It's gluten-free awareness month. Active! tells you all you need to know about the intolerance to wheat. Plus, what is a food allergy?
It's gluten-free awareness month. Active! tells you all you need to know about the intolerance to wheat. Plus, what is a food allergy?
Plant storage proteins, defined as prolamins, found in cereal that cause digestive disorders such as celiac disease are known as gluten. 
"Foods containing wheat, rye and barley must be eliminated from the diet of a person, who has resistance to gluten. Prepared foods and condiments should be examined carefully, paying particular attention to additives such as stabilisers or emulsifiers that may contain gluten," advises Hiteshi Dhami Shah, clinical nutritionist.
There is some controversy over whether or not oats can be considered gluten-free, and Dr Shah advises erring on the side of caution. "Adults with Celiac disease who are well may be advised to take up to 50 gms of oats daily. Children and adults who are sensitive, should avoid oats and oat products. Oats are often stored and processed with other cereals. So only gluten-free oats should be consumed." Other products that include gluten are certain medicines and even lip balms.
Food intolerance vs food allergies
Celiac disease is defined as a digestive disease that impedes with the absorption of nutrients from food, which results in the damage of the small intestine.
People with Celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, and it is therefore a food intolerance, which is different from an allergy. The difference between the two is that in an allergy the response is triggered by an adverse reaction in the immune system, whereas an allergy is triggered by a reaction in the digestive tract.
Watch your diet
"For Celiac patients following a gluten-free diet, if the diet is not properly balanced, can lead to anemia, weight loss, growth failure in children and bone diseases as the vitamins, minerals and protein requirements are not properly met," says Dr Shah.Jowar, bajra and ragi or nachni, even rice are good alternatives to wheat, says Dr Niti Desai, consultant nutritionist, Cumballa Hill Hospital. "Nowadays, there are several gluten-free products in the market.
Though, given how pervasive wheat is in our diet it is tough to eliminate," she says. Dr Desai advocates reading food labels closely to avoid health complications. "Maltodextrin and (hydrolyzed) starch must be avoided. There will be a mention of these ingredients on chocolate packs, pre-made soups and several processed products. There are certain cold cuts, including sausages that have gluten in small quantities," she says.
" The patient should also take a multi-vitamin mineral tablet providing vitamins. Eat iron-rich foods like fish, eggs, dark green leafy vegetables, prunes, figs and apricots. Iron-rich foods should be taken with vitamin C, which aids in absorption of iron," advises Dr Shah.
Build your immunity
While little can be done in the case of a food intolerance beside avoiding the specific food, building one's immunity is the best way to safeguard against allergies, including food allergies. Yoga instructor Prema Kalyanpuri says, "Pranayam helps. Yoga helps fight allergies as it makes lungs stronger to enable one to breathe deeply so that more oxygen goes into the body."
Gaga's 'meat dress' has PETA cry 'fowl' play
Controversial American pop singer Lady Gaga had animal lovers and vegetarians around the world miffed when she showed up at this year's MTV Video Music Awards in a "meat dress". The Franc Fernandez ensemble was allegedly fashioned from slabs of beef, and accompanied with a matching hat, clutch and boots.
While it is unlikely that Gaga opted to have her dress double up as anyone's dinner, there was considerable debate on the topic of public health issues. Could the dress produce a life-threatening allergic reaction to anyone coming in contact with the beef? Did it smell? Was it infected with maggots?
Turns out the "meat dress" was actually an artificial synthetic creation. As for the fashion statement she was trying to make, in an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Gaga reportedly said, "It has many interpretations, but for me this evening it's [saying] if we don't stand up for what we believe in, if we don't fight for our rights, pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones." And we thought all she just wanted to say to her fans was, 'Happy to meat you, guys!'
Did you know? An allergy to red meat, though rare does exist. When the person comes in contact with the meat, in this case, the allergen, the body reacts by producing an antibody called immunoglobin E, known as IgE. Symptoms vary, and can range from a headache to a severe anaphylactic or allergic reaction.
Food intolerance and food allergy
According to experts, any food can cause an allergic reaction. But just a few foods are to blame for 90% of all allergic reactions. These include: milk, eggs, peanuts, fish, shellfish, soya and wheat. Keep in mind though, allergic reactions are not the same as food intolerances.
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