Gluten seems to have become the hot topic of discussion of late. If you haven’t heard about it and are confused, people will be quick to tell you that food items that contain gluten are something that you should avoid and not consume overtly. A lot of people however are still in the dark and don’t know why this trend is gaining momentum. Let’s take a peak and see what is happening behind the screens.

WHAT IS GLUTEN?

You can’t understand a trend unless you know exactly what you are talking about. This means that we need to understand what gluten is.

Cereal grains contain a mixture of two proteins. The combination of these two proteins together is called gluten. It is this gluten that is responsible for the elastic property that dough presents.

WHICH PEOPLE SHOULD AVOID GLUTEN IN THEIR DIET?

People who suffer from diseases which are a result of gluten sensitivity need to avoid gluten in their diet. An example of these diseases is Coeliac disease. Consumption of gluten can/may trigger a response in the body and cause the person to fall ill. This is primarily because of how the person’s immune system responds to gluten.

Now this is where the diet of the gluten free food fad originated. It is all well and good that it did because today there are a variety of different kinds of options available to people who would have otherwise struggled.

Gluten Free Food List

Gluten is only bad if you are intolerant to it. Many people however still choose to follow a gluten free diet because they claim it helps with weight loss. If you are one of those people, then tread with caution for if you aren’t careful you may start to suffer from several deficiencies which can arise primarily from the lack of vitamins and minerals in your diet.

THE GLUTEN WORLD TODAY

Today the world is very different from what it was 10 years ago, we have a variety of products that come with a gluten free label which helps keeping our diet so much easier.

A large part of our diet revolves around where we live. European countries prefer bread as their staple food. Bread is made from cereal. The most common component is wheat and wheat contains gluten. Hence one cannot say that bread is gluten free unless it is specified.

Asian countries however have things a little easier as their staple food is rice and rice does not contain gluten. This means that they do not have to make major changes in their diet unlike their European counterparts.

CHALLENGES

Gluten Free Bread

Times however are changing. Fast food has pervaded all the corners of the globe and has taken bread (gluten) to places it hasn’t been to before. You will find that burgers and pizza are the most popular forms of takeaway around the world. Both items contain gluten.

This normally poses a big difficulty for anyone who is on a strict gluten free diet. For when one wants to eat out what can one eat? Luckily for people staying in Dublin this is no longer an issue. The city seems to have kept up with the changing trends much better than most parts of the world.

Several restaurants have started offering gluten free food. The food is labelled so that a person doesn’t have to spend time pouring over the menu wondering what he or she can order. In fact, it is so important the restaurant know what gluten is. They also know that some people need to avoid it. This helps prevent embarrassing conversations and mishaps.

GLUTEN FREE FOOD TO ORDER HOME

Dublin even has a wide variety of restaurants that allow one to order gluten free food in the comfort of your very home. This is particularly useful on those days that you are just too tired to make your own food or you don’t want to go out. It helps make the life of people with gluten intolerance so much simpler and less stressful.

Gluten free food is integral in the life of any gluten intolerant person. It is quickly catching on as a dietary fad. The need to provide for a large population has given rise to many restaurants which are catering to the nations gluten free needs. Luckily for people in Dublin, most of them are a phone call away!