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.
To avoid gluten completely it is necessary to understand how food is produced and where it is present either as an ingredient or as a result of cross-contamination. Both are potentially harmful. This is why it is difficult for restaurants to guarantee gluten free food. Most celiacs do not eat out because they cannot be sure that chefs staff in restaurants understand the problem fully, but this is changing.
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.
Manufacturers of food often contaminate other products such as oats in the production and packaging process. Contamination also happens in restaurant kitchens. For this reason it is a good idea to have a specialist analyse kitchen practices and design safe procedures. Separate chopping boards, utensils, oils, storage and perhaps even a totally separate preparation area may be necessary.
As wheat intolerance rises it is becoming easier to get the information and products necessary to live without wheat and be healthy. One way is to use a consultant. They offer services for sufferers and those who need to learn about the issue for professional reasons. For sufferers they offer services such as guided trips to the supermarket to learn to read food labels. They can make dietary plans and teach about cross contamination.
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.
To avoid gluten completely it is necessary to understand how food is produced and where it is present either as an ingredient or as a result of cross-contamination. Both are potentially harmful. This is why it is difficult for restaurants to guarantee gluten free food. Most celiacs do not eat out because they cannot be sure that chefs staff in restaurants understand the problem fully, but this is changing.
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.
Manufacturers of food often contaminate other products such as oats in the production and packaging process. Contamination also happens in restaurant kitchens. For this reason it is a good idea to have a specialist analyse kitchen practices and design safe procedures. Separate chopping boards, utensils, oils, storage and perhaps even a totally separate preparation area may be necessary.
As wheat intolerance rises it is becoming easier to get the information and products necessary to live without wheat and be healthy. One way is to use a consultant. They offer services for sufferers and those who need to learn about the issue for professional reasons. For sufferers they offer services such as guided trips to the supermarket to learn to read food labels. They can make dietary plans and teach about cross contamination.
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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