Frequently, we come across people who are allergic to wheat as it contains gluten. Gluten is a protein, which is present in many cereals like wheat, barley, and rye. The role of gluten in wheat is to make the dough elastic for breads. People sensitive to gluten have normal digestive system, except that their body cannot tolerate gluten. On ingestion they get pain in stomach as the lining of small intestine swells up, at times leading to diarrhea. Also, this damage affects the absorption of food and can lead to weight loss, iron and folic acid deficiency. Complete removal of gluten from the diet allows the gut to recover to normal over a period of time. Though, vegetarians may initially find it difficult to establish what foods they can and cannot have. The Vegetarian Society believes that a gluten-free diet is compatible with vegetarianism.

We can help such gluten sensitive people to improve their health through special diets.

Tips for people allergic to gluten:

• Avoid food that contains wheat, rye and barley.
• Read the labels of the products before purchasing it. For example, buy only those biscuits or crackers, which have label mentioning ‘gluten free’ on it.
• Include gluten-free foods such as maize, potato, rice and soy rather than wheat starch, as it will improve the intestinal absorption capacity.
• Vegetarians can get protein from nuts & seeds, pulses, the non-gluten containing cereals, soy products, milk, cheese and free range eggs.
• Make sure some protein is included in each meal, and practice protein complementation with the vegetable proteins, for example, combine a nut or pulse dish with a suitable cereal.
• Increase the intake of iron and vitamin B12 rich food. This will take care of the damage done by gluten to the lining of small intestine.