Casein-free And Gluten-free Diet

The casein-free and gluten-free diet is a popular specialized diet, primarily for individuals with disorders, such as autism, and individuals with food sensitivities. However, removing the large protein molecules makes digestion easier, so this diet can benefit anyone. There are more casein-free and gluten-free products on the market, making it easier to avoid food that contain casein and gluten.

Casein

Dairy products contain the slow-digesting protein molecule casein. These products include milk, cheese, yogurt and products made with milk, cheese and yogurt. Additionally, food labels note if casein was used as a binding agent, making reading labels a must.

Gluten

You can find gluten in wheat products, including bread, crackers, cookies, tortillas, cereal and chips. To eliminate gluten from your diet, avoid wheat, barley and rye. You may be surprised at the prevalence of gluten in food products, so reading labels is key. For example, both licorice and soy sauce contain wheat.

Effects

Some people have a difficult time digesting the protein gluten and it passes through the intestinal wall as a relatively large molecule. As a result, the body can initiate an immune response because gluten appears to be a foreign object rather than a nutrient. Gluten sensitivity reveals itself as bloating, diarrhea, constipation, arthritis, migraines, nightmares, hives and damaged intestinal lining, preventing healthy nutrient and vitamin absorption.

Substitutions

You can find products labeled as gluten-free and casein-free. Substitutions for dairy products include almond milk, rice milk and yogurt made from rice milk. Gluten-free, casein-free flours include almond flour, brown rice flour, potato starch flour, sorghum flour and arrowroot flour. Also, Arrowhead Mills and Bob's Red Mill make gluten-free baking mixes.

Disorders

According to the Interactive Autism Network, the casein-free and gluten-free diet has benefited many individuals with autism. Some individuals have allergies to casein and gluten. Normally casein and gluten are easily metabolized from large proteins into peptides and then into the building blocks of proteins known as amino acids. An individual with autism may not digest casein completely into amino acids. The remaining peptides act as opioids, substances whose effects are similar to morphine and can affect development and brain function. Research on the benefits of this diet for autism sufferers is limited.