Many people find it hard to eat wheat due to the unpleasant symptoms of gas and diarrhoea. There are plenty of options to choose from when it comes to the gluten-free diet, with restaurants and supermarkets offering a variety of options for those who can't digest it.

It can be difficult for people with celiac disease to live a normal life. For people with celiac disease, tiny traces of gluten caused by cross-contamination via shared equipment can cause symptoms. It is possible that a diet free of wheat could be more strict than one that is free of it. If you want to eat at a restaurant, you'll have to ask that the food is prepared separately with sterile equipment and that the products are not made in factories that manage other products containing gluten.

With this in mind, are there any benefits of a diet free of wheat? Everything you need to know is here.

What is gluten?

We make pasta, bread or couscous with wheat, rye or barley, which are both sources of thegluten.

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The chair of the Primary Care Society for Gastroenterology in the UK told Live Science that there is aProtein in the seed. It is possible to have a diet without wheat, rye or barley. It is difficult as it is an inexpensive ingredient and sneaks into a lot of foods in preparation and cooking.

The USDA guidance for 2020-2025 recommends that you base your meals on the type of food you like, and while some foods such as rice or potatoes are naturally gluten-free, you may find some common meals are off the table. For people with wheat allergies, or who have aversions toGluten, their bodies can't process it, even though most people can digest it.

According to the study, around 1% of the population have the disease. You should speak to your doctor if you suspect you may not be able to tolerate it.

What is a gluten-free diet?

A diet that doesn't contain any wheat or gluten can help control symptoms of wheat allergy or celiac disease. While there are plenty of alternatives to wheat-based foods, you may find that a successful diet is more reliant on other grains such as rice and corn.

For general health, it can be better to find fresh alternatives and eat as many unprocessed foods as you can, since the majority of the time you can't find a wheat-free meal. There are factories that still handle wheat products that may contain trace amounts ofgluten, which can be caused by processing. Similar factories that handle nuts are usually stated on the label.

Most people don't want to completely remove processed foods. When you have little time to cook, pasta and bread are a good option because they are easy to prepare. If this is the case for you, make sure to read the labels on the food you are buying to make sure there is no risk of cross-contamination.

Rice, potato and cornflour are not made from wheat, so they are fine to eat.

Gluten-free diet benefits

While most people won't experience any particular benefits from cutting outGluten, for those removingGluten due to Irritancy or Celiac Disease, goingGluten-free can be life changing. Malabsorption can cause damage to the small intestine for people with celiac disease. The condition can be managed if the diet is removed from it.

She says that avoiding gluten stops the response in the bowel lining, which means that the bowel remains healthy and able to absorb all the vitamins and minerals from food. This causes a lack of absorption of iron and other vitamins.

gluten-free quinoa salad bowl with lemon

(Image credit: Getty Images)

If you have an IgE-mediated allergy to wheat, avoiding wheat products will help you control your symptoms. They may find a gluten-free diet the most effective for their needs.

For people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity, eatingGluten won't cause any actual damage, but they may struggle to digest it, causing symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea and gas. These symptoms can be very painful, so following a gluten-free diet may help these individuals stay symptom free and happy. The level of sensitivity to gluten may be lower if you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. If you have this condition, you don't need to avoid cross-contamination because it isn't an allergy or a disease.

What to eat & what to avoid on a gluten-free diet

What not to do:

  • Wheat products such as bread, pasta, couscous and cereals (bear in mind some porridge oats might contain gluten from cross-contamination) 
  • Rye products such as crackers and rye bread 
  • Beer
  • Pastries and pies
  • Cakes and cookies

What to eat.

  • Potatoes, yams or sweet potatoes 
  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Grains such as quinoa, rice and corn 
  • Legumes and legume products, such as tofu
  • Flour alternatives such as rice and potato flour   
  • Seeds and nuts in their natural, unprocessed form 
  • Fresh eggs
  • Fresh meat, poultry and fish (not marinated, breaded or batter-coated) 

Many people on a gluten-free diet don't have a medically needed restriction on their diet.

According to a study in the Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, adherence to agluten-free diet is pointless if you have aceliac disease, IgE-mediated allergy or non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

Jessica Fishman Levinson is a registered dietitian and she says that she does not believe there is a benefit to eating gluten-free if you do not have a sensitivity.

The cost of eating branded products is a factor that can make people refuse to follow the diet.

There is a risk of missing out on a well-balanced diet if you go for a diet without wheat. With this in mind, it's important to make sure that you're educated on how to eat without relying too much on special products and processed food.

You will not lose weight and you may gain weight if you replace theGluten-Containing products with highly processedGluten-Free foods, as many of them are higher in calories than theirGluten-Containing replacements.

The Mediterranean diet contains a lot of fresh fish, meat, fruits and vegetables which are free of wheat, and it is a good place to start.

There are additional resources.