Date:
28.8.2023
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Author:
The terms gluten sensitivity and gluten-free food have become very common and are omnipresent in the food industry. The fact is that more and more people are affected by gluten intolerance and their diet and quality of life often suffers as a result. From my own experience, I can say that the solution of "eliminating gluten-containing foods" sounds simple and logical, but it often poses major challenges that involve a lot of time, frustration and patience. Nevertheless, cutting out gluten-containing foods usually leads to a significant improvement in well-being. The support of a competent specialist is essential to avoid deficiency symptoms and an unbalanced diet. As I myself was affected by countless food intolerances for many years, it is very important to me to better educate people about this topic and to support those affected with the following helpful tips and tricks.
With gluten sensitivity, the body reacts hypersensitively to gluten (so-called gluten or gluten protein) - a mixture of natural proteins contained in many cereal grains such as wheat, spelt, rye, kamut, barley and oats.
A specific type of gluten protein, gliadin, cannot be completely broken down in some people. The reason: gliadin is practically resistant to digestive enzymes and thus triggers inflammatory reactions in the body. In addition, gluten can increase the permeability of the intestinal barrier, resulting in a "leaky" gut (so-called leaky gut syndrome).
In contrast to the autoimmune disease coeliac disease, there are no antibodies in the blood with gluten sensitivity and the mucous membrane of the small intestine is not damaged. As a result, certain gluten-containing products can be reintegrated into the diet if the symptoms improve. Coeliac disease, on the other hand, requires a lifelong gluten-free diet, as the inflammation leads to premature death of the intestinal cells. If coeliac disease is not treated for many years, the development of tumors cannot be ruled out.
The diagnostic procedure is based on a detailed anamnesis (patient history), the determination of clinical symptoms, a physical examination and a provocation test.
The first step involves laboratory tests to rule out coeliac disease (blood test and small intestine biopsy) and wheat allergy (IgE antibody test and skin prick test). If the results are negative, it is tested whether a strict gluten-free diet leads to an improvement. The diagnosis can be confirmed with a new provocation test of gluten-containing foods. If symptoms reappear, gluten sensitivity can be assumed. A comprehensive food reaction test (measurement of specific IgE and IgG4 antibodies) can provide additional evidence. Among other things, this provides information on which types of grain are well tolerated by the body and which should be avoided. Irritable bowel syndrome, which causes very similar symptoms and can occur at the same time, should not be ruled out.
The symptoms of gluten sensitivity are often very unspecific, which makes the diagnosis even more difficult. The following symptoms can occur:
- Abdominal pain
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Flatulence
- Weight loss
- Headache
- Tiredness, weakness
- Muscle and joint pain
- Skin rashes: Eczema, reddening of the skin
- Depression, anxiety
- Anemia
The symptoms occur hours to days after eating gluten-containing foods such as pasta or bread made from wheat. This fact makes it even more difficult to analyze which gluten-containing foods cause problems and which are well tolerated in small quantities. In order to achieve an improvement, you should switch to a gluten-free diet for at least 6 to 12 months. If symptoms no longer occur after this time, foods containing gluten can be gradually integrated into the diet, whereby the personal tolerance limit must be determined. Keeping a detailed food diary can help with this. The support of an experienced specialist is also useful.
In many cases, this leads to a reduction in nutrient absorption, which results in deficiency symptoms. In addition, a gluten-free diet does not always cover all essential vitamins and minerals, especially if the diet is very one-sided. Without supplementation, this can lead to nutrient deficiencies. The intake of iron, vitamins A, B6, B12 and calcium in particular is restricted. Magnesium, which is responsible for both the activation of vitamin D and the correct distribution of calcium, should also be taken into account. A magnesium deficiency is therefore often accompanied by a vitamin D and calcium deficiency.
In summary, the following nutrients should be kept in mind in the case of coeliac disease and gluten sensitivity and supplemented if necessary:
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin B6
- Vitamin B12
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Vitamin K
- Zinc
- Folic acid
Gluten is found in countless foods and products, which is why you should read the list of ingredients carefully. In addition to cereals containing gluten, gluten is also found in spice mixtures (in the form of starch), pasta, muesli, flour and flour-based dishes, starch, baked goods and in almost all ready meals such as soups and sauces, sausages, snacks, breaded frozen foods, desserts containing starch and semolina (puddings) and many more.
The following table gives you an overview of foods and products containing gluten.
Malt, malt extract, brewer's yeast extract, wheat protein, wheat starch, modified wheat starch, wheat protein, Viogerm (trade name for folic acid from wheat germ), aleuronate (trade name for wheat gluten)
The list of gluten-containing foods and products is very extensive, but it shouldn't intimidate or discourage you - I can assure you that there are numerous gluten-free alternatives that are healthy and delicious. Many supermarkets and health food stores now also stock good gluten-free products that simplify a gluten-free diet and save time. You can choose from ready-made bread, spice and muesli mixes, pasta, pizza dough and cookies or pastries that do not contain gluten. There are also many foods that are naturally gluten-free and provide you with important micronutrients.
Below you will find a detailed overview of gluten-free and healthy alternatives.
Buckwheat, quinoa, amaranth, millet, teff (dwarf millet), maize, rice
Lentil flour, chickpea flour, lupin flour, teff flour, rice flour, coconut flour, almond flour, buckwheat flour, gluten-free oat flour, corn flour, soy flour, chestnut flour, tiger nut flour, arrowroot flour, manioc flour, corn starch, tapioca starch, potato starch
Fruit and vegetables, pulses (lentils, chickpeas, peas, beans), gluten-free pasta (made from pulses, buckwheat, corn, etc.), linseed, tiger nuts, nuts, hemp seeds, manioc, potatoes, milk, natural yoghurt (without added fruit), cheese, meat and fish (without marinade), seafood, eggs, vegetable oils, yeast, chestnuts, lupin products (e.g. lupin cheese), soy products (tofu, miso, tempeh, soy flakes, soy milk, soy yoghurt), yam, sugar, soy products (e.g. tofu, miso, tempeh, soy flakes, soy milk, soy yoghurt), sugar and sugar.lupin products (e.g. lupin cheese), soy products (tofu, miso, tempeh, soy flakes, soy milk, soy yoghurt), yam, sugar, honey, maple syrup, date syrup, rice syrup, jam, sparkling wine, wine
A gluten-free diet can present certain challenges, especially when it comes to baking bread, pizza dough, pasta dough, cakes and desserts. The challenge with gluten-free cooking and baking is actually replacing the gluten, which has excellent baking properties and provides the consistency and flavor in such products. The "gluten protein" has the following specific advantages:
- Water binding
o When dough is prepared, the protein mixture absorbs water and combines to form a viscous, stretchy mass known as gluten.
- Crumb and crust formation
o The gluten gives bread and pastries a crispy, golden-brown crust
- Elasticity of the dough
o Gluten has elastic, almost rubber-like properties that hold the dough together nicely during baking. The gluten content can create a loose and fine-pored dough. Wheat also has the highest proportion of gluten, which is why many recipes and ready-made baked goods are based on wheat flour
- Stabilizer
o As a rule, baked goods and dishes containing gluten stay fresh for longer. Gluten-free bread in particular can dry out very quickly and crumble easily.
- Carrier of flavorings
o Gluten is often found as an excipient on the list of ingredients or as a carrier for flavorings
Don't worry, you can make incredibly tasty breads, doughs and sweet treats without gluten that can definitely compete with gluten-containing foods - not only in taste, but also in appearance😊
Below I have put together a few helpful tricks for gluten-free cooking and baking as well as useful tips on how to fill your shopping trolley quickly and easily with gluten-free products and foods.
Hygiene in the kitchen is very important, especially if someone in the household suffers from coeliac disease. In this case, products containing gluten must be kept strictly separate from gluten-free products. Baking utensils, kitchen appliances, chopping boards, kitchen towels, bread knives, pans etc. should always be freshly rinsed and clean before use to prevent contamination with gluten. Wooden chopping boards and wooden spoons that have been used to cook food containing gluten are also taboo, as residues will always remain in the wood.
Naturally gluten-free foods that you prepare yourself are best suited for cooking. If you use ready-made products, you should take another careful look at the list of ingredients. It is well known that gluten is often hidden in products where we would never suspect it - for example in soy sauce, sausage products and spice mixes.
As already mentioned, the preparation of doughs, for example for pasta dishes, bread, cakes and pancakes, is somewhat more demanding, as gluten-free flours are used, which are drier and require more liquid. The simplest solution is to use conventional gluten-free all-purpose flour, which can be substituted 1:1. This can now be bought in supermarkets such as Coop and Migros. If you don't want to use an all-purpose flour mix, the golden rule is to use 2 parts gluten-free flour, 1 gluten-free starch flour (starch content never more than 50% of the flour) and 1 binding agent. This combination can be found exactly in gluten-free all-purpose flour mixtures.
To make your dough nice and moist and soft, you also need one of these natural binding agents for your flour mixture:
Another challenge is definitely gluten-free yeast dough, because it needs a lot of love and affection during preparation. A good piece of advice is to always work with a pre-dough where the yeast can already activate. For the pre-dough, mix the dry yeast with 1-2 teaspoons of sugar and 30 ml of liquid (milk or water), add 2-3 tablespoons of flour on top, cover and leave to rest in a warm place for 15-20 minutes.
It is best to use a food processor or hand mixer to work the yeast dough, as the dough is often very soft and sticky. Set the food processor or hand mixer to a low setting, as a gluten-free yeast dough should not be kneaded too hard. After a long resting period (requires more resting time than doughs containing gluten), the dough should only be kneaded briefly and lightly and processed immediately.
You can find gluten-free products at wholesalers such as Migros, Coop, Lidl, Aldi and Co. as well as in various health food stores and Alnatura stores. As Migros and Coop do not have the same products (Migros does not have Schär products, for example), you often have to switch back and forth between the two stores. It is more time-consuming, but for me personally these supermarkets complement each other very well. For special products, a health food store that stocks gluten-free brands such as Morga, Werz and Bauckhof is also very suitable.
At Migros, products containing gluten are labeled with the AHA! seal, at Coop it is called freefrom. The really tedious thing in Switzerland is that products containing gluten are scattered all over the store and a product can easily be overlooked. For me personally, this definitely has potential for improvement, because in other countries such as Germany, gluten-free products are well sorted and can usually all be found in the same place. It's also worth visiting online stores. There you will find a huge range of gluten-free products, including some that are not sold here in Switzerland.
The most important thing when shopping is to read the ingredients list carefully. Unfortunately, it can happen that manufacturers change the recipe of a product and then gluten-containing ingredients are added. Of course, recipes can also be changed for the better/gluten-free. So always take a look at the ingredients list before a product ends up in your shopping trolley! And what always works in a gluten-free diet are unprocessed foods such as vegetables, fruit and naturally gluten-free grains.
A diagnosis of gluten sensitivity can really throw you off track and make you feel overwhelmed. It's important that you give yourself time to get used to the new diet. I promise you, as soon as you have figured out the tricks and know what to watch out for, a gluten-free diet will be child's play.
The diagnosis has helped me personally and broadened my horizons, because I now know so many more foods than ever before. And best of all, I've discovered a whole new side to me - creativity in cooking and baking and the great joy of experimenting and creating new dishes😊
I am happy to offer you expert advice on food intolerances and allergies and support you in changing your diet. Together we will look for suitable alternatives so that you can eat a healthy and balanced diet despite your intolerance. And of course, there's also plenty of time for indulgence😉
Do you have any questions? You are welcome to contact me at any time for a non-binding introductory meeting contact me.
You can also find lots of delicious gluten-free recipes on my website and a brand new, simple and incredibly delicious gluten-free pasta dish with homemade sage pesto
