GLUTEN SENSITIVITY

 There are many dietary fads which do rounds every now and then. Along with many other fads, going off gluten is the new kid on the block. These fads are so popular that most people following it have no clue about the science behind it. Let’s see what Gluten is and what can it do.

Gluten is name of a protein typically found in wheat, rye, spelt and barley. As wheat is the most commonly used grain in India, let’s for all practical purposes think of gluten as a wheat protein. This protein gives glue like consistency to wheat flour, when mixed with water (glue like –hence gluten). It also helps wheat products like chapati, puri, bread etc to be rolled (elasticity) and retain its shape. It also provides a chewy and satisfying texture to the foods. Chemically gluten is made up of 2 proteins: glutenin and gliadin. It’s the gliadin fraction of the protein which is related to the negative side effects. Most of the people can tolerate gluten completely. In certain cases, individuals cannot tolerate this protein. The most well-known being an auto-immune condition called as celiac disease (gluten sensitivity enteropathy). In celiac disease, antibodies are formed against this protein and they can damage gut wall. This damaged gut wall can cause mal-absorption of other nutrients and severe digestive issues. The most common symptoms of celiac disease are digestive discomfort, tissue damage in the small intestines, bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, skin rashes, anaemia, weight loss and foul-smelling faeces. Individuals with pre-existing autoimmune conditions are more prone to this e.g. Type 1 diabetes. In cases of celiac disease gluten has to be completely eliminated from their diets.

Gluten is also not tolerated well in other conditions like in Irritable bowel syndrome, non -celiac gluten sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis). In such cases, gluten is avoided initially and the re-introduced based on tolerance to the amount.

For a person who is battling gluten sensitive enteropathy most of the foods other than wheat, rye are allowed. So instead of eating rotis made of wheat they can choose other grains/ millets like rice, jowar, bajra, ragi, corn etc. Besides this all pulses, vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, dairy are permitted. Challenges come only when this person has to eat ready to eat foods or eat out in restaurant. A small amount of mixing of wheat, eg while using common spoon or sieves while preparation can cause flaring of symptoms.

It may sound simple, but avoiding gluten is an uphill task. Gluten is present in most of the ready to eat foods especially bakery products. Wheat or maida are used as coating and thickeners in many foods like fried foods (breading) or soups. Even simple condiment in our cooking, asafoetida (hing) has wheat powder mixed in it. Hence, it is important to read the food label and ingredient list before consuming foods, especially if someone has celiac disease.

Dont hesitate to consult a dietician/nutritionist to know the right kind of food to eat with gluten sensitivity, heal your inflamed gut and set free of the sensitivity enjoying your food.

Connect today @infonutritiongarage@gmail.com

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The unpredictability of Life!

Life is so unpredictable at times, but living in the present is the beauty of life!

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavour”.

One minute everything is going exactly as planned and then out of the blue, your whole world crashes down. All it takes is a flick of a button and your world is turned upside down. You never know what sort of event will happen. Who had though at the start of year 2020, that this entire year is going to take down the economy for a toss and that too by whom no enemies, no war, no nuclear threats but a few strain of virus which can eat mankind to the whole.


Who had thought that this year you would be sitting at home spending quality time with family and zooming and video calling with friends, partying digitally ( Wooaahh, digital generation takes the lead here), and thinking now its time to boost immunity in case we need to survive.


Maybe you’re the sort of person who takes one step at a time and could care less what happens next or you’re like me who needs to know what’s ahead. I hate not knowing what will happen 10 years from now. Will I be successful? Will I be married? Will I have kids? Will I be happy? Will I have plenty of friends and family by my side? The questions constantly eat at me and make me wonder what life will look like. Some set of people are those who are pretty concerned and particular about each and everything going on in their lives while the other group of people includes the ones who take everything very lightly.


Don’t you think planning in life is required to a very large extent but life offers us with certain unpredictable situations that planning doesn’t work really. Life is unpredictable. So, it is just better to live every moment and enjoy life to the maximum, not getting worried about things. This unpredictability adds flavor to our lives truly.

It’s frightening to think that one day my parents will simply not be around me, especially when I am so attached to my mother. How will I cope? Will I continue to live without them? In terms of being a mother, I can’t even imagine leaving my 1.5 year old for few hours (motherly bonding).

“ Do not dwell in the past , do not dream of the future ,concentrate the mind on the present moment” – Buddha


You see, there are those who are independent and ones who are dependent. I’d definitely consider myself independent yet I don’t believe I could make it on my own in certain situations.. I often seek advice from others, so if I ever lost that, I have no idea what I would do. I usually ask others their opinion and base mine on theirs. It’s a terrible tactic, but it’s the solid truth. But, in a blink of an eye, life will throw you a curve ball that makes you make a decision then and there. Is there ever a right or wrong decision?



Acceptance and letting go is the key to happiness. Let that be any situation. Living in the present along with acceptance ability is the need of the hour. We cant be dependant like our honourable PM says “Atma- nibharta”. We must realize the fact that the unpredictability adds flavor to our lives; without the various uncertainties in the life, we fail to value it to the proper extent and it loses its meaning as well.


Start enhancing our perspective towards dealing with each and everything life offers to us. If you look at it, living a happy life is very simple; it depends solely on us and our mindset. The unpredictability of life is truly a lesson at times and it is indeed the compulsion to run the natural cycle of human life. Without this, life ceases to be a life without flavor.


“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself; in your way of thinking.”
― Marcus Aurelius


So, in these times of pandemic situations, where people are facing mental stress, just a small message – Acceptance is the key, Live in the present and do not think of the future.