People with celiac disease and fructose intolerance have difficulty digesting certain proteins, such as gluten and fructans. Gluten and fructans are found in some plant-based foods, especially wheat, barley and rye and products made from those ingredients. Gluten-free bread, brown rice and buckwheat do not contain gluten and are usually safe to eat for people sensitive to gluten.
Definitions
Gluten-free bread is made from ingredients that do not contain gluten. Some of the most common flours used include rice, soy and tapioca.
Brown rice comes in a number of varieties, including long-grain, medium-grain and basmati. Milling the bran off the outside of brown rice produces white rice. Rice does not contain gluten or fructans and can be eaten by people with gluten or fructose intolerance.
Buckwheat, despite its similar sounding name, is actually related to the rhubarb. The seeds are ground into flour and often used in pancake mixes. Buckwheat is safe to eat for people with gluten intolerance.
Nutrients
Flours used to make gluten-free bread are ground from a variety of vegetables and grains and often provide nutrients similar to those found in wheat flour, such as protein, carbohydrates and fiber. For instance, 1 cup of all-purpose white flour supplies 455 calories, 3.4 g of fiber and almost 13 g of protein, while the same amount of white rice flour supplies 578 calories, 3.8 g of fiber and 9.4 g of protein.
One cup of cooked, long-grain brown rice supplies 216 calories, 5 g of protein and 3.5 g of fiber. One cup of buckwheat contains 583 calories, 22.5 g of protein and 17 g of fiber.
Substitutions
You can substitute gluten-free bread for white, wheat or rye bread in sandwiches, French toast, croutons or other dishes requiring bread. White or brown rice can be used in place of white flour pasta or as a filler in dishes like chili and soup. You can use buckwheat instead of white or wheat flour in pancakes, breads and baked goods, but products will often have a denser, chewier texture. Because gluten helps bind dough, substituting with gluten-free flours can result in a flakier, more crumbly product. Bette Hagman, author of "The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well Without Wheat," recommends using a binding substitute, such as xanthan gum, to produce a more firm baked product.
Warning
Because gluten can cause harm to the intestines of people with celiac disease and fructans can damage the livers of people with hereditary fructose intolerance, please review your food choices with your doctor or nutritionist.
References
- National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse; What I Need to Know About Celiac Disease; March, 2011
- WheatFree.org: Wheat Free and Gluten Free Flours
- Saveur; Types of Brown Rice; Karen Shimizu; 2008
- Science Daily: Brown Rice
- "Alternative Field Crops Manual"; Buckwheat; E. S. Oplinger, et al.; 1989
- Food Intolerance Diagnostics; Fructose (Fruit Sugar), Fructan Other Fructo-oligosaccharide Intolerances
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