Celiac Disease: Understanding the Gluten Project:

In the past few years, gluten has been getting a bad reputation. This is why the “gluten-free” phenomenon became so popular. While others are jumping on the bandwagon to live a healthier lifestyle, those who have celiac disease need to avoid gluten as much as possible. 

To help people who suffer from celiac disease, an effort known as the Gluten Project was created. The Gluten Project is a search engine that allows users to look for gluten-free products on the Internet. It was created specifically for people who cannot eat gluten and must undergo a gluten-free diet.

What makes gluten so bad anyway?

What exactly is bad about gluten that people will want to go gluten-free? Well, gluten actually has no essential nutrients for the body. It is just a protein that can be found in foods that contain grains. Examples of these foods include pasta, cereal, wheat bread, and pizza dough.

While it is not harmful to most people, those who have celiac disease or other gluten sensitivity react adversely to it. Celiac disease, in particular, is a common autoimmune disease that triggers the immune system to react once gluten is consumed. People with this condition have an enzyme known as tissue transglutaminase, which converts the gluten into a chemical that is targeted by the immune system as a threat.

When this happens,  the intestinal tract of the body is affected. Due to this, the small intestine is damaged and can’t absorb other nutrients properly. Without the proper nutrients, other organs, such as the liver or the kidney, also are affected.

How can the Gluten Project help people with celiac disease?

Knowing the dangers of gluten to people whose bodies can’t take the substance, how exactly can the Gluten Project be helpful?

It’s very important to take note that gluten is a substance that is easily hidden in most foods. Even if a particular dish in a restaurant is said to be gluten-free, there is a possibility of a small amount of gluten in it. For people suffering from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, even a minute amount can result in a bad reaction.

Surprisingly, there are a lot of foods that have gluten. Some of these foods include gravies, sauces, and other liquid condiments you can find in the grocery store (e.g. soy sauce). Processed meat products such as ground meat may have gluten fillers in them. Even vegetarian “fake meat” is made out of wheat gluten. Of course, almost all restaurant dishes would have gluten in them as a filler.