Our food chain has become complicated and it is increasingly difficult to know what is in our food. For people with food allergies this can be serious. Avoiding gluten can be a minefield but it is one which, not only celiacs but everyone is going to have to get to grips with. More and more people are diagnosed all the time so it is likely that a family member or friend will be found to have a gluten intolerance. For those who work in the food service and manufacturing industries healthy gluten free consulting is also going to become essential.
Firstly, let's be clear that wheat intolerance is not just a preference. People who have been diagnosed suffer a multitude of debilitating symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome to migraines. Before diagnosis they have usually suffered for many years and been unable to live a normal life. It is also extremely damaging to long term health. One study found that people with associated inflammation of the gut had a 39% increased risk of death, mainly from heart disease and cancer.
Recently a piece of research was done to see if the incidence of intolerance to gluten has increased as a proportion of the population. The team analysed blood samples from twenty thousand subjects. Half the sample were taken fifty years ago and the other half were taken recently. They found elevated TTG antibodies had increased by four hundred percent in that fifty year period. This is big news for anyone working in health and for the food industry.
Avoiding gluten is actually quite difficult as wheat is a versatile ingredient and is used in many ways. It crops up in surprising places such as ice creams, chocolate as it is used as a thickener by industrial food processors. It even appears in oats. This is because of cross-contamination. Oats do not actually contain gluten but they are often contaminated in factories.
Some households decide to go totally gluten free because the contamination issue requires a lot of attention to detail. Separate utensils, chopping boards and pans are all necessary. If, for example, a breaded shrimp has been fried in some oil then that oil cannot be used to make gluten free food. The smallest trace of gluten can contaminate everything.
There is a lot to learn when it comes to wheat free food. These days many specialists are offering consulting services to individuals and companies who need to know exactly how to produce and source safe food. Individuals can take workshops in understanding food labels, preparation of food, and even have help to make meal planners.
For restaurants, caterers and professional cooks they offer classes on the history of the problem, food production and wheat substitutes. They can do in-house staff training to show kitchen teams how to avoid cross contamination. Waiting staff also need to learn about the issue to be able to communicate effectively with customers. A consultant can teach them which questions to ask and how to deal with queries.
Gluten intolerance is not a fad that is going away. It is a serious and growing health issue. People who are incapable of eating gluten are looking for the food industry to step up and cater for them. If the problem keeps increasing at the current rate, soon a large proportion of the population will be avoiding this food. Industry professionals can utilize the knowledge of consultants to make their businesses safe for those with food allergies.
Firstly, let's be clear that wheat intolerance is not just a preference. People who have been diagnosed suffer a multitude of debilitating symptoms from irritable bowel syndrome to migraines. Before diagnosis they have usually suffered for many years and been unable to live a normal life. It is also extremely damaging to long term health. One study found that people with associated inflammation of the gut had a 39% increased risk of death, mainly from heart disease and cancer.
Recently a piece of research was done to see if the incidence of intolerance to gluten has increased as a proportion of the population. The team analysed blood samples from twenty thousand subjects. Half the sample were taken fifty years ago and the other half were taken recently. They found elevated TTG antibodies had increased by four hundred percent in that fifty year period. This is big news for anyone working in health and for the food industry.
Avoiding gluten is actually quite difficult as wheat is a versatile ingredient and is used in many ways. It crops up in surprising places such as ice creams, chocolate as it is used as a thickener by industrial food processors. It even appears in oats. This is because of cross-contamination. Oats do not actually contain gluten but they are often contaminated in factories.
Some households decide to go totally gluten free because the contamination issue requires a lot of attention to detail. Separate utensils, chopping boards and pans are all necessary. If, for example, a breaded shrimp has been fried in some oil then that oil cannot be used to make gluten free food. The smallest trace of gluten can contaminate everything.
There is a lot to learn when it comes to wheat free food. These days many specialists are offering consulting services to individuals and companies who need to know exactly how to produce and source safe food. Individuals can take workshops in understanding food labels, preparation of food, and even have help to make meal planners.
For restaurants, caterers and professional cooks they offer classes on the history of the problem, food production and wheat substitutes. They can do in-house staff training to show kitchen teams how to avoid cross contamination. Waiting staff also need to learn about the issue to be able to communicate effectively with customers. A consultant can teach them which questions to ask and how to deal with queries.
Gluten intolerance is not a fad that is going away. It is a serious and growing health issue. People who are incapable of eating gluten are looking for the food industry to step up and cater for them. If the problem keeps increasing at the current rate, soon a large proportion of the population will be avoiding this food. Industry professionals can utilize the knowledge of consultants to make their businesses safe for those with food allergies.
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