Having to be gluten free is becoming more common and therefore more people are aware of it. Even though people may have heard about it they may not know exactly what it is. So what exactly is gluten? Gluten is a protein found in wheat and other grains like rye and barley. Gluten is put in products because it acts like a glue and helping to hold things together and to help products keep their shape.

Gluten is not only found in food it is also found in other products as well such as make-up, shampoo, soap, lotion, etc. So those that have to keep away from gluten not only have to look at ingredients on food labels but other labels as well.

People can vary with how sensitive they are to gluten. There are those who just have to watch how much gluten they eat and those who have to read labels on everything to make sure they don’t get any. For those who have to stay away altogether from gluten it can be challenging and a hard adjustment to make especially at the beginning when you really have to figure out what to look for and to have to stop eating some of those foods that you used to love but that now make you sick to eat.

There are lots of websites out there that talk about what gluten is, what you can and cannot have on a gluten free diet, and even gluten free recipes. I have attached a couple of links to websites that I have found helpful when trying to figure everything out since I myself am gluten free.

http://celiac-disease.com

http://celiac.org

This article was written by Katherine, a contributing writer and employee of The Health Insurance Specialists.

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