Gluten 101: Everything You Need to Know About Going Gluten-Free

From Miley Cyrus, Gwyneth Paltrow to many Bollywood celebs too, everyone seems to have traded gluten for flawless skin and fitter body! But is it really worth it?

We spoke to nutritionist Pooja Banga, director at Cultivating Health to know all about the pros and cons of cutting out gluten, and how you can adopt this lifestyle.

What is a gluten-free diet?

"Gluten is basically a family of protein found in certain grains including wheat, rye, barley. Out of this, wheat is the most commonly used one. As the name suggests, a gluten-free diet avoids all foods which contain gluten including those which are made from wheat and whole wheat such as chapati, breads, pasta, daliya, cakes and pastries, beer etc."

Who needs it?

"Some people have a gluten sensitivity other have a more severe form of the allergy called celiac disease. When someone with this disease ingests gluten their lower digestive tract begins to erode and this makes it difficult for them to absorb nutrients." Meanwhile, check out some symptoms of a gluten allergy:  
Stomach cramps 
Bloating 
Headaches 
Fatigue 
Joint Pain  

Pooja adds, "While symptoms may vary from person to person, stomach cramps and digestive problems are the most common among them, which is why people with gluten allergies are often mistakenly diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. If you have gluten sensitivity just simply avoid it." 

What are the pros and cons of the gluten-free diet?

Pros  
It is helpful in reducing the symptoms of IBS ( irritable bowel syndrome)
It helps people who have PCOS as they can develop a little intolerance towards gluten
Beneficial for people with celiac disease
Beneficial for people who gluten intolerance

Cons 
"Unfortunately people link gluten free with healthy. There is nothing about gluten or gluten containing foods which makes them inherently unhealthy.  
It is naturally present in whole grains." 

However...

The following would be the cons for gluten free diet

- When a person leaves out gluten containing grains from diet, he/ she also gets deficient in B  vitamins, magnesium and iron.

- Gluten free substitutes of foods are not reliable as these foods are made with processed unfortified rice, tapioca, corn, or potato flours which are not healthy.

- Gluten acts as a prebiotic and feeds the good bacterias in our gut.  A gluten free diet makes us short on these natural pre biotics
 

How to transition to a gluten-free diet?

- Go for real foods directly from nature like fruits and vegetables.

- Enjoy naturally gluten free grains.

- Substitute wheat with other grains like rice, quinoa,  oats etc. 

- If you want to go for sweets at all then try going for Indian desserts like those made from milk. Cakes pastries and cookies are generally made from refined flour so they do have gluten. 

- Read the label! Nowadays you might find many companies putting 'GLUTEN FREE' especially on the pack. Otherwise, you can look at the ingredients list.

- Know which alcohol to have. Beer has gluten in it so it would be best to avoid it

- Plan ahead when going out and try choosing a restaurant which has a gluten-free menu as well. If not, then you can ask the restaurant for gluten-free options in advance.