Many on a gluten-free diet wonder if they are safe to eat oats or oatmeal.  Some sources say that oats are safe for celiacs, others say stay away.  So which one is it?  Are oats safe or not?

There are two problems with oatmeal.  Even if the first problem can be solved, the second one makes solving the first pretty much irrelevant.

The first problem with oats is that they can be contaminated with wheat, and wheat contains gluten.

This gluten free list will help you with your gluten-free diet.  Following this diet can seem challenging at first.  The list you first see is everything you can’t eat.

Yes, it is important to know what foods contain gluten, otherwise you will poison yourself.  The problem is that most people focus on everything they can’t eat at first, leading to depression.  In many cases, eating gluten also leads to depression.

Pseudocereals Ideal for a Gluten Free Diet

Pseudocereals, or pseudograins, are ideal for the gluten-free diet. Pseudograins look like grain, and in many ways you can cook with them as you would with grains.

The difference is that they are not members of the grass family. They are also completely gluten-free. This makes them an excellent choice if you have a gluten allergy or are celiac.

The gluten-free diet is becoming ever more popular, and with good reason.  As more and more people discover they have a gluten allergy or are celiac, the idea of completely eliminating gluten from the diet is gaining ground.

Should everyone go gluten-free?  This is debatable. 

Certainly, anyone with celiac must avoid all gluten, in all forms, at all times.

Gluten free bread in a bread maker – its tasty, convenient, and eventually cheaper than buying gluten free bread. It really helps reduce the cost of your gluten-free diet.

Here is my challenge:

• Make bread within 15 minutes (and let the bread maker do the rest.
• Have consistently great consistency
• Have it rise properly into a beautifully shaped loaf.

Gluten Allergy And Grain Damage

By following a gluten-free diet, those with a gluten allergy or celiac are reducing the intake of grains that may in fact be harmful to the general population.

According to the book The Gluten Connection the shift in diet when our ancestors switched from hunter-gatherer to farmer did not have a positive effect on our health, even as it boosted the population.

I’ve been making gluten free bread for a few weeks now, this is I think the fourth loaf.  It tastes great, and it is really fantastic to have absolutely fresh bread – you can’t beat bread, still hot from the oven (or in this case the bread maker) slathered with butter that melts right into the bread! 

The previous bread making exercises were all successful, and my my gluten-free diet was well satisfied..  I kept forgetting to take a picture of the finished product, so this time I’ve included one and so I may as well write about the experience.

Gluten allergy cases are on the rise, or at least people are more aware of the negative health effects gluten can have.

Is this a good or bad thing?

Its a mixture of both. 

The good news is that those who have been suffering from gluten allergy symptoms for years are finally discovering the cause of the problem, due to an increased awareness of what to look for, and even that something and common as wheat might be a major source of trouble.

Gluten free beer is an important consideration if you have a gluten allergy or celiac.

Most beer is made with gluten-containing wheat, or more often barley.  This has made drinking regular beer pretty much out of the question for many people.

As the number of people avoiding gluten rises rapidly, a relatively new market for gluten-free beer has been filled by a number of companies.

Buckwheat is not a type of wheat, it is not even a member of the grass family, and is therefore not a type of grain or cereal.  Buckwheat is in the knotweed (smartweed) family and is considered a pseudocereal.

There are several types of buckwheat, but the type most often consumed by humans is Fagopyrum esculentum, or common buckwheat.

Buckwheat is a nutritious food and a great addition to a gluten-free diet.