What Is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein that is found in certain grains such as barley, wheat, rye, and triticale, which is a combination of wheat and rye. Gluten-free diets are necessary for anyone who suffers from coeliac disease and other medical conditions that are exacerbated by gluten.
There are some people who are on a gluten-free diet for reasons other than medical ones. A gluten-free diet can improve your health, it can promote weight loss, and it can boost your energy. Also, if you remove gluten from your diet, it can change the way that your body uses fibers, vitamins, and other nutrients.
Regardless of the reasons that you have decided to go gluten-free, you should understand how the diet can affect your nutritional needs.
Catering Gluten-Free
If you are catering to someone with a coeliac disease, you should remember that this is a serious disease and they must follow their gluten-free diet to the letter. When the food is being prepared, you need to watch out for cross-contamination.
As little as 50mg of gluten, which is the equivalent of 1/100th of a slice of white bread, can cause damage to the small intestine of a person with a coeliac disease. You need to make sure that all of the ingredients in your dishes including the garnishes, sauces, and dressings are all gluten-free.
If you are going to be catering to friends or family members who have a coeliac disease, you should follow the tips listed below.
• Talk to the person who has coeliac disease about their favorite gluten-free dishes. You can also ask them to give you a few recipes to choose from.
• When you are shopping for your ingredients, you should only buy foods that are marked, “gluten-free.” You can also look for products with the Coeliac Australia Endorsement logo on them.
• While cooking, save the packaging from the foods that you bought in the store so that your friend can confirm that the food is gluten-free.
• If possible, make the entire meal gluten-free so that there is no risk of cross-contamination. If you must make dishes with gluten, make sure that you take the necessary steps to avoid cross-contamination.
• Look for traditional meals that are gluten-free such as meat, vegetables and salads for a main dish. Panna cotta or crème caramel are great dessert options.
• You could plan a barbecue for the dinner. There are plenty of gluten-free beef patties and sausages to choose from. You can also make a gluten-free salad with gluten-free salad dressings.
• Roasts are a good option for a gluten-free dinner. Just be sure that any sauces, coatings, glazes, and stuffing you use are also gluten-free.
• If you are planning to serve a dip platter, you should avoid using chips and biscuits. If you serve just vegetables on the tray, you won’t need to worry about the crumbs from the chips or biscuits ending up in the dip.
• If you are planning to bake, you should make it easy by using a gluten-free cake mix. If you are using flour to coat the pan, make sure it is gluten-free. Also, make sure that you use gluten-free icing.
• If you are planning to dine out, call the restaurant first and make sure that they have gluten-free items on the menu.
