Gluten-free diet next big health trend

This diet is followed by people for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease

Hyderabad: Recently, the popularity of gluten-free diets has skyrocketed, with an increasing number of people opting to eliminate gluten from their meals. This dietary trend has gained significant attention, raising questions about what exactly it is, the benefits, and what is to be avoided during this diet.

“A gluten-free diet excludes the food that contains Gluten, a protein which is found in many of the grains including barley, wheat rye, and others. These are not high on the nutritional value and are generally used as a binding agent to hold the processed food,” explains Meghna Soni, a nutritionist in Hyderabad.

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One of the primary reasons behind the surge in gluten-free diets is increased awareness of celiac disease. This diet is followed by people for managing signs and symptoms of celiac disease and other medical conditions associated with gluten. People might experience relief from symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and fatigue by avoiding gluten-containing foods.

“People opt for this diet as their bodies can’t digest gluten leading to negative effects. Gluten is present in food that is prepared by the fermentation process and processed junk food which results in increasing many dietary problems and risk for heart-related problems,” Meghna says.

As Hyderabadis change their lifestyle and move towards the healthy road with diets, restaurants, and cafes come up with dishes to match these eating plans for their customers.

A few restaurants and cafes have started including gluten-free dishes in their menu, and Lord of the Drinks, Yummy Bee, and Ewoke Cafe are a few of them. “For our desserts, we replace gluten with almond flour, coconut flour, jawar flour, rice flour, and cornflour,“ said Yogesh Joshi, Corporate Chef at Yummy Bee.