What is gluten?
Gluten is a substance formed when two proteins naturally present in certain cereals: gliadin and glutenin come into contact with water.
What is gluten used for?
Gluten plays an important role in the preparation of baked goods. Gliadin plays on extensibility and glutenin on elasticity. Two essential factors in obtaining airy and soft bread.
Did you know ?
Gluten is used as a binder for making industrial meats and sausages. Gluten is hidden in foods you don't think about, such as chocolate, breadcrumbs, cold meats, etc.
Foods rich in gluten.
Gluten is found mainly in 5 cereals: rye, oats, wheat, barley and triticale.
Special case of oats.
Oats do not contain gliadin like wheat but another molecule with a similar composition: avenin. It would therefore have the same physiological effects as gliadin. However, several studies have shown that pure oats would be tolerated by a large proportion of people suffering from celiac disease (a disease which affects people with gluten intolerance). Although there is always a risk, only a small percentage of people with celiac disease react to avenin. Although some manufacturers offer gluten-free oats, they are nevertheless not recommended for rare cases of intolerance to gluten and avenin. Indeed, oats, often stored and processed in the same factories as wheat, rye and barley, are often contaminated by gluten. This is why there are now so-called “clean” oat processing sectors which guarantee dedicated storage and transport areas to avoid any risk of cross-contamination. This is the kind of logistics we use at Feed.
In addition, our facilities are regularly and rigorously cleaned and we carry out tests on our products to avoid any risk of contamination.
Are you sensitive or intolerant to gluten?
Too early introduction of gluten into the child's diet (before the age of 6 months) or a genetic predisposition can cause sensitivity or even hypersensitivity to gluten and in certain cases, contribute to the onset of celiac disease.
Gluten sensitivity.
It is important to clarify that being sensitive to gluten absolutely does not mean that you have celiac disease. These two pathologies are completely different. In predisposed people, sensitivity is characterized by symptoms such as bloating, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, fatigue, etc. depending on gluten consumption. Unlike celiac disease, this physiological reaction does not involve immune defenses. It is difficult to know the rate of people sensitive to gluten in France, because many people self-diagnose and stop consuming gluten without medical advice.
Gluten intolerance: celiac disease.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease (the immune system attacks the body rather than defending it) which is characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestine caused by the ingestion of gluten. It is the consumption of gluten by genetically predisposed people that triggers celiac disease. Today, 1% of the world's population suffers from this disease. Celiac disease is more easily recognized than gluten sensitivity. The symptoms are abdominal pain, digestive disorders, vomiting, bloating, weight loss, chronic diarrhea, loss of appetite, nausea, fatigue and even joint pain. Celiac disease is diagnosed by biopsy to detect the abnormal presence of antibodies. There is only one treatment to combat this disease: adopting a strict gluten-free diet. But unlike simple gluten sensitivity, celiac disease can cause intestinal damage, hence the importance of excluding all gluten from the diet for those diagnosed. All Meals Feed. are guaranteed gluten-free.
How to avoid gluten on a daily basis?
Although adopting such a diet may seem complicated, today there are more and more alternatives designed specifically to meet the needs of people suffering from this pathology. There are, for example, many substitutes for cereal products (bread, pasta, muesli) based on gluten-free cereals, such as rice, corn or buckwheat. It is also now easier to find gluten-free alternatives to basic necessities such as wheat flour which can be replaced by corn flour.
What are the benefits of a gluten-free diet?
Gluten is a plant protein source ubiquitous in modern diets. Despite this, many people decide to remove it from their diet without even being hypersensitive or intolerant to it. In fact, some people notice better digestion and reduced bloating after meals by cutting out gluten. If you suspect a sensitivity or want to eliminate gluten from your diet, talk to your doctor.
In summary.
Gluten corresponds to the association of two proteins: gliadin and glutenin with water. It is found in rye, oats, wheat, barley and triticale (SABOT). Two diseases are linked to gluten consumption: gluten sensitivity and celiac disease.
