Gluten Free Diet – Should You Go for It?

A diet free from gluten is the latest trend. Even celebrities having no gluten sensitivity, such as Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow have expressed tremendous satisfaction about the healthful feeling and detox effects of gluten-free diet. Rachel Macy from Actually Gluten Free shares tips here about gluten-free diet.

People with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease can feel a considerable difference in quality of life with a gluten-free diet. This diet acts as a detox tool by ridding their body of an irritant.

But for people who are not suffering from these problems (celiac disease or gluten sensitivity), gluten-free diet is not a necessity; however, it can become a way create a new diet. Actually, if you plan to adopt gluten-free diet despite the fact that you are not gluten sensitive, you could experience a better feeling, only because you start taking more healthful foods.

Gluten-free diet is indeed a return to food that is good for you, like rice, vegetables, fruits, corn, etc – all healthier for you.

When is Gluten-free Diet a Must?

People having either celiac disease or gluten sensitivity have to go on a gluten-free diet.

Celiac Disease: In celiac disease, villi (fingerlike projections on the inner side intestine that increase the surface area and help in digestion) are damaged due to chronic inflammation because of gluten. In such a case, even a small amount of gluten causes cramps, bloating or certain types of rashes in them. Celiac disease might also give rise to lactose sensitivity and iron deficiency anemia. This disease occurs in around 1 person in 133 people.

Gluten Sensitivity (Intolerance): People having no celiac disease can suffer from gluten sensitivity. They don’t have their intestine’s inner lining damaged, but experience fatigue, bloating, diarrhea or headache after eating gluten-containing foods. When they shift to gluten-free diet, they experience an improvement in their quality of life. Amount of gluten sensitivity is more than celiac disease, perhaps 1 in 10 people.

People will find it great to know that when they go gluten-free, they have more alternatives than ever before. In big cities, restaurants have started serving gluten-free foods. However, reading labels is anytime better, because items like soy sauce too can comprise of gluten. Also, it is important to know that “wheat-free” doesn’t necessarily mean “gluten-free” and also just because a food is gluten-free, it won’t necessarily meet your nutritional needs or is low fat, low calorie or low sodium.

People having celiac disease even have to remodel their kitchen because even cooking instruments which have been earlier used for gluten-containing foods can give rise to symptoms, whereas gluten sensitive people can sometimes eat gluten-containing foods if they are not much troubled with symptoms.

Visit ActuallyGlutenFree.com to see how wide a range of gluten-free food choices is available for you. There are natural gluten-free foods, recipes, free Christmas hampers, Chinese food, and much more here.