What The Heck Is Gluten? - Eat Simply Organic
- Author Vida Humphreys
- Published May 26, 2010
- Word count 722
What is gluten? It’s a kind of protein found in most grains like barley, wheat and rye. Most breads, for example, contain gluten. There are several grains that do not contain gluten, including corn, wild rice, quinoa, oats, millet and amaranth.
The most common type of gluten encountered in the American diet comes from wheat flour. Much of the gluten can be removed from wheat flour if desired, but not all of it, no matter what you do. This is especially important, for example, because today, many Americans are increasingly developing gluten allergies, including a very serious digestive disorder called celiac disease. Gluten-free diets are also increasingly touted for their benefit to children with autism, for example.
What does gluten do in bread?
Assuming you can have gluten and are not allergic to it, though, it’s very nutritious. It’s very high in protein and very good for you, and it gives bread its chewy texture. It also keeps the gases that are released during fermentation when bread is made (during the rising process) so that it becomes light and fluffy before it’s baked. Because it’s also very elastic, it helps keep its shape so that bread can actually be formed into loaf shapes and isn’t simply a gluey lump.
Wheat products are used in many different forms and are very versatile, and the gluten in flour is what helps make it so. For example, flour can be kneaded together with other ingredients to make piecrusts, other types of dough such as pasta dough, and so on. This would be very difficult if not impossible to do were it not for the binding effects of gluten.
Gluten is also very absorbent, which is why it’s useful in bread (for example, to sop up gravy with a piece of bread on a plate). And because gluten is so absorbent, it can be used as a special "meat substitute" for those on vegetarian diets.
Adding extra gluten to bread
The bread machine has made it popular to make your own bread, and specialized bread flours with extra gluten added have come on the market so that you’re sure of having a high gluten bread produced, which makes it more chewy, fluffier, and simply a better bread in general.
You should note that because all-purpose flour has had most of its gluten removed, it’s not suitable for bread machine or breadmaking use. However, whole-wheat flour has had none of its gluten removed, which makes it suitable for breadmaking. In general, you do need plenty of gluten to make a good, chewy, fluffy loaf of bread that’s going to taste good and hold up well.
On gluten allergies: how is a gluten allergy handled?
Even though adding EXTRA gluten to bread may be a good thing when you’re making bread, if you have a gluten allergy, you must do exactly the opposite. And unfortunately, because gluten is in so many things these days, it can be very difficult to handle a gluten allergy. The simple fact is, though, if you are diagnosed with celiac disease, or if you have a child, for example, who is sensitive to gluten and wheat in other ways and you think removing it from the diet would be beneficial, this is something you’re going to have to avoid.
Your task if you want to avoid gluten is to simply avoid all products with wheat in them, as well as the grains rye and barley. It’s unfortunate that you’ll have to avoid these grains for the rest of your life, since celiac disease does not go away. However, it can be controlled if you avoid consuming these grains.
It used to be much more difficult to follow a gluten-free diet than it is these days, because so many people are either suffering from celiac disease or think it’s a good idea to avoid gluten in their diets for other reasons (i.e., such as if a child suffers from autism).
However, fortunately, manufacturers have seen the benefit in offering gluten-free cereals, breads, and other products normally made from wheat, barley and rye. Because of that, you have much more choice these days than you did even just a couple of years ago if you need to avoid gluten.
For more information to help you easily transition to organic living, please visit Vida Humphreys at Eat Simply Organic and Does Organic Bread "Really" Taste Different
Article source: https://articlebiz.comRate article
Article comments
There are no posted comments.
Related articles
- The Road to Sobriety: Understanding Substance Use Disorders
- MotorKote Ultimate 40/60 Synthetic Hyper Mix 5W-30
- Exploring Denver on a Dime: A Frugal Travel Guide
- Top 10 Ways Production Scheduling in Business Central Transforms Manufacturing
- Strength Training and it's Incredible Benefits for Fat Burning
- Enhancing Home Security with Aluminum Shutters: A Focus on Weatherwell Elite
- 5 Easy Ways to Make Oral Hygiene Fun for the Whole Family
- Transforming Plastic Extrusion Machines into Recycling Powerhouses
- Unraveling the Potential of Plastic Extrusion Machines
- The Rise of Plastic Recycling Machines: A Step Towards Sustainability
- Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream: OMG! Unreal!
- The Advantages of Using Professional Home Cleaners in Ilford
- 8 Compelling Reasons to Hire Professional Home Cleaners
- The 12 Steps Narcotics Anonymous Program To Recovery
- Send Money to Tanzania: Effortless Transfers with SafariRemit
- Stylish Savings: 10 Frugal Ways to Stay Fashionable in 2024
- Fly Cheap With FlightPapa To Any City
- How Collaborating with a Software Development Company Can Propel Your Business Forward
- A Comprehensive Guide to Choosing the Best Hair Transplant Method
- 15 Frugal Tips for a Memorable Wedding Day
- Credit Union vs. Bank
- Explore the Advantages of Renewable Energy: Wind, Solar, Biomass, Hydropower and Geothermal Energy
- Frugal Nutrition: How to Eat Healthy on a Budget
- Fintechzoom Richard Mille
- Who owns the most Bitcoin?
- Fintechzoom IBM Stock: Powerful!
- Building a Professional Website on a Budget: Using Free Tools like WordPress and AI
- Navigating Vietnam's Tourist Immigration: Challenges and Solutions
- Bitcoin FintechZoom
- Cost-Effective Gardening: Tips for Enhancing Your Garden on a Budget