Hidden Gluten -Justen Dayrit

Why should we care?

Often when we see new fad diets, we are intrigued by what they have to offer and analyze results that other influencers tend to portray, these diets vary from trends such as the Ketogenic diet and the Vegan Diet to Juicing and Gluten free diets

Being gluten free has become a trend in recent times and the awareness for celiac disease has remained the same. Although I do not haveCeliac Disease, I do have an intolerance for gluten and went through a year of trying to figure out what I can and can not eat.  During this time it became increasingly apparent to me how many people do not know what gluten is and why being gluten free is even a thing.

​According to Reilly et al., 2016 0.5% of Americans adhere to a strictly gluten free diet and 15-21% of Americans actively seek out gluten free products. There is a large misconception that being gluten free is important for well being and some parents even go to the extent of making their children Gluten free with the impression that it will make their children less susceptible to Celiac disease without any prior interaction or guidance from a dietitian (Reilly, 2016)

            

Background

The gluten misconceptions are impacting those who actually need to pay attention to gluten in their diet. The media will portray that certain things have gluten when they do not and are these resources are based on non-evidence based information. It is even proving perilous to people who decide to go gluten free because these products are packed with a greater density of fat and sugar than their gluten containing counter parts (Reilly, 2016). This can lead to increased calorie and fat intake which we all know is a precursor to obesity and metabolic syndrome. These are all reason why I decided to write about foods and alternatives that both sides can eat without feeling any guilt or anxiety when choosing foods that may be potentially harmful to their health.
           

What even is Gluten

If people decided to be gluten free without buying “Gluten-Free” products it is important to know that Gluten comes from Wheat, Barley and Rye (Kliewer, 2016***). According to Sharma Gluten content is listen as “ppm” in foods and this measure is used to regulate what can be labeled gluten-free, the FDA states that foods that are listed below a ppm of 20 can be allowed to be listed as gluten free. However, most products that are listed in this category have a ppm of over 20 which can be hazardous to those with increased sensitivity to gluten.

"Gluten-Free" Cereals

A common example of Gluten-Free listed foods that contain a ppm of over 20 include Buckwheat, flax, rice, corn cereal, maple crunch, oatmeal, steel cut, rolled oats in various breakfast cereals. (Sharma, 2015***) It is a common knowledge that buckwheat is a gluten free flour however during processing in factories it can be contaminated with gluten resulting in a higher ppm.

"Gluten-Free" Dinner

In terms of Frozen foods, meats and meat substitutes: Butternut squash risotto/souffle, enchilada, burrito, teriyaki chicken bowl, polenta Provençale, roasted turkey/beef, veggie burger, Italian dry salami are all examples of foods with a ppm of over 100 (Sharma, 2015). This is over 5 times the regulated amount by the FDA to be considered gluten free foods, this can be especially hazardous to those with extreme sensitivity to gluten.

---

"Gluten-Free" Condiments

Condiments and sauces labeled Gluten-Free have a ppm of over 20 which is over the legal limit. Vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, salad dressing, mayonnaise, chili season kit, relish, molasses, seasoning mixes are all condiments placed on foods that are listed as Gluten Free (Sharma, 2015).           

---

Conclusion

***​            These are all just the surface of what isn’t shown on labels, big businesses are trying to take advantage of people’s medical conditions to sell off as a new fad diet without considering the people who are at risk. It is better to understand the what foods are potentially dangerous and educate ourselves to prevent mishaps from coming in the future for the people who are at risk.









References*** Fix APA formating
Kliewer, Kara L, Carina Venter, Alison M Cassin, J. Pablo Abonia, Seema S Aceves, Peter A
     Bonis, Evan S Dellon, Gary W Falk, Glenn T Furuta, Nirmala Gonsalves, Sandeep K Gupta,
     Ikuo Hirano, Amir Kagalwalla, John Leung, Vincent A Mukkada, Jonathan M Spergel, and
     Marc E Rothenberg. "Should Wheat, Barley, Rye, And/or Gluten Be Avoided in a 6-food  
     Elimination Diet?" The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 137.4 (2016): 1011-014.
     Web.
Reilly, Norelle R. "The Gluten-Free Diet: Recognizing Fact, Fiction, and Fad." The Journal of
     Pediatrics 175 (2016): 206-10. Web.
Sharma, Girdhari M., Pereira, Marion, and Williams, Kristina M. "Gluten Detection in Foods
     Available in the United States - A Market Survey." Food Chemistry 169 (2015): 120. Web.
Photo References
310 Nutrition, Hidden Foods That Contain Gluten. 2 Nov. 2017.
Anderson, Jane. How Calories in Gluten-Free Foods Stack Up. 26 Sept. 2019.
Raman, Ryan. The Gluten-Free Diet: A Beginner's Guide With Meal Plan. 12 Dec. 2017.
Thomson, Julie R. 10 Breakfast Cereals That Have A Nutritionist's Stamp Of Approval. 25 Apr. 2017.
LEAN & FIT: TERIYAKI CHICKEN.
Zhang, Amy, and Julie Zhang. The Definitive Guide to Choosing the Dark Stuff. 6 Dec. 2016.