Chestnut Farm Stands up For Gluten-Free Lifestyle
Posted by Kirill Storch on 1/18/2011
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Chestnuts
Gluten is most typically consumed when people eat bread. Usually wheat, barley and rye bread-- though it can also be found in a variety of other breads.
Before you peg this is as another fringe health movement, think about this
1) Anywhere from fifteen to twenty five percent of ALL SHOPPERS are asking for gluten-free products. And most of these are not doing it for medical reasons like food allergies or celiac disease.
2) Oprah...yep, Oprah, took a stand against gluten a few months ago when she went ahead and ENTIRELY ELIMINATED it from her diet. And said she felt wonderful! The chestnut would have been an especially valuable food for her at this time as it is completely gluten free and chestnut flour can be used to make pasta, bread and cake.
3) Universities are starting to offer gluten-free options to students, including some that are chestnut-based. Of course, some of this is just a youth fad, underweight men and women simplifying health into a single diet..but it remains an important indicator nonetheless. And you have to turn your head when all of a sudden college students cut down on pizza.
It has to do with the fact that previously under-diagnosed food allergies are coming to the fore. What was often confused with a “weak immune system,” or “sensitive stomach,” is now revealed to be a gluten allergy with allergy testing techniques.
One of the most popular of these techniques is a “challenge diet,” where the patient is asked to cut out almost all food groups, and slowly reintroduce them. During these test diets, chestnuts are one of the few types of foods the doctor allows their patients to eat.
Getting sick with gluten is very common. But the other aspect of it is that gluten-free foods tend to be less processed than their counter parts. So a lot of people that try the gluten-free diet just feel better because they accidentally cut out starches and processed sugars and fats from their diet.
There are many delicious gluten-free alternatives, some chestnut-based, and others made from rice and soy.
Have you ever tasted gluten-free chestnut bread? If not, we highly recommend you try it!
What are your experiences with gluten-free food? We’d love to hear them!
