Gluten-Free

This post was almost VERY confusing. I was multi-tasking while trying to do some blog research while also calling The Breastfeeding Center to see how to strip my cloth diapers. So instead of googling "benefits of a gluten free diet" I Googled, "Benefits of gluten free diapers". But I assure you, what I'm going to blog about is in fact about consuming gluten, NOT how it may or may not affect diaper rash!

I applied for a free trial from my Green Mom's Meet Mom Ambassador program and I got some Crunchmaster Multi-Grain Gluten Free crackers to try. I'm not a HUGE fan, but they're not bad. I've been handing them out and getting feedback since my moms meet group didn't really work out like I wanted to. My mother-in-law asked me, "What IS gluten-free?" and I didn't have a very good answer. (For all you teachers, I'm doing a real like KWL chart! Tell your kids that it DOES apply to real life! ) (K) I know gluten is part of wheat and that when I worked with Autistic kids they were often on a gluten-free diet to help their behaviors. I also know that people are allergic to it, but judging by the immense size of the gluten-free section of the Raisin Rack, I'm assuming more and more people are avoiding gluten in their diets for other reasons as well. (W) Since I wasn't sure what that would be, I thought I'd check it out.

So here's the L:
Gluten is a protein, which is present in grains of wheat, rye, oats and barley.
Medical Reasons for a Gluten-Free Diet

• Gluten Intolerance: This is a kind of allergy named the gluten allergy. Patients with this intolerance or allergy should follow only a gluten-free diet, as these patients cannot tolerate gluten.

• Celiac diseases: This is an autoimmune disease that runs through families and if such a patient consumes the gluten, it damages their intestinal lining. To promote the healing of the intestinal lining, the patient is warned against consuming gluten by following a gluten-free diet.

• Dermatitis Herpetiformis: This chronic skin disease is marked by fluid-filled blisters; believed to have been triggered by high gluten ingestion. Taking a gluten-free diet is an absolute must for these people.
  Migraine: Several migraine patients feel well by consuming gluten-free diet. This happens because many of them likely to have celiac disease.

• Autism: According to several researches conducted, it is found that severity of the disease is directly related to consumption of high gluten. To improve the condition of children suffering from autism, they are kept on a gluten-free diet.

People with these diseases/disorders can alleviate their symptoms with a gluten-free diet:

• Rheumatoid arthritis

• Parkinson’s disease

• Neuromyelitis

• Down’s syndrome

• Peripheral neuropathy

• Multiple sclerosis

• Seizures

• Ataxia and late-onset Friedreich ataxia

• Brain fog

• Osteoporosis

• Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes and anemia

The site also lists that there are cons to the diet in that people may not get all the nutrients they need in omitting gluten free foods.

So there you have it! (And yes, I checked and Brain Fog actually IS a disorder!) One site I checked out said that gluten free diets were good for weight loss for everyone because you can't eat fried foods because of the breading so therefore you wouldn't get all the added fat from frying. Ummmm, OK. I GUESS you can make that argument.