what is gluten allergy?
a protein found in some types of grain–the commonly used grain most of us encounter it in is wheat, and thus, wheat products–ei, breads, but it occurs in other grains as well–barley, rye has some, oats have some. Gluten binds bread dough together, and is what allows wheat products to rise well, and wheat gluten, or vital wheat gluten is often added to lower-gluten grain products (for example, rye breads) to help THEN rise better–and is a fairly common additive for commercial bakers, and because wheat is so widely used, the bloomin’ stuff is EVERYWHERE–it takes very careful ingredient-reading to rule it out. It’s readily available for home bakers–I buy it in bulk, about 1/2 lb at a time, to add to breads to help them rise better. When I’m working with whole-grain loaves, it’ll give me a lighter-textured load, one that rises higher. So, if you have a gluten allergy, you have an allergy to this specific protein that is an integral part of wheat (as well as other grain) products–and
• Gluten allergy: Gluten allergy is an adverse reaction by the body’s immune system to gluten or foods containing gluten. The specific symptoms that can result can vary considerably amongst patients from a severe anaphylactic reaction to asthma, abdominal symptoms, eczema or headaches. Gluten allergy is similar to celiac disease – celiac disease only occurs in people with a genetic defect which predisposes them to the condition whereas gluten can occur in anyone but is more common in people who are also prone to other allergies.
