A Bread-maker
Cure for the Gluten-Free Blues
It’s difficult to overstate
the role wheat plays in modern foodstuffs, especially
in the west. For a start, it’s in countless
foods; not only obvious ones like bread and
pasta, but in lots of others too, including
mayonnaise, soy sauce and beer to name a few.
And why not? Wheat has lots of amazing qualities:
it’s delicious, nutritious and it works as a
binding and rising agent, not to mention being
natural preservative. These are all properties
that make it a staple not only in bread recipes
but also in most processed foods. It’s just
unfortunate that millions of people across the
world simply can’t eat the stuff.
There are several different disorders that prevent
people from eating wheat-based foods. It can
get a little confusing trying to sort it all
out, but basically there are 2 main complaints:
allergy and intolerance. People with a wheat
allergy have a problem with one or more of the
proteins found in wheat and wheat based products.
Gluten gets the most press, but people can be
just as allergic to the others, like gliadin
or globulin. Those with gluten intolerance usually
have Coeliac Disease.
Those with allergies can experience hives, nausea
and other symptoms including dangerous swelling
to the point of asphyxiation. Gluten intolerance
is often misdiagnosed as Irritable Bowel Syndrome
as it has slightly less sever symptoms in adults,
though child sufferers face a serious malnutrition
threat if they remain undiagnosed.
Both of these conditions cause varying degrees
of abdominal distress when a suffer eats wheat.
Both can occur in either childhood or adulthood.
Neither can be treated with medication and those
afflicted must avoid wheat and gluten as a part
of their diet or face permanent health risks.
The list of food products includes spelt, rye,
barley in flours or other combinations, distilled
vinegar, beer, whiskey, malt, modified food
starch and dextrin. Some with Coeliac Disease
can tolerate oats. Rice and corn are usually
fine.
In short, people with wheat and gluten allergies
don’t have a lot of dietary choices. Especially
difficult for many sufferers is the absence
of bread on the menu. Virtually all commercial
bread has wheat in it, and those few specialty
breads that don’t are often expensive, hard
to find, and lacking in variety. Well, here,
at last, is some good news. With the simple
purchase of a home bread-maker, those with wheat
and gluten problems can finally bring bread
back into their life.
Bread-makers are a great blessing for those
who can’t have wheat and gluten in their baked
goods. It allows them to carefully monitor their
food and meet their dietary requirements while
reclaiming a bit of the variety their condition
has prevented them from enjoying. There are
many wheat free bread recipes and free gluten
free bread recipes online, and most places that
sell bread-makers and bread-maker mixes have
a wheat free bread mix selection. There are
even treats like wheat free muffins and gluten
free scones available. So Coeliac Disease or
a wheat allergy doesn’t need to be a moratorium
on bread for those who suffer from them provided
they have a bread-maker.
Links:
Is a Wheat Allergy the
Same Thing as Celiac?
Wheat Allergy and Gluten
Intolerance Symptoms
Wheat and Gluten
Free Bread-maker Recipes
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