That hype about gluten!
When it comes to the word ‘Gluten’ what always pops up is the term ‘Gluten-free’. While these words are very common in Western countries, it is also used in some sectors of our society with restaurants and menus offering gluten-free options and online shopping sites advertising gluten-free food. However, only a very limited number of processed gluten- free products are available in supermarkets in Sri Lanka unlike in the Western world where a large number of brands, a diverse selection of processed foods and entire sections are dedicated to gluten-free food.
Gluten-free really matters for those with certain health conditions where excluding gluten from the diet can make a huge difference. Fortunately for those of us who live in Sri Lanka where our staple food is rice like in many other Asian countries, we need not focus on gluten-free processed foods as we have a wide array of products that are naturally gluten-free and are nutritious and healthy as well.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a group of proteins found in some grains especially in wheat. The two main proteins in gluten are glutenin and gliadin where gliadin is responsible for most of the adverse health effects of gluten. In the food manufacturing industry gluten has many advantages as it adds elasticity to dough. When flour is mixed with water, the gluten proteins form a sticky network that has a glue-like consistency. This property makes bread dough pliable and gives it the ability to rise when baked and provide a satisfying texture.
Gluten is also responsible for making pizza dough supple and pasta and noodles stretchy so that they can be pulled through the pasta press without breaking when they are made. So getting a good texture in baked goods without gluten is difficult and this is the reason that products such as bread, other bakery goods, pastas and pizzas are crumbly without gluten.
Gluten in grains and pulses
While wheat that is found everywhere in so many types of food, contains the most amount of gluten, it is also found in rye, barley, semolina and in foods derived from these grains such as baked goods that include bread, buns, cakes, cookies, donuts, muffins and in pasta, pizza, crackers, salad dressings, sauces, soup mixes and beer. There are some popular grains that are naturally gluten- free, such as rice, corn, millet, quinoa, oats and sorghum. However, oats can be cross contaminated with gluten as wheat and oats are usually processed in the same facilities.
In Sri Lanka, there are many naturally gluten-free grains with most of our traditional dishes being made from these grains. These include, rice (Oryza sativa) and maize/corn (Zea mays L )that are freely available and also several other smaller coarse grains of the millet type such as kurakkan (Eleusine coracana), thana hal (Setaria italic), amu (Paspalum scrobiculatum), meneri (Panicum miliaceum)as well as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor)that can be purchased. Then there are the products made from these grains such as rice flour and kurakkan flour noodles as well as mixes made of these flours for hoppers, string hoppers, roti, pittu etc. and rice flour vermicelli, biscuits, crackers and papadam that are all freely available.So there you are, so many naturally gluten-free grains and products within our easy reach.
Grain legumes or pulses and their products are also naturally gluten-free. Available in Sri Lanka are mysoor dhall, cowpea, mung bean, pigeon pea, chick pea, soybean and black gram.
Other gluten-free foods
There are several other wholesome foods that are naturally gluten- free. These include meat, fish and sea food, eggs, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, nuts, tubers including potatoes and fats such as oil and butter. Moreover, Sri Lanka has quite a variety of sources of gluten-free carbohydrates other than those already mentioned including the indigenous yams like manioc, sweet potato, innala and kiri ala as well as breadfruit and jak fruit.
Is gluten-free needed for everyone?
If you do not have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, a gluten-free diet is not necessary and may actually nutritionally compromise your diet. People that benefit most from a gluten-free diet are those with celiac disease who must completely avoid consumption of gluten and those with gluten sensitivity who must always try to exclude gluten from their diet.
Gluten-free, benefits and risks
People who only eat foods that are inherently gluten-free, like fruits, vegetables, gluten-free whole grains, lean protein, healthy fats, then gluten-free can consider it a healthy diet. But if gluten containing products are replaced with highly processed gluten-free foods your body may get way too many carbohydrates which can spike blood sugar levels.
The processed foods may also have higher amounts of sugar, fats and oils to make them more palatable, as well as additives such as starches and gums to improve texture. These can have a negative impact on weight and weight-related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. However, the biggest risk of going gluten-free with processed foods is that they may be lacking in critical nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals. In Sri Lanka we do not have to use gluten-free processed foods as we have a healthy option of using so many of our gluten-free grains especially rice and rice flour.
In conclusion
For the vast majority of people, avoiding gluten is unnecessary, it is necessary only in cases there is a medically needed dietary restriction. If you are sensitive to gluten it is always better to choose foods that are ‘naturally gluten-free’ rather than the ‘processed gluten-free’ as a gluten-free label does not automatically mean that the food is healthier.
| Gluten- Free Labelling All food labelled “gluten- free” or “GF” must meet with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements. According to the FDA rule, all food that is naturally free of gluten or any food that contains less than 20 ppm (parts per million) of gluten may be labelled as “GF”. | |
| Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivity Celiac disease also known as coeliac disease is a serious inherited autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks itself when any food containing gluten is eaten. This causes damage to the lining of the small intestine that leads to difficulty in digestion of food and nutrient absorption. Celiac disease is not a food allergy or intolerance; it is a clinicallydiagnosed disorder. Currently the only treatment for this disease is life-long adherence to a strict gluten-free diet. Even ingesting small amounts of gluten like crumbs from a cutting board can trigger small intestine damage. Gluten sensitivity is a condition, distinct from celiac disease, with its own intestinal response to gluten. Although gluten sensitive patients have similar symptoms of diarrhoea, abdominal pain, fatigue and other symptoms suffered by those with celiac disease, they are alleviated upon exclusion of gluten from the diet and they do not have the intestinal inflammation or long-term damage to the small intestine that characterizes untreated celiac disease. |