Foods (Cooked) to Have:
Amaranth ½ cup
Buckwheat ½ cup
Millet ½ cup
Oats ½ cup
Quinoa ½ cup
Sorghum ½ cup
Teff ½ cup
Also consider: Montina, wild rice
What is gluten and why eat gluten-free?
Over 21 million people follow a gluten-free diet. While many of those who follow this diet have been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, many others believe it is simply a healthier way to eat, though evidence-based research is lacking to support this assumption.
For the over 3 million who have been diagnosed with celiac disease, gluten-free eating is an absolute necessity. Celiac disease is a genetically based autoimmune disorder characterized by an immune response to gluten, a protein found in grains such as barley, rye, and wheat and its relatives, such as triticale, spelt, kamut, and faro. Durum, bulgur, couscous, and semolina are also wheat, and therefore contain gluten. Ingested gluten causes damage by generating an allergic inflammatory reaction in the small intestine. Growing need and interest has created a booming market for gluten-free foods and in 2010, gluten-free product sales accounted for $2.64 billion in sales.
Did you know?
According to Alesso Fassano, MD, director of the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research, an estimated 1 in 133 Americans have celiac disease and up to 95 percent of them don't even know they have it.
Amaranth
This grain has a sweet, nutty flavor and lends a slight crunch to a dish. It can be bought as flour or seeds. In addition, it contains squalene, an antioxidant that may prevent cancer growth and counteract high cholesterol. This powerful grain may also help control high blood sugar.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat is actually a fruit! It is a seed related to the rhubarb plant, and bees make honey from its flowers. Its groats are commonly used in western Asia and Eastern Europe. Buckwheat is an excellent source of choline and a good source of magnesium. It also contains B vitamins, fiber, magnesium, manganese, selenium, vitamin E, and zinc, and is plentiful in the phytonutrients lignans, phenolic acids, phytic acid, and rutin. A review study found that experiments in both animals and humans demonstrated that buckwheat flour may help with fighting, controlling, or improving diabetes, obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and constipation.
Millet
Millet is a tiny yellow grain with a mild, sweet flavor. It is a good source of choline and contains many nutrients, including copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and zinc. Millet also contains the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which are essential for normal vision and have been found to protect against macular degeneration. Millet, like many other whole grains, may help control cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
Oats
Many who follow a gluten-free diet are often told that oats contain gluten. The truth is they are and always have been gluten free. The trouble with oats is guilt by association. Some oat products on the market may have been cross-contaminated with gluten-containing grains at the point of manufacturing, or during transport by being trucked in containers that once contained gluten-containing grains. Solution? Look for brands that are certified gluten free!
Quinoa
Because of its protein and fiber content, one of the perks of eating quinoa is satiety. Quinoa has many different variations of saponins, which are phytochemicals found to have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties and inhibit cholesterol absorption.
Quinoa was a staple food in ancient civilizations and cultivated in the South American Andes since at least 3000 BC.
Sorghum
There are many varieties of sorghum, but the one we use like a grain is technically considered a grass. Although a staple for human consumption in Africa, sorghum is commonly used for animal food; only recently has it come into favor in the West as a great grain alternative for the gluten challenged. A cell study found that sorghum contains a variety of flavonoids and proanthocyanidins that inhibit the action of aromatase, which is a key enzyme that helps with the production of estrogen. Aromatase inhibitors are commonly used in the treatment of estrogen-driven breast cancer.
Teff
Tiny teff is an excellent source of many nutrients . Apart from use in its native Africa, teff is a popular gluten-free grain in the Netherlands. In a survey of nearly eight thousand members of the Dutch Celiac Disease Society, teff was reported to be a favorite because celiac sufferers experience a significant reduction in symptoms and stated that they simply felt better.