-boiled egg
- Handful of dried fruit and nuts
- Banana and cinnamon skim milk smoothie
- A small tin of baked beans
Gluten Free Vegetarian Menu
Breakfast Ideas:
- Two poached eggs with spinach, mushrooms and tomato with one slice of gluten free toast with a smear of avocado
- One small bowl of warm baked beans with grilled tomato, mushrooms and asparagus
- One small bowl of quinoa porridge with stewed pear, natural yoghurt and cinnamon (add sunflower seeds if you feel like them)
Hot chips are a gluten-free vego treat - Gluten free corn fritters with rocket, avocado and poached egg.
Lunch Ideas:
- Chickpea salad with pumpkin, baby spinach and steamed beans, dressed in balsamic vinaigrette
- Gluten free salad wrap with hard boiled egg and salad, spread with hummus
- Brown rice or quinoa salad with leafy greens, olives and feta
Dinner Ideas:
- Stir fry using tofu and Asian vegetables. Swap gluten-containing soy for tamari, add ginger, chilli and basil/coriander for flavour and serve with rice or buckwheat noodles
- Vegetarian frittata using eggs, grated vegetables and some feta
- Vegetarian BBQ skewers using haloumi, capsicum, mushrooms, zucchini and tofu, served with a cob of corn
Lisa’s Triumph Over Coeliac Disease
“I was diagnosed with coeliac disease almost 12 years ago. It was life changing. I was convinced that stomach cramps were a normal part of digestion, because that was all I had ever known. I was undernourished and was always getting sick. My body simply wasn’t absorbing the right amount of nutrients because my intestines were in a damaged state. I was a school teacher at the time and I thought I was just picking up germs from my students.
I decided to visit my doctor to see if there was something I could do to boost my immune system. I just wanted to feel better. I had some blood tests and it turned out I carried the gene for coeliac disease, so I was sent off for a colonoscopy.
I can honestly say the diagnosis changed my life – everything changed!
The first few weeks on a gluten free diet were hard because I wasn’t sure what to eat. I was a Weetbix and salad sandwich kind of girl, and 15 years ago there weren’t many gluten free products on the market. But after a complete change in my wellness, I was determined to stick with it.
I started to feel better after a few weeks of gluten free dieting. After one month I had worked out ways to improve what I was eating, and felt incredible.
I noticed an increase in vitality, a boost in energy and I stopped getting so ill. I had colour in my cheeks and couldn’t believe how amazing my insides felt. No more cramping, distended belly or discomfort.
I left my role as a primary school teacher to return to university pursue a new career in nutrition and dietetics. I wanted to help other people like me feel amazing. I wanted to teach people that what we eat, especially gluten, makes an enormous impact on our health and wellbeing.”
For Further Help
If you have coeliac disease it is essential you visit an accredited practising dietitian (APD) who can evaluate what you are eating and teach you more about this auto-immune disorder. You can find a list of APDs in your local community on the Dietitians Association of Australia website, www.daa.asn.au.
The Coeliac Society of Australia is an invaluable resource for anyone with coeliac disease. Membership entitles you to access to information sessions, handouts covering ingredients and food labeling (including the Ingredient List booklet), recipe books, shopping tours, eating out, availability of gluten free products and advice on travel. The society provides a regular magazine and support groups, and will make it easier to cope with coeliac disease and gluten free diets.
This article first appeared on 12WBT.com.au.