Gluten-free diet: what to eat? Prohibited and allowed products, sample menu

A gluten-free diet is not easy to follow. Not only the obvious products containing gluten should be removed from the menu, but also be careful about those in which gluten is hidden. Which products are allowed and which are prohibited in a gluten-free diet? What products may contain gluten? Check out a sample menu for a gluten-free diet.

Gluten-free dietis a diet that completely eliminates the gluten contained in both natural and processed products. Gluten is a mixture of the proteins glutelin and gliadin found in wheat, rye and barley.

In oats, on the other hand, there is a slightly different protein - avenin, which probably does not cause the same reactions as the proteins of gluten grains.

Oats, however, are very often contaminated with gluten, so people who are ill can only eat certified, marked as gluten-free.

Gluten-free diet - recommendations

Gluten-free diet should be used in the case of:

1.Celiac disease

Celiac disease, called celiac disease, is an autoimmune disease with a genetic basis, in which gluten causes the greatest damage to the body. Its consumption leads to the atrophy of the intestinal villi and the malabsorption of nutrients from food, which results in many different he alth problems.

The symptoms of celiac disease can vary in form and severity. These include, for example:

• stomach pains,
• nutritional deficiencies,
• short stature,
• afty,
• change of disposition,
• depression,
• constant fatigue.

The only treatment is to follow a strict gluten-free diet throughout your life.

• Atypical symptoms of celiac disease in adults

Celiac disease is not just a disease of young children. It may also appear only in adulthood. At least 1% of the population suffers from celiac disease, and according to studies, the incidence is still increasing. One possible reason for this is the increase in gluten consumption as a result of changing eating habits and the use of high-gluten wheat varieties in baking. The fact that it detects in Poland is very disturbingonly 5% of cases of celiac disease develop.

2. Duhring's disease- cutaneous celiac disease

In Duhring's disease, highly itchy skin lesions appear most often on the elbows, knees, buttocks and around the sacrum:

• erythema,
• clumps
• and bubbles.

The basic treatment is a strict gluten-free diet and iodine restriction.

3. Gluten allergies(most often wheat)

Gluten allergy is a completely different disease entity than celiac disease. Gluten is a very popular allergen - the second most common after milk.

Allergy sufferers may react immediately (a few minutes to an hour) or late (up to 1-2 days) after consuming gluten.

In adults, gluten allergy is most often manifested:

• urticaria,
• watery runny nose,
• diarrhea,

and in children - exacerbation of atopic skin lesions.

For treatment, eliminate gluten from your diet. However, there is no need to follow a strict gluten-free diet throughout your life.

4. Non-celiac gluten sensitivity

For several years, the scientific community has been talking about a newly discovered form of gluten intolerance - non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

People suffering from it have been excluded from celiac disease and gluten allergy, but consumption of gluten-containing products causes symptoms, e.g .:

• stomach ache,
• rash,
• headache,
• feeling of constant fatigue,
• entanglement,
• diarrhea,
• constipation,
• flatulence,
• anemia.

According to American research, this disease affects 6% of the population.

With gluten intolerance there is no need to eliminate it from the diet for life. After an exclusion period of usually 3 to 12 months, depending on the severity of the reaction, gluten is reintroduced into the diet and the body's response is observed.

The absence of symptoms means you can eat gluten, and the appearance of these symptoms indicates that you should continue to follow a gluten-free diet.

5. Neuropsychiatric diseases

This applies to diseases such as schizophrenia, autism.

6. Autoimmune diseases(Hashimoto, rheumatoid arthritis)

More and more studies link neuropsychiatric and autoimmune diseases to gluten consumption.

These types of diseases are often diagnosed with accompanying irritable bowel syndrome. It turns outhowever, it is not the next drugs, but the gluten elimination, that has a positive effect on the improvement of the patient's condition.

Read also:

• Dr Davis' wheat-free diet, i.e. a gluten-free diet for weight loss
• Should you give your baby gluten?
• Gluten-free diet - he althy or harmful?

Gluten-free diet - how to start?

The gluten-free diet should not be started on its own, without consulting a doctor and performing tests. First, you should conduct a diagnosis to determine if gluten is causing the problem, and if so, what type of disease is causing it.

Celiac disease and gluten intolerance are a common problem, as they affect as many as 6 out of 100 people. They are usually poorly symptomatic, without malabsorption syndrome.

Therefore it is easy to ignore these diseases. At the same time, many people are switching to a gluten-free diet because they consider it he althier.

Remember that gluten must not be withdrawn if tested for gluten-related diseases. Then their detection becomes impossible.

What should be done before starting a gluten-free diet?

1. Visit your GP who will refer you to a gastroenterologist
2. Visit a gastroenterologist
3. Perform blood tests prescribed by your doctor: antibodies against smooth muscle endomysium (EmA), against tissue transglutaminase (tTG), against deamidated gliadin (so-called new DGP or GAF gliadin) in IgA and IgG classes.
4. Perform a small intestine biopsy if necessary.
5. If the above tests exclude celiac disease, then you should perform a diagnosis for gluten allergy (elevated gluten-specific IgE antibodies).
6. If you have ruled out celiac disease and allergy, you can test the level of antibodies against the so-called old AGA gliadin and apply an elimination diet, then reintroduce gluten. Relief of symptoms during elimination and their recurrence after switching to gluten foods indicates allergy or hypersensitivity.

Before following a gluten-free diet, you need to be sure if you have celiac disease. Therefore, gluten cannot be eliminated from the diet until disease is confirmed or ruled out.

If celiac disease is ruled out, the procedure for identifying allergies and non-celiac gluten sensitivity is similar. Then the key issue is the elimination of gluten and its reintroduction into the diet with careful observation of symptoms.

Gluten-free diet - rules

A gluten-free diet does not differ in its basic assumptions from the principles of a he althy onenutrition. The only difference is the complete elimination of gluten in people with celiac disease, allergies or a gluten sensitivity.

The basis of the menu should be fresh, high-quality products eaten in 4-5 meals a day. Meals should be eaten regularly every 3 hours, breakfast should be eaten up to an hour after waking up, and dinner 2-3 hours before going to bed.

You should base on vegetables, supplement your diet with fruit, gluten-free groats, fresh meat, fish and eggs. It's best to prepare gluten-free bread substitutes and desserts yourself.

It is definitely the wrong approach to eat gluten-free in large quantities, as these are highly processed foods, often very low in valuable nutrients.

When buying processed products, be sure to look for the crossed ear symbol on them, which indicates that it is gluten-free and may not contain more than 20 mg per kg.

It is a very small amount, safe even for people with celiac disease. This applies not only to cereal products, but also cold meats, sausages, dairy products, chewing gums, ice cream, spices and many more.

In the production process, cereals can be added to basically anything, so it is worth reading carefully the table of products that may contain gluten.

If you are following a strict gluten-free diet, it is best if the whole family passes to it, not just the sick person.

From a logistical point of view, it is much easier, as a person with celiac disease cannot even use the same knife as regular bread or drain gluten and gluten-free pasta in the same strainer.

A gluten-free diet can be very varied and tasty, and its joint use in the family does not result in the exclusion of a sick person.

People with celiac disease and Duhring's disease must follow a strict gluten-free diet throughout their lives . They are harmed by even the smallest amounts of gluten and cannot deviate from the diet, eat "a piece of cake" or "slices of bread", which is often encouraged by people who do not understand the specificity of the disease.

In the case of gluten allergy and intolerance, the individual duration of the gluten-free diet is determined, and then provocations are used, i.e. larger amounts of gluten products are introduced in order to determine the possibility of incorporating gluten into the diet permanently.

Gluten-free products - meet the less known ones

See the gallery of 5 photos

Gluten-free diet - products indicated and prohibited

Naturally gluten-free foods include:

• rice,
• corn,
• potatoes,
• sweet potatoes,
• buckwheat,
• millet,
• amaranth,
• sago,
• sorghum,
• tapioca,
• Cassava,
• soybeans,
• lentils,
• chickpeas,
• beans,
• nuts,
• seeds,
• meat,
• fish,
• eggs,
• vegetables
• and fruits.

Gluten is found in wheat, rye, barley and all their products. In theory, oats are gluten-free, but very often it becomes contaminated with gluten during harvesting, transport and processing.

That is why people on a strict gluten-free diet can only eat gluten-free certified oats.

Product group	Products that do not contain gluten	Products which contain gluten
Grain products	Naturally gluten-free cereals: white and brown rice corn buckwheat millet amarantus quinoa naturally gluten-free flours and groats (e.g. millet, buckwheat) rice flakes corn, rice and tapioca starch gluten-free ready-made flour mixes bread and pasta made of gluten-free flour, made by yourself and bought with the sign of "crossed ear", rice and corn porridges for children corn crisps popcorn gluten-free oats (with reservations) gluten-free bread crumbs	wheat (and its old varieties, e.g. spelled, emmer) triticale barley rye regular oats (due to contamination) wheat flour rye barley wheat, barley, rye, oat flakes, semolina couscous barley groats (pearl barley, Masuria, pearl) muesli oat groats cereal and milk-cereal instant porridges, wheat noodles rye pasta pierogi pyzy kopytka pancakes bread - any - if it is not marked as gluten-free (white and wholemeal bread, rolls, baguettes, maca, pumpernickel bread, crispbread, pretzels) dry confectionery bread (biscuits, cookies, wafers, biscuits, gingerbread, rusks, etc.), cakes cookies buns pizza hamburger bun bread crumbs
Meat, fish, eggs	fresh unprocessed meat fish eggs	breadcrumbs for meat and fish and breaded dishes
Milk and dairy products	fresh milk, carton, condensed milk, powder kefir buttermilk natural yogurt unprocessed white, yellow cheese	milk drinks with barley m alt dairy products with cereal grains
Fats	butter lard margarine vegetable oil olive oil	wheat germ oil
Vegetables and vegetable preserves	all vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned without additives) legumes (peas, beans, lentils), potatoes potato starch	fried, breaded vegetables vegetables with breadcrumbs
Fruits	all fruits (fresh, frozen, canned)
Sugar, sweets, desserts	sugar jam honey candy cakes and cookies baked from permitted products jelly and homemade potato pudding cakes and pastries marked with a "crossed ear" sign	cakes and cookies baked with illegal flour or with illegal baking powder barley m alt
Drinks	tea natural coffee fruit juices mineral waters compotes herbal infusions pure alcohol	grain coffee oat cocoa drinks sweetened with barley m alt beer
Spices	s alt, pepper herbs homogeneous spices wine vinegar apple cider vinegar gluten-free soy sauce	plain soy sauce
Soups	homemade soups from permitted products	soups seasoned with flour noodle soups with dough
Other	gluten-free baking powder food soda communicantslow gluten	regular baking powder hydrolyzed vegetable protein, seitan (meat substitute used by vegetarians) wheat flour regular Christmas wafers

Important

Gluten-free diet - technological tips

• use rice or buckwheat noodles instead of regular noodles
• use rice, potato and corn flour to thicken soups and sauces
• use sesame, crushed almonds, corn flour or omit the breading
• when baking cakes, use gluten-free baking powder
• do not fry gluten-free and gluten-free portions on the same fat
• use separate cutlery, dishes and kitchen utensils
• use only products that you can be 100% sure are gluten-free

Gluten-free diet - where can gluten be hidden?

Product group	Products that may contain gluten
Grain products	cornflakes may contain barley m alt commercially available corn, rice and buckwheat flour may be contaminated with gluten
Meat, fish, eggs	cold cuts (including high-quality ham), especially the so-called high-performance cold cuts canned fish and meat offal cold cuts (black pudding, pate, pate) delicatessen meat (sausages, minced cutlets, meatballs, hamburgers)
Milk and dairy products	fruit yoghurt flavored buttermilk chocolate drinks reduced fat dairy products processed cheese cream (thickener) cheap yellow cheeses (the so-called cheese-like products) ready-made white cheeses for cheesecakes (some producers add wheat fiber), blue cheeses
Fat	mayonnaise ready-made sauces (dressings)
Vegetables and vegetable preserves	salads with mayonnaise and dressings of unknown composition tomato puree some canned beans potato pancakes vegetarian products such as soy chops soybean pate soy mayonnaise
Fruits	dried fruit fruit ripples
Sugar, sweets, desserts	chewing gum jelly beans stuffed candies bars ready-made puddings ice cream chocolate and chocolates chips
Drinks	some cheap instant coffee, especially flavored, hot drinking chocolate fruit and vegetable drinks alcohol with flavorings
Spices	vegeta vegetables spice mixes (e.g. curry), mustard ketchup powdered sauces, ready-made dips and dressings
Soups	instant soups some stock cubes
Other	slimming preparations certain medications and multivitamins some aromas vanilla sugar

Gluten-free diet - can it harm he althy people?

A gluten-free diet is very fashionable and many people choose it not for he alth reasons, but as a slimming diet.

It must be remembered that gluten alone does not increase body weight in he althy people, and an improperly conducted elimination diet, such as a gluten-free diet, may lead to deficiencies in fiber, folic acid, vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and niacin.

There are also more and more voices that the complete elimination of gluten can lead to the development of non-celiac gluten hypersensitivity in people who have not had problems with it before.

It is also noted that a gluten-free diet is richer in rice products, which increases the exposure to heavy metals harmful to he alth.

For he althy people, it is beneficial to limit gluten intake in the form of white bread, donuts, and store cookies, which are generally unhe althy foods and are very common in the Western diet.

There is no need to completely eliminate gluten, however. All you need to do is replace wheat bread with sourdough rye and use a variety of groats for your dinner.

Gluten-free diet - menu

Day I

• Breakfast

Scrambled eggs with tomato and chives

• 2nd breakfast

Buttermilk, 2 peaches

• Lunch

Boiled buckwheat, a slice of roasted pork loin, grated beetroot

• Afternoon tea

Rice waffles with butterpeanut

• Dinner

Salad with lettuce, arugula, cherry tomatoes, pepper, boiled chicken breast with a spoon of roasted sunflower seeds and olive oil

Day II

• Breakfast

Rice flakes cooked in milk with a teaspoon of honey, chia seeds, coconut flakes and raspberries

• 2nd breakfast

A handful of hazelnuts, banana

• Lunch

Thai soup cooked on diced chicken breast with paprika, green beans, corn and a can of coconut milk without thickeners and other additives - only coconut extract and water

• Afternoon tea

Cottage cheese with tomato

• Dinner

Sandwiches made of 2 slices of bread baked from a mixture of gluten-free flours, buttered, with gluten-free sausage and vegetables

Day III

• Breakfast

Sandwiches made of 3 slices of bread baked from a mixture of gluten-free flours, buttered, with cheese and vegetables

• 2nd breakfast

Homemade cheesecake without bottom made of minced white cheese with strawberries

• Lunch

Baked chicken drumsticks, boiled potatoes, cucumber salad

• Afternoon tea

A handful of almonds

• Dinner

Salad with lettuce, tomato, 1/2 avocado, tuna in its own sauce (check the ingredients!), Olive oil

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