Gluten-free diet

Who is this diet for?

A gluten-free diet is the primary treatment for gluten-related autoimmune conditions (such as celiac disease, gluten ataxia, and dermatitis herpetiformis), immune-mediated conditions (wheat allergy, gluten allergy, baker's asthma, and wheat-dependent, exercise-induced anaphylaxis), and conditions of unknown etiology (non-celiac gluten sensitivity). Some of these require strict adherence to the diet (e.g., celiac disease, where gluten acts as a toxin, causing the atrophy of intestinal villi and reducing the surface area available for nutrient and vitamin absorption), while others only require limiting gluten intake. Additionally, eliminating gluten from your diet may provide benefits for:

• other autoimmune conditions (e.g., Hashimoto's, MS, RA, type 1 diabetes—patients in these groups have an increased risk of celiac disease, so appropriate testing should be performed before starting the diet),
• neurological disorders (e.g., autism, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis),
• individuals with malabsorption syndrome, such as patients following chemotherapy, antibiotic therapy, or parasitic infections,
• inflammatory bowel diseases and irritable bowel syndrome.

Dietary principles

As previously mentioned, the fundamental principle of a gluten-free diet is the complete exclusion of products containing gluten, which is a mixture of plant proteins (prolamins, glutenins, albumins, and globulins). It is found in wheat, rye, spelt, barley, triticale, oats, and all other varieties of these plant species. Grains of these cereals can be found in flours, groats (e.g., oat, bulgur, semolina, barley, pearl barley, spelt), bread, confectionery (sweet rolls, croissants, cakes, cookies), pasta, bran, flakes, grain coffees, muesli, and even alcohol (e.g., beer, whiskey, bourbon, gin). 

A gluten-free diet should follow the principles of healthy eating and be based on natural, unprocessed products such as vegetables, fruits, eggs, dairy products, legumes, meat, fish, nuts, plant fats, and pseudocereals (millet, buckwheat, tapioca, amaranth, corn, cassava, rice, sorghum, quinoa, and teff).

Read labels

Because gluten is widely used in food processing, reading product labels and ingredient lists is essential. Be especially careful when buying ready-made sauces, dressings, yogurts, spices, cold cuts, hot dogs, deli products, canned fish and meat, sweets, or salty snacks. Furthermore, gluten can even be found in medications! You should be cautious if the ingredients list includes: wheat or durum wheat (semolina), modified starch E-1404, E-1410, E-1412-14, E-1420, E-1442, E-1450-51, wheat germ, cake flour, sifted flour, luxury flour, barley malt, or wheat fiber.

Why is this so important? For people with celiac disease, consuming even a small amount of gluten is harmful. Therefore, it is much better to prepare gluten-free meals yourself, as you have full control over all the ingredients. Furthermore, to ensure the safety of those allergic to gluten, you should avoid using the same cutting boards, cutlery, strainers, plates, and other kitchen equipment used by other household members. You should also avoid sharing butter, jams, sandwich spreads, or other condiments, as they may contain breadcrumbs with the harmful protein. Additionally, never fry food in the same oil that was previously used to cook gluten-containing products. 

Gluten-free diet in MultiLife

More and more ready-made gluten-free products are appearing in stores. Unfortunately, many of them are highly processed, low in fiber, B vitamins, and minerals (such as manganese, zinc, copper, iron, calcium, and selenium), and contain large amounts of sugar and artificial additives. As a result, consuming such food exposes those on a gluten-free diet to the aforementioned deficiencies in essential nutrients. The best solution is to base your diet on naturally gluten-free products. These form the foundation of the gluten-free diet in MultiLife. In the plan, you will find, among other things, gluten-free grains such as millet, buckwheat, rice, quinoa, and amaranth, as well as multi-ingredient smoothies, salads, cottage cheese, and yogurts with various toppings.

Bibliography

• Molina-Infante J, Santolaria S, Montoro M, Esteve M, Fernández-Bañares F). Non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a critical review of current evidence. Gastroenterol Hepatol 2014; 37(6): 362-71
• https://celiakia.pl / [accessed 05.04.2022]
• Daniel V DiGiacomo, Christina A Tennyson, Peter H Green, Ryan T Demmer. Prevalence of gluten-free diet adherence among individuals without celiac disease in the USA: results from the Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2010. Scand J Gastroenterol 2013;48(8):921-5
• Abhik Roy, Monika Laszkowska, Johan Sundström et al. Prevalence of celiac disease in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease: A meta-analysis. Thyroid 2016 Jul;26(7):880-90
• Anamaria Cozma-Petruţ, Felicia Loghin, Doina Miere, Dan Lucian Dumitraşcu. Diet in irritable bowel syndrome: What to recommend, not what to forbid to patients! World J Gastroenterol 2017; 23(21):3771-3783