Okay so what is gluten anyway? If you noticed, the word “gluten” seems somewhat similar to the word “glue”. There’s good reason for that. Gluten is a Latin word for glue, and like glue, gluten acts as a binding agent. Gluten is actually a protein substance from the endosperm of a particular cereal grains. Gluten is a ingredient of several of the grains that people typically consume, like wheat, barley and rye. This is why we Americans enjoy it so much and why it can be so difficult to find foods that don’t have gluten, but don’t fret, gluten free foods are available.

This glue, is the stuff that binds whenever we mix and press the ground up contents of grains into dough. It also provides the dough its uniformity and causes it to be rise and broaden. Gluten is insoluble, that is, it will not melt in water. It will nevertheless vary with heat and thus its characteristics are crucial and remarkable when baking.

Gluten contains the carbon dioxide that is produced through baking helping the dough rise. After baking and being removed of the your oven it is the gluten that provides breads their chewiness and often their flakiness as well. Remove the gluten and pizza crusts and bagels just aren’t the same. A lot of breads, when lacking gluten, just fall apart instead of clumping together. It would be a mistake however to believe that gluten is just about grains, or, that all grains create gluten.

There a variety of grains that don’t have any gluten whatsoever, such as buckwheat. Meanwhile gluten can be commonly found in a number of other, non-grain based foods too, often as an additive in the producing of those foods. This is because gluten’s ability to bind and produce thickness helps it be a super component in spices and sauces such as salad dressing. Gluten is frequently present in cold cuts as well. This is why studying foods and just what has gluten is so essential. To prevent gluten it’s not always so simple as denying yourself bread or pasta. Gluten may come hidden in numerous foods and forms, including some you might never envision.

To lose gluten from your diet necessitates some committed work to educate and supply yourself with gluten free foods. It’s not enough to merely identify the most obvious gluten foods. It’s also necessary to learn about gluten components, as well as gluten ingredients. Some of these simply have to be learned from lists that identify them. As soon as you become familiar with lists of gluten foods, you’ll know more about them and also recognize the patterns. It won’t be long before you won’t even need a written list, it will be in your head. Once this occurs you’ll be a much more intelligent gluten free shopper.

Learn all about gluten and just how gluten can impact your health on the gluten free foods list.

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