I am fond of baking cupcakes, brownies and cookies because I have two kids who love them. My children need to eat healthy snacks, and not just the usual chips and chocolates grabbed from the shelves of a local grocery store. What I make sure is I bake gluten-free pastries and goodies.
You may be wondering why pastries and other sweet baked foods should be free from gluten. You will know more about this if you continue reading this article. So, suit yourself and have a fun baking day!
Gluten derives from the Latin word called “glue”, which you surely know what that means. Technically, it is a protein that comes from wheat and other kinds of grains, including rye and barley. This is often used in pastries, but also in other products that are chewable to give or add elasticity.
Gluten maybe a good source of protein on our foods, such as the ones we love to bake. There is a downside to this, though. It can also be a cause of various health problems, including cancers. If we learn more about those health issues concerning, the more conviction to stay away from gluten as much as possible.
Celiac disease is one of the serious problems that can caused by gluten. This kind of illness affects anyone in your family, which means it includes your children. It has widely different symptoms, like fever, nausea and vomiting, stomach pains, and indigestion. With all these symptoms, it will be difficult for the doctor to diagnose the cause of it, but one of the possibilities is gluten.
Another sign of celiac disease is anemia. This is the condition in which more white blood cells are flowing in the bloodstream. That also means the red blood cells are less and much weaker, which makes the oxygen in the body to decrease. If this happens, other discomforts occur, like mood swings and fatigue.
Gluten can also cause dermatitis herpetiformis, which is a type of skin disease. It can affect the face and arms with red and itchy rashes. Actually, this condition is related to celiac disease. Nevertheless, I encourage you to consult a doctor for proper and accurate check-up just to make sure. You never know what you have when various signs and symptoms occur.
If you stay away form foods that have gluten, there is a big chance to reduce the risk of celiac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis. That is why it is important to provide your kids some foods and snacks that are free from gluten. You do not want them to suffer from any kind of health problems that can cause pain and discomfort to them.
The next time you break, you have to ensure you are using gluten-free ingredients. Be it a French bread, pizza, cake, and brownies, they must be free from gluten. Even when you go to the grocery store or a restaurant, it is vital to check if what you are getting has gluten or not. Many bakeshops and baked products nowadays are advertised with “gluten-free” labels. You really need to do that as well whenever you are in a commercial establishment.
By now, you have probably realized you just have a wakeup call. That’s good, because you must be really concerned about the health of your kids and yourself. Not all foods we think are healthy are that nutritious at all. Sandwich and loaf bread are definitely much healthier than chips or other junk foods, but think again if the pastry products have gluten, which may otherwise cause health problems later on.
