Gluten Free Diets and Living

Running head: GLUTEN FREE DIET

Gluten Free Diet and Living:

What is it, who is it for and why?

Nutritional Facts, Celiac Disease and Lifestyle Associated with it.

Jeffrey J. Crow

Lincoln Land Community College

Nutrition for Foodservice Professional and Culinary Professionals-HSP 116

Deborah Durham

Abstract

Some of the things I am going to cover are what exactly the diet is, who really needs it versus who chooses it and why, Celiac disease prevalence among the U.S. population with some demographics and nutritional information regarding deficiency facts, benefits of it and the growing popularity among the U.S. population due to it possibly being a more healthy lifestyle or not.

Gluten Free Diet and Living:

What is it, who is it for and why?

Nutritional Facts, Celiac Disease and Lifestyle Associated with it.

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye. A gluten-free diet is primarily used to treat celiac disease, but is also used to treat other diseases or illnesses similar to that of celiac. It is also being chosen by more of the U.S. population each day with its growing popularity as a diet option due to its possible nutritional and health benefits, which I will talk about later. Gluten is found in almost all processed foods, often masked on labeling by names like shortening, natural flavoring, stabilizer agent and thickener. This makes it very difficult, and if not almost impossible, to avoid entirely as it is even found in chemical medications, some vitamin supplements as a binding agent and also in cosmetic products such as lipsticks, lip balms and chap sticks. Soy sauces and MSG can also contain hidden gluten.

By eliminating products from the diet that contain gluten, you may find yourself instead consuming more fresh, whole and organic foods. This in itself will be greatly beneficial to your overall health, as it will mean...