If you have celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, determining what you can and cannot eat is challenging but essential. Gluten is a protein found in several grains but not all grains. Gluten-free grains can round out your meal, provide fiber and nutrients and even enable you to eat bread, tortillas and pasta without gluten. Enjoy a number of different grains while keeping to your gluten-free diet.
Gluten
Gluten is the result of two proteins, gliadin and glutenin. When these combine with water, gluten forms. Gluten is found in all forms of wheat, including triticale, kamut, spelt, durum and semolina. You'll also find gluten in barley and rye. Gluten provides the stability and texture we associate with bread. While oats do not contain gluten, you should consult your physician before eating oats if you require a gluten-free diet, and be sure to choose oats marked "gluten-free" because cross-contamination is common.
Foods with Gluten
Some gluten-containing foods are obvious, like bread and pasta. Cookies, cakes and muffins contain gluten, unless they are specifically labeled gluten-free. These sources of gluten are relatively easy to avoid. Unfortunately, gluten is also found in soy sauce, modified food starch and many prepared or processed foods. If you require a gluten-free diet, you should read labels carefully to avoid accidentally consuming gluten.
Gluten-Free Grains
Many grains do not contain gluten. Familiar gluten-free grain options include rice and corn. Less common grains offer variety in a gluten-free diet, including teff, buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth. You may be able to substitute rice in place of pasta in some recipes or quinoa in place of couscous. Grains can be eaten whole as a cereal or side dish or ground into flour and made into pasta or bread.
Gluten-Free Baking
Baking without gluten poses a number of difficulties. No one flour can adequately replace wheat flour. In wheat breads, gluten provides structure, allowing air pockets to develop and improving the height of the loaf. If you're baking with gluten-free flours, you will need a combination of flours and starches, like corn starch or tapioca starch, in place of all-purpose flour. Xanthan gum and fruit pectin can help to add gluten-like qualities to the bread or baked goods without adding gluten.
