Gluten-free diet

A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a diet that excludes gluten, a protein composite found in wheat, barley, rye, and all their species and hybrids (such as spelt,kamut, and triticale). The inclusion of oats in gluten-free diet remains controversial. Avenin present in oats may be also toxic for coeliac people. Its toxicity depends on the cultivar consumed. Furthermore, oats is frequently cross contaminated with gluten-containing cereals.

Gluten causes health problems in sufferers of gluten-related disorders, which include coeliac disease (CD), non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) and wheat allergy. In these patients, the gluten-free diet is a demonstrated effective treatment. In addition, at least in some cases, the gluten-free diet may improve gastrointestinal and/or systemic symptoms in other diseases, such as irritable bowel syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or HIV enteropathy, among others.

Gluten proteins have low nutritional and biological value, and are not essential in the diet. However, an unbalanced selection of food and an incorrect choice of commercially prepared gluten-free replacement products, which are poorer nutritional quality and have greater lipid / carbohydrate content compared to the gluten-containing counterparts, may lead to nutritional deficiencies. These nutritional complications can be prevented by a correct dietary education. Gluten free-diet must be mainly based on naturally gluten-free foods, which are more equilibrate in micro and macro nutrients, such as meat, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, potatoes, rice, maize. It is advisable to choose commercially prepared gluten-free replacement products that are enriched or fortified with vitamins and minerals. Furthermore, a healthy alternative to these products are pseudocereals (such as quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat) and other minor cereals, which have high biological and nutritional value.