Who are We?
Gluten Free Awareness League was started by Pittsburgh students for the Pittsburgh community. The club has two main functions: change and support. Gluten Free Awareness League is first and foremost aimed to spread gluten-free awareness in the community. We hope to inform the general public about the severity and reality of Celiac Disease, gluten intolerance, and wheat allergy. GFAL wants to show the public that the media incorrectly portrays gluten-free and too many misconceptions exist. Additionally, we hope to make a change in dining options on-campus and at nearby restaurants. We want to increase the amount of gluten free options that exist while increasing knowledge among food providers about how to prepare 100% contamination-free gluten-free meals!
Our second goal is to be a support group for gluten-free or wheat-free students on campus. (No, you do not have to be gluten-free/wheat-free to join, supporters are welcome too!) Whether by choice or by necessity, we understand that sometimes it is hard to be the only one who can't get dessert or who can't go out to eat with everyone else. More than anything, Gluten Free Awareness League hopes to bring gluten-free/wheat-free students together as a support group for one another. It's nice not to feel alone. Making the change to a gluten-free lifestyle is difficult, but this club is here to help you through it!
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats. Gluten is what makes those grains stick together and stretch when they are made into a dough. So people who eat gluten-free can't eat normal breads, pastas, pizzas, and many other things. Gluten can be tricky. These grains are often used in places you might not normally expect: a thickener in soups and salad dressings, add-in with spices to prevent them from burning, filler in processed meats and other foods. This is what makes gluten-free living so difficult. Gluten hides in many foods, medicines, make-up products, etc. and under many names. Safe foods include fresh fruits, vegetables, and meats that have been prepared in a gluten-free way. Starchy foods that don't have gluten are things such as rice, potatoes, corn, tapioca, and a few others (those are the most commonly used replacements). Since these starches do not contain gluten, when they are used to make food, the food often becomes crumbly or falls apart. A common replacement for gluten in baking is xanthan gum (pronounced like "zanthan gum"). Xanthan gum comes from bacteria coating and is useful as a binding agent or a thickener in gluten-free cooking and baking.
This is just the tip of the iceberg about gluten. For more information, try researching online or come to one of our meetings!
Why be Gluten-Free?
For many people, eating gluten-free is not a choice, it is a necessity. Celiac Disease is a genetic, autoimmune disease. Those who have this disease damage their small intestine when gluten is consumed. Celiac Disease is probably the most common reason why people eat gluten-free. They cannot digest the protein, their body stops absorbing other nutrients properly, and basically reacts with the symptoms of food poisoning (again, this is a very brief overview). This can cause many symptoms, but also long term consequences such as cancer and osteoporosis. An estimated three million Americans have now been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, although 87% of those with Celiac Disease still remain undiagnosed. This can easily be tested with a blood test and a small intestine biopsy.
Celiac Disease is not the only reason to be gluten-free. Gluten Intolerance is another reason why people eat gluten free. The symptoms are similar to Celiac Disease, but there are no long term complications. There is also no way to get tested, so people go on a gluten free challenge where they remove gluten from their diet for about 2-4 weeks and see how their body reacts to it. If there is an improvement in their health, then they are said to be gluten intolerant and remain gluten free.
Additionally, some people have an allergy to wheat. In fact, wheat allergy is among the top 8 most common food allergies in America. As a result, the FDA requires that wheat be listed in the allergen information on all food ingredient lists. However, it is important to remember that gluten-free and wheat-free are like squares and rectangles. Just like every square is a rectangle but not every rectangle is a square, similarly everything gluten-free is wheat-free but everything wheat-free is not necessarily gluten-free.
Other people also eat gluten-free for other medical reasons (anything from Chron's disease to joint pain to mood swings) or simply because they think it is healthier or it is a cool, new thing to do. The last two reasons are simply misconceptions given by media. Eating gluten free is not healthier! Eating lots of rice and potatoes or processed gluten-free foods could actually be less healthy for you because gluten-free starches are no healthier than gluten containing starches and processed gluten-free foods are often even higher in fats in order to make them taste good. However, sticking to fresh fruits, veggies, and home-cooked meats with low-fat sauces is always healthier than eating processed foods, gluten-free or not!