Gluten-Free

I get asked a lot about what is gluten and should we avoid it?

Gluten is what makes bread stick together.  Think of gluten as the glue.  It is found in wheat, rye, and barley.   But it is also found in oat bran, wheat germ, and semolina which is the main flour used in pasta.  If one has celiac disease, gluten will damage the villi, which are tiny hair like projections that help absorb nutrients from food in the intestines.  B12, Vitamin D, Magnesium, and Calcium deficiencies will arise.  Deficient in those vitamins and minerals are the cause of depression, neurological problems, constipation/diarrhea, and many others.  But the good news is if you take gluten out of your diet, it will start to heal.  As many as 3 million Americans have celiac disease and don’t even know it because it’s hard to diagnose.  A lot of children diagnosed with Autism are now being put on gluten/wheat free diets and it seems to be helping with the symptoms.  Some symptons of a gluten intolerance are:

• Fatigue
• Irritability or behavior changes
• Gas, bloating, diarrhea
• Joint pain
• Missed menstrual periods
• Itchy skin rash

Well so tonight I wanted to try and make some gluten free bread.  Usually without gluten it would be hard as a rock and flat, but low and behold I found a good mix.  It is Bob’s Red Mill brand.  I do love that brand.  It has so many good quality flours and just so many great products.  This one I made tonight is the Cinnamon Raisin Bread Mix and it is actually very tasty and springy and good.   The directions are very easy to follow and all you need are water, oil, and 2 eggs.  The finished product was quite delicious alone or with some homemade jam! 

Yummmmmmy.  If you ever have any questions about nutrition or recipes, do not hesitate to ask!

To your health~

Julie