How much Gluten is in a Gluten-Free Diet?
A gluten-free diet is a diet very low in gluten to levels which in Australia is undetectable.
Currently, this means there is less than 3 parts per million (3 ppm) which = 0.0003g gluten per 100g of food.
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How to Identify Gluten-Free FOODS
1. Naturally Gluten-Free FOODS
Foods that naturally do not contain gluten are fresh fruits and vegetables, plain milk and cheese, nuts and seeds, eggs, unprocessed meats, legumes (beans and lentils), fats and oils and naturally gluten free grains. These naturally gluten-free foods can be eaten freely.
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Beware if these foods if they have been modified such as marinating, or processed with different ingredients as gluten may have been added a s a result.
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Naturally gluten-free grains
There are many grains and flours that do not contain gluten that can be used safely in the gluten-free diet such as:
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Almond meal, amaranth, arrowroot
Besan flour (=chickpea flour), buckwheat
Carob, coconut flour
Corn (= maize), cornmeal, polenta
Gluten free flour mixes
Hops
Lentil and lentil flour, lupin
Millet (= teff)
Potato flour, psyllium
Quinoa
Rice & rice flour/bran etc
Sago, sorghum, soy flour, soy bean
Tapioca, teff
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To be able to use these grains effective for example to make gluten-free bread there are a lot of tricks and suggestions to try and mimic the wonderful qualities of gluten.
2. Labelled gluten-free
If a product is labelled GLUTEN-FREE then you can feel comfortable to include the food item in your gluten-free diet.
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3. Products endorsed by Coeliac Australia
The following logo is endorsed by Coeliac Australia so if a food has this logo on its packaging, you can include the food in your gluten-free diet.
4. Ingredients are gluten-free
If the food is not labelled gluten-free or endorsed by the Coeliac Society then you can check the ingredient list to see if the food contains any gluten.
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Learning to read labels is an important skill in identifying appropriate gluten free foods. I can enable you to read labels and identify if an ingredient is gluten-free or may contain gluten.
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It is also useful to join the Coeliac society to receive an ingredient list booklet to help you determine which food ingredients are gluten free or contain gluten, along with the Coeliac Society app.
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Find out more about:
- effectively reading labels and ingredient lists
- research-based recommendations for managing your gluten free diet
- avoiding contamination (in kitchen/ cooking)
- the oats controversy and Coeliac Disease
- how to pursue a healthy, balanced gluten-free diet, with gluten-free fibre to boost gut health
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Become empowered with your gluten-free diet.
REFERENCES
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Dr Kim Faulkner-Hogg. Coeliac Disease & the Gluten Free Diet. May 2017
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Coeliac Australia, The gluten free diet. Dietetic Resources. Obtained August, 2017.