Gluten

Gluten, which is also known as wheat gum, is a protein that is found in grain. It has an effect on the baking properties of flour. It can bind with up to three times its weight in water. When it is moistened, it acquires elastic properties similar to that of rubber, producing a pliable, workable dough.

Health considerations: In recent years, the number of people who suffer from gluten intolerance has increased sharply. There are many reasons for this. Firstly, there is a greater awareness that gluten is not
only involved in the causation of the autoimmune disorder celiac disease. Secondly, gluten is being linked to an increasing number of complaints in the absence of celiac disease.

Different allergies and intolerance reactions to gluten:

1. In a gluten allergy, the body produces IgE antibodies against gluten. If there is an immediate reaction, itching or swelling of the mucous membranes may occur or even in severe cases anaphylactic shock.
2. In recent years there have been an increasing number of cases, in which people have reacted to products containing gluten (bread, pizza, pasta dishes, cake, baked goods, etc.) with irritable bowel
   symptoms or with symptoms similar to celiac disease without suffering from celiac disease. This is called gluten sensitivity or also wheat sensitivity. The exact mechanisms are still unknown. It is assumed that it is essentially a problem of quantities, i.e. when too much gluten is consumed over the course of the day. If the amount of gluten-containing foods is reduced, then, as a rule, the symptoms improve.
3. Celiac disease is regarded as a mixture of an allergy and an autoimmune disease that is triggered by gluten. Roughly 1% of the population is affected, and the rates are increasing. A positive result in the
   IgG test for gluten can be due to celiac disease, but this is not necessarily the case. From the historical standpoint, a diagnosis of celiac disease has only been given in about 1% of all patients. If a positive reaction to gluten is detected, we recommend that your treating practitioners make a differential diagnosis of “celiac disease” before you modify your diet.

Naturally gluten-free foods:

All breads, noodles and etc., are normally not gluten-free. There are special gluten-free products to substitute for these. There is a great array of gluten-free grains or pseudocereals that do not contain gluten. Today these are available in the supermarket.

• Fruit: fresh fruit, deep-frozen fruit, fruit juice/fruit nectar without additives, fruit preserves made from water and sugar
• Eggs
• Vegetables: all types of fresh vegetables, all garden salads, deep-frozen vegetables without additives, preserves with only water and salt, as well as the type of vegetable, in their lists of ingredients
• Vegetable juices without additional ingredients
• Legumes (fresh and dried): peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas, kidney beans, soy, peanuts, snow peas, etc.
• Nuts and seeds: unprocessed almonds and varieties of nuts, as well as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed, sesame seeds, chia seeds and pine nuts
• Potatoes: e.g. potatoes boiled in their skin
• Fish: fresh or deep-frozen fish without breading or spices, fish preserves in their own juice and in oil
• Meat: fresh or deep-frozen without breading or spices, cuts of meat from pork, beef, veal, poultry, lamb, sheep, goat, ostrich, venison, feathered game, rabbit and offal
• Milk and milk products: all unprocessed milk products (e.g. milk, yogurt, buttermilk, sour milk, whey, curdled milk, kefir, cream, spray cream, condensed milk, coffee creamers, milk foam, crème fraîche, sour cream, heavy sour cream), milk substitutes (e.g. almond drink, cashew drink, soy drink)
• Fats and oils (except wheat germ oil): pure vegetable fats, margarine, clarified butter, butter, concentrated butter/ghee and lard
• Gluten-free grains/pseudocereals: non-contaminated oats, buckwheat, amaranth, millet (teff and fonio), quinoa, corn/maize, rice, tempura batter made from rice, chestnut flour, legume flours, mung beans, tapioca, hemp flour, lupine flour and nut flour (almond, coconut)
• Gluten-free beverages: water, tea, wine and freshly squeezed fruit juices

Note: For technical reasons, the IgG antibodies for grain, in and of itself, and those for the gluten contained in grain must each be measured separately. If a positive reaction to gluten is detected with ImuPro testing, then all grains containing gluten must be avoided depending on the reaction to gluten. This is important in order to prevent the persistence of symptoms triggered by gluten. If the value measured for this grain is under the cut-off, then consumption of the grain is allowed as long as it is commercially labeled as “gluten-free.”

Important: Even if celiac disease is not diagnosed, you must avoid gluten for at least one year if it triggers symptoms during the ImuPro Diet Provocation Phase.

These types of grain, as well as all products made of them, contain gluten:

Wheat, rye and barley, tritordeum (a cross between durum and barley), commercially available oats, durum, green spelt, spelt (Rotkorn brand spelt), Einkorn wheat, Urkorn brand wheat, emmer wheat Kamut® (Khorasan wheat), triticale and other wheat derivatives, tempura batter (made from/with wheat flour), sago made from barley or wheat, udon and somen noodles made from wheat, taboule (made from bulgur or couscous), kritharaki (Greek noodles shaped like rice made from wheat), panko (Japanese breading), pot barley (made from barley), couscous, bulgur

Gluten in processed food products:

The situation is even more serious for ready-made products, especially those for vegetarians. In these, gluten is used in its free form and can constitute up to 80 % of the content of the processed food.

These products may contain gluten:

• Vegetables: deep-frozen vegetables with flour (e.g. creamed spinach), vegetable preserves, ready-made potato products (e.g. mashed potatoes, croquettes, potato salad, French fries, potato pancakes) and
  vegetable stock.
• Fruit: fruit preparations and dehydrated preserved fruit
• Dairy products: yogurt, quark (especially types with the added fruit or cereals), cream cheese preparation, low-fat milk products (e.g. cheese, cream cheese), melted cheese, whipped cream, ice cream powder, ice cream ingredients (e.g. cereal flakes) and herb butter
• Beverages: malted barley, coffee, beer and grain alcohol/ spirits
• Sweets: chocolate, chocolate snacks, malt candies, desserts, marzipan and salty snacks
• Meat, sausage and fish products: all types of sausages that do not provide a complete list of ingredients, low-fat sausage, meat preparations (i.e. meatballs, meat fillings, breaded meat, ready-made foods with sauce), fried herring and rolled pickled herring
• Others: ready-made soups, ready-made sauces, salad dressings, ketchup, mustard, ready-made foods, spices and fried onions
• Grain products: soy bread, millet bread, linseed bread, soy noodles, wheat bran products, rice cakes, rice crispy cereal, cornflakes cereal, baking powder, baking additives and glazes, cornflakes, polenta, puffed rice

You can find alternatives to cereals containing gluten when extending the ImuPro Basic to ImuPro Complete.