A N S W E R S T O YO U R Q U E S T I O N S

IS GLUTEN FREE FOR ME?

Kathy Egan, RDN/LDN

National Nutrition

Month

March 2014

GLUTEN FREE IS EVERYWHERE!

• What’s all the fuss?• It’s confusing • Trendy – does that

make it wrong?

I’M NOT GOING TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO

• There are enough people trying to do that already.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Describe & define gluten

• Understand gluten vs. food allergy

• Become more comfortable making diet choices

WHAT IS GLUTEN?

• A Protein found in:• Wheat• Barley• Rye

• Oats, by contact

GLUTEN RELATED DISORDERS

• Celiac Disease (Celiac Sprue) • Auto immune response• The body attacks itself

• Mass General Hospital - What is celiac disease?

• Gluten Sensitive Enteropathy (GSE) • (a.k.a. non celiac gluten sensitivity) • Damages intestines, but in a different way

• Gluten Intolerance • causes discomfort, but doesn’t do damage

GLUTEN IS NOT AN ALLERGEN

• Food allergy - immune response

• Food is as an invader

• Histamine reaction is typical

• To learn more about food allergies: • FARE - Food Allergy Research & E

ducation

“GLUTEN FREE” DEFINED BY FDA

• Manufactured foods - less than 20ppm

• 20 parts per million = 20/1,000,000 or .002%

• Example - ½ teaspoon flour in 220 pounds sugar

TOP FOOD ALLERGENS

• 90% of all food allergy reactions- • Peanuts, tree nuts, milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish

(sesame seed)

• FALCPA • Food Allergy Consumer Protection Act of 2004 • Allergens must listed be in plain language

• About Food Allergies

IS GLUTEN BAD?

YES, if you have:

• Celiac disease

• Gluten Intolerance

• Gluten Sensitive

Enterapathy (GSE)

Otherwise…. NO

• Gluten is just one of many proteins found in common foods.

• (It is possible to have a wheat allergy, but that’s different.)

FEELING BETTER WITHOUT GLUTEN?

By avoiding gluten, you may consume:

• GREATER VARIETY

• HEALTHIER CARB FOODS

• FEWER PROCESSED FOODS

• LESS SUGAR, SALT & FAT

• MORE FRUITS & VEGETABLES

• ALL OF THESE HABITS WILL MAKE YOU

FEEL BETTER

OTHER CAUSES?

• Out of balance gut flora

• Stress, emotional issues

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Crohn’s Disease

• Colitis

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

• Lyme disease

• Fibromyalgia

• Poor diet

• Poor sleep

DIET CONCERNS

• Regular flour is enriched with vitamins

• Whole wheat is a good source of fiber

• Glutenous grains contain protein, iron & calcium

• GF flour is primarily white rice flour

• Low in fiber, vitamins, minerals & protein

• Higher calorie foods

• Short article in New York Times - "Before Going Gluten- Free - Make Sure It's Necessary"

JUST GO GLUTEN FREE?

• It’s expensive

• Uncertainty about real issue

• Can mask other physical or

emotional issues

• Rise in orthorexia – preoccupation

with “healthy” foods

• Interferes with social life &

enjoyment of food

IS GLUTEN FREE HEALTHIER?

YES

• Brown rice, quinoa, sweet

potato, butternut squash

• Plain fruits and vegetables

• Meats, fish & poultry that

are not breaded or fried

• Simple nuts & seeds

NO

• GF cookies, cakes, breads,

crackers, pretzels

• Made with rice flour – less

fiber and nutrients

• Often higher in sugar and

fat to improve flavor &

texture

• Usually higher in calories

STOMACH ENZYMES ADAPT

• If you stop eating a food for a long time, you body will make less of the enzymes needed to digest that food.

• Gives a “false positive” for intolerance when you start eating that food again.

• nih.gov/ PubMed

WHAT IF …………?

• If you suspect you may have celiac disease or be gluten intolerant….

• It is very important that you KEEP EATING gluten containing foods.

• A simple blood test can give your doctor important information, but only if you are still consuming gluten.

TALK TO YOUR DOCTORIT ’S THE BEST PLACE TO START

QUESTIONS?

• kegan@holycross.edu • to request copy of this presentation.

• Thank you!