FAQs about Gluten

Q. Which day of the week will I get my menus?
A. Each Thursday, you will receive an email from GFree with a quick link back to the site. Thursday gives you plenty of time to shop over the weekend and get ready for a week of organized cooking.

Q. There are only two of us, do the recipes scale down?
A. The recipes can scale from 2, 4, 6 or 8. And the grocery list is translated to the smaller portions too.

Q. How does the shopping list work?
A. Each week you’ll get a shopping list with your menu. It’s categorized by the grocery store departments and makes getting in and out of the grocery store a breeze. No more impulse shopping or wasted produce!

Q. Can I send GFree as a gift?
A. Absolutely! A subscription to GFree makes a wonderful gift for busy families, empty-nesters, vegetarians and the list goes on. Simply click on the "give a gift" tab and you will be able to either email or print and mail a voucher to your recipient. It's that easy.

Q. What Is Gluten?
A. Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. And is found in most types of cereals and in many types of bread. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds.

Q. What is gluten sensitivity and how is it diagnosed?
A. Gluten sensitivity implies that there is an ongoing immune reaction to gluten in the diet, usually detected as antibodies against a subprotein of gluten called gliadin.

Q. What are the symptoms of gluten sensitivity?
A. Although there may be no detectable symptoms of the immune response to gluten, the typical symptoms people develop occur when the reaction begins to damage the intestines. The symptoms, resulting from malabsorption or improper digestion of dietary nutrients, include abdominal bloating or pain, diarrhea, constipation, gaseousness, or nausea with or without vomiting. It appears that acid reflux in the esophagus, manifesting as heartburn, may be a potential symptom as well. Other symptoms people experience include fatigue, joint pains, mouth ulcers and bone pain.

Celiac disease Content provided by MayoClinic.com
Also known as celiac sprue, nontropical sprue and gluten-sensitive enteropathy, celiac disease occurs in people who have a susceptibility to gluten intolerance. Some experts speculate that celiac disease has been around since humankind switched from a foraging diet of meat and nuts to a cultivated diet including grains, such as wheat. Nonetheless, it has only been in the last 50 years that researchers have gained a better understanding of the condition.

Normally, your small intestine is lined with tiny, hair-like projections called villi. Resembling the deep pile of a plush carpet on a microscopic scale, villi work to absorb vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from the food you eat. Celiac disease results in damage to the villi. Without villi, the inner surface of the small intestine becomes less like a plush carpet and more like a tile floor, and your body is unable to absorb nutrients necessary for health and growth. Instead, nutrients such as fat, protein, vitamins and minerals are eliminated with your stool.

The exact cause of celiac disease is unknown, but it's often inherited. If someone in your immediate family has it, chances are 5 percent to 15 percent that you may as well. It can occur at any age, although problems don't appear until gluten is introduced into the diet.
Many times, for unclear reasons, the disease emerges after some form of trauma: an infection, a physical injury, the stress of pregnancy, severe stress or surgery.

Celiac disease may be much more common in the United States than previously believed. Recent estimates suggest that one in 133 people have the disease. Among those closely related to someone with celiac disease, such as a parent or sibling, prevalence is even higher: one in 22.

Part of the reason for the previous underdiagnosis of celiac disease may be because the disorder resembles several other conditions that can cause malabsorption. Another reason may be that if doctors believe a condition to be rare, they may look to more common disorders to explain a person's signs and symptoms. In addition, specific blood tests now allow for diagnosis of people with celiac disease who have very mild signs and symptoms or none at all.

Signs and symptoms of Celiac Disease Content provided by MayoClinic.com
There are no typical signs and symptoms of celiac disease. Most people with the disease have general complaints, such as intermittent diarrhea, abdominal pain and bloating. Sometimes people with celiac disease may have no gastrointestinal symptoms at all. Celiac disease symptoms can also mimic those of other conditions, such as irritable bowel syndrome, gastric ulcers, Crohn's disease, parasite infections, anemia, skin disorders or a nervous condition.

Celiac disease may also present itself in less obvious ways, including irritability or depression, anemia, stomach upset, joint pain, muscle cramps, skin rash, mouth sores, dental and bone disorders (such as osteoporosis), and tingling in the legs and feet (neuropathy).

Some indications of malabsorption that may result from celiac disease include:
Weight loss, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, gas and bloating, general weakness, stunted growth (in children), osteoporosis

What Foods Contain Gluten?
The person who prepares the patient's food must fully understand the gluten-free diet. Read food labels carefully. Do not eat anything that contains the following grains: wheat, rye, and barley.

The following can be eaten in any amount: corn, potato, rice, soybeans, tapioca, arrowroot, carob, buckwheat, millet, amaranth and quinoa. Distilled white vinegar does not contain gluten. Malt vinegar does contain gluten. Grains are used in the processing of many ingredients, so it will be necessary to seek out hidden gluten. The following terms found in food labels may mean that there is gluten in the product:

Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP), unless made from soy or corn
Flour or Cereal products, unless made with pure rice flour, corn flour, potato flour, or soy flour
Vegetable Protein unless made from soy or corn
Malt or Malt Flavoring unless derived from corn
Modified Starch or Modified Food Starch unless arrowroot, corn, potato, tapioca, waxy maize, or maize is used
Vegetable Gum unless vegetable gums are carob bean gum, locust bean gum, cellulose gum, guar gum, gum arabic, gum aracia, gum tragacanth, xanthan gum, or vegetable starch
Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Solids unless you know they do not contain wheat

Any of the following words on food labels usually means that a grain containing gluten has been used: stabilizer, starch, flavoring, emulsifier, hydrolyzed plant protein.