Gluten-free diet

Let's start from a fundamental consideration: the gluten-free diet is a specific diet for people suffering from celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

gluten is a peptide compound, essentially a protein, contained in wheat and similar cereals, as well as in their derivatives: the body of some individuals does not manage this protein well, with higher degrees or less severe immune response to it.

According to AIC (Italian Celiac Association), 10,000 new diagnoses are registered every year and there are approximately 600,000 celiacs in Italy. However, a distinction needs to be made, because being sensitive or intolerant to gluten or being celiac are very different situations.

There seems to have been a real surge in cases of celiac disease in the last decade, probably due to the massive consumption of increasingly processed and processed products, which use gluten among the ingredients.

Celiac disease, what are the symptoms

A real pathology, included among the so-called autoimmune diseases, with very serious symptoms, mainly linked to the digestive system but sometimes, in the worst cases, also respiratory and generalised.

Various symptoms, annoying but initially bearable, so much so that obtaining the diagnosis is often a long process that can require years of waiting and tests.

The gluten-free diet therefore becomes a diet for life: celiacs must completely and forever eliminate gluten from their table, as it is truly toxic for the body.

In more serious cases, it is also a good idea to pay attention to contaminations in the family, using cutlery and pots specifically for the person affected by the disorder, and keeping food separate in the refrigerator and pantry at home.

Scientific research is continuing to find a solution, for example we are studying how to intervene on gliadin, the most toxic component of gluten, in such a way as to make it inactive at the intestinal level thanks to a particular enzyme.

Sensitivity or decreased tolerance to gluten is not true celiac disease, but a lighter disorder that must be managed with separate, less stringent guidelines, and which affects a large number of people.

Gluten-free diet: what to eat

Today there are hundreds of alternatives on the market: specialized supermarkets and e-commerce sites offer awide range of references for those who need to embark on a gluten-free diet, while until a few years ago procurement was much more complex, the products were few and often available only in specialized shops and in pharmacies.

But what to eat? What foods are naturally gluten free?

• Beware of carbohydrates: gluten-free pasta and rice (naturally gluten-free) should however be consumed in moderation, as they are caloric foods and increase the body's glycemic response. The same goes for leavened products, such as gluten-free bread and pizza;
• Homemade desserts are better, given that gluten-free industrial sweets are often highly processed and contain even larger doses of fats and sugars, to compensate for the lack of gluten - which normally gives consistency to the dough and helps it rise. It is better to consume homemade desserts, made with naturally gluten-free flours and sweetened with honey;
• Prefer naturally gluten-free products: compared to deglutinated foods, those naturally free of the substance are certainly preferable. Ancient grains and semi-cereals, such as buckwheat, millet, amaranth, teff and quinoa, become a good basis for the diet;
• Yes to fresh fruit and vegetables and legumes: vegetables can be consumed without problems in the gluten-free diet. Tubers such as potatoes are also a valid ally in this diet;
• Excellent smoothies and centrifuged drinks: be careful with fruit juices and industrial drinks, which often contain hidden gluten like many other industrial products. Better to opt for fresh extracts, made at home with controlled, quality raw materials.

Learning to carefully check the labels of industrial products is essential, as you will find that gluten is often included in the ingredients list of even the most unthinkable foods!

Gluten free diet to lose weight?

The gluten-free diet was created to manage a pathology: thinking of putting it into practice without being celiac or sensitive or intolerant to gluten, therefore, makes little sense.

The gluten free diet for weight loss, however, is now in the limelight and very fashionable: but is it really true that gluten-free products are leaner?

The wording "without" always makes one think of a less caloric product but, in the case of industrial gluten-free substitutes, this is not the case at all: they are often more processed foods, rich in fats and sugars.

Gluten-free diet for those without celiac disease: contraindications

As mentioned above, undertaking a gluten-free diet without a medical diagnosis of celiac disease, intolerance or sensitivity to this substance may have contraindications.

A recent study by the Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe of Valencia, in fact, compared over 600 "normal" products compared to their gluten-free substitute, noting how the nutritional composition is often worse in the latter, with double the fat content and little or no protein intake.

Consuming gluten-free foods without the real need, therefore, not only does not make you lose weight but could be harmful and counterproductive, leading to ingesting too many lipids and depriving yourself of essential nutrients.

How to replace gluten in recipes

Especially for leavened products and sweet and savory baked preparations, it can be complicated at first to understand how to obtain a good result using gluten-free flours.

The latter, in fact, helps the dough to be workable and elastic: naturally gluten-free flours such as rice, corn, spelled or oat flours tend to be less workable. The dough will be less homogeneous and will rise worse. How to intervene?

For example, adding a pinch of bicarbonate of soda, or creating mixes of different flours until you obtain the right consistency. There are also interesting alternatives such as legume flours, chestnut flours or tapioca, obtained from cassava root, which is an excellent thickener.

Another excellent natural thickener which helps the workability of the dough is the psillio, an extraordinary plant with water-soluble fiber beneficial for the intestine, available on our e-shop.