The gluten-free food phenomenon is here. From the aisle of the local supermarket to take-away Thai – gluten is increasingly off the menu.

Here are the facts about gluten.

What is gluten? Gluten is an elastic protein in wheat, rye, barley, triticale (a cross between rye and barley) and oats.

What foods contain gluten? Too many to mention individually! The grains including gluten are used as ingredients in thousands of prepared and packaged foods. In fact, gluten is contained in products in almost every food category (including meat, dairy, fruits and vegetables, cereals, pasta, breads, cakes and biscuits, condiments, snacks and drinks including beer).

Why don’t some people eat gluten? Most people who have been prescribed a gluten-free diet are wheat intolerant or have coeliac disease. Their symptoms include bloating, wind, vomiting and rashes.

But people who suffer from coeliac disease also experience an immune reaction to gluten. The result is inflammation and damage to the lining of the small intestine. If left untreated, coeliac sufferers risk nutritional deficiency, osteoporosis and bowel cancer.  The Coeliac Society of Australia estimates 1 in 100 Australians suffer from the disease but most are unaware they have it.

Why are people unaffected by gluten choosing to go gluten-free? The best guess by nutritionists is that gluten-free or wheat-free has become a fad diet.

But people considering whether to adopt a gluten-free diet without medical justification should keep in mind there are benefits to eating some foods with gluten. For example, wheat bran and oat bran cereals are high in dietary fibre. The fibre can improve cholesterol; reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, some cancers and bowel problems.

What foods are naturally gluten-free? Here is a list of some naturally gluten-free foods:

1.    Fresh, tinned and frozen fruits and vegetables (not sauced).
2.    Unprocessed meat, fish, chicken and bacon.
3.    Full cream milk, low fat milk, soymilk, fresh cream, eggs and block cheese.
4.    Corn flour, soya flour, lentil flour, potato flour, buckwheat, breakfast cereals made from corn and rice (without malt), and rice.
5.    Rice noodles, rice or bean vermicelli, 100% buckwheat noodles and gluten free pasta.
6.    Rice crackers and crisp breads, corn taco shells.
7.    Tomato paste, jam, honey, maple syrup, vinegars (except malt) and tahini.
8.    Plain chips, corn chips, popcorn and plain chocolate.

How can I tell whether packaged or processed food is gluten-free? Read the label. All packaged food must have an ingredients list. Although gluten might not be specifically listed - look out for wheat, rye, barley, triticale and oats.

Did you know gluten-free products can cost up to three times as much as the unmodified version? A 2007 study published in the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics found gluten-free food was 240% more expensive on average.

For further information visit The Coeliac Society of Australia