| Gluten is a protein complex commonly found in wheat and some wheat-like cereals including barley and rye. Wheat was domesticated very early on in the history of humankind, and has been a staple food of most large civilisations. However, an increasing number of people are being diagnosed with digestive disorders, many of which are associated with the consumption of wheat.
Of these disorders, coeliac disease is the most common. It is thought that between 0.5% and 2% of people may have symptoms diagnosable as coeliac disease, but there are no official figures available whatsoever, so figures such as these are a complete guess.
There are a range of other disorders that are exacerbated by the consumption of gluten. As with coeliac disease, little is known for sure about the scale of the problem.
In fact, very little is known about this topic in general. It's certainly true that many practitioners are quick to diagnose a problem without performing a full analysis, and it's also true that many self-diagnoses are inaccurate. But what is true is that coeliac disease is a real thing that causes misery for many, and there are a great many additional people who, for whatever reason, find that wheat does not completely agree with them, and wish to find alternatives. This is where we can help, by offering products that are completely gluten-free and suitable for use by coeliacs as well as people who are on a wheat-free diet for other reasons.
Grains such as amaranth, quinoa, millet and buckwheat, corn and rice can all be used in a wheat-like manner. Oats are also sometimes used, but coeliac sufferers also have an intolerance to similar proteins found within oats. Opening up the diet to a wider range of grains makes for a more diverse nutritional intake, and a healthier diet in general.
Note that in our gluten-free section, we haven't included things that are obviously gluten-free (such as fruit), because that would be silly. |
