Healthy Gluten Free Consulting Can Help You

By Claudine Hodges


Food allergies have become a big issue and sometimes it seems like they are just a trend or a lifestyle choice. However, that is not the case, allergies are potentially lethal and can cause long term damage to a person's health. In the quest for sufferers to be healthy gluten free consulting can offer a range of services to improve lifestyle. It is also useful for those in the food industry who want to train their staff in gluten issues.

Wheat intolerance has been linked with a plethora of health issues including osteopirosis, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, depression, migraines and more. For those who are sensitive to it gluten causes inflammation throughout the body and results in both short and long term problems. Research has linked this problem with increased risk of cancer and heart disease.

Recently a piece of research was done to see if the incidence of intolerance to gluten has increased as a proportion of the population. The team analysed blood samples from twenty thousand subjects. Half the sample were taken fifty years ago and the other half were taken recently. They found elevated TTG antibodies had increased by four hundred percent in that fifty year period. This is big news for anyone working in health and for the food industry.

It is a protein contained in wheat, it is what makes bread chewy. Therefore any product which contains wheat is out of the question. These days is is used in a surprising number of manufactured food products as it is a cheap and effective thickening agent. It is no longer just in baked products ice cream, chocolate and sausages and many more products often contain wheat. Other cereals such as oats are often contaminated whilst being prepared and packaged so there are now separate gluten free versions.

Some households decide to go totally gluten free because the contamination issue requires a lot of attention to detail. Separate utensils, chopping boards and pans are all necessary. If, for example, a breaded shrimp has been fried in some oil then that oil cannot be used to make gluten free food. The smallest trace of gluten can contaminate everything.

As wheat intolerance rises it is becoming easier to get the information and products necessary to live without wheat and be healthy. One way is to use a consultant. They offer services for sufferers and those who need to learn about the issue for professional reasons. For sufferers they offer services such as guided trips to the supermarket to learn to read food labels. They can make dietary plans and teach about cross contamination.

Professionals in the food industry can benefit from the knowledge of consultants to make their premises safe for people who need to avoid gluten. Staff training is essential, not just for the cooks but also the waiting staff so that they can provide assurance to customers. They need to know the history of the problem, which foods and ingredients contain gluten and how to avoid contamination.

Gluten free living is not a simple matter and the consequences for those with a food allergy can be very serious. Whether you suffer from an intolerance or work in the food preparation industry a consultant can help you learn about the necessary steps to making gluten free food. Healthy living is important for everyone and food intolerance need to be better understood so that sufferers do not live in pain or die early.




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