Kefir Kommunity

Gluten is a protein found primarily in wheat, rye, and barley (and any food containing those ingredients), as well as certain medicines, vitamins, and lip balms. Some people have an intolerance to gluten; when people with celiac disease eat foods or use products containing gluten, for them, their immune system responds to these foods by damaging or destroying parts of the small intestines, inhibiting the absorption of nutrients.

Although the symptoms vary widely from person to person, they typically include abdominal bloating and pain, chronic diarrhea, constipation, weight loss, fatigue, bone or joint pain, depression or anxiety and infertility or recurrent miscarriage. A recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine. estimated that more than 2 million Americans -- about 1 in 133 people - have celiac disease.

Clearly, the number one step someone with celiac disease should take is to avoid gluten. That means all foods made from many grains, including wheat (farina, graham flour, semolina and durum), barley and rye. As you can imagine, this can seem incredibly daunting considering how many breads, cereals, crackers, pasta, cookies and cakes. gravies and sauces are made with wheat, barley or rye.

The good news is, the market for gluten-free products has exploded, and shelves are bursting with products that are naturally gluten-free (such as rice, amaranth, buckwheat and quinoa), or have been specially formulated without gluten, such as specialty breads, pastas, flours and more. (You should always check the label for the words “gluten-free,” though, because cross-contamination by other grains can occur during harvesting and processing.)

And the following foods are still acceptable: Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded or marinated), most dairy products, fruits and vegetables, rice, corn, soy and potatoes.

Happily, all Lifeway Kefir products (with the exception of Green Kefir) are 100%  gluten-free.  That means our kefir is not only safe for celiacs, but the dozen live and active probiotic cultures may help alleviate the severity of celiac disease for some patients. This may be due to the antiinflammatory properties of probiotics.

In the original post, we mentioned two dessert recipes for celiac sufferers. A reader alerted us that the flour suggested contains wheat, which celiac sufferers cannot tolerate. We regret the error.