I AM GLUTEN INTOLERANT. CAN I HAVE GHEE??

source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Butterschmalz-2.jpg

Ghee also known as clarified butter or drawn butter is prepared by heating butter to remove the moisture and straining away the solids that collect at the bottom of the pan. These tiny particles that settle at the bottom mainly consist of milk protein casein.

In gluten intolerance, our body recognizes gluten as a foreign substance and starts producing antibodies against this protein. Casein has a structure similar to that of gluten. The same antibodies that were produced against gluten sometimes mistakenly identify casein for gluten due to the similarity in their structure and start acting against it. This is known as a cross reaction. When in spite of having a strict gluten free diet a person does not report any improvement in his symptoms he is advised to go dairy free as well just to determine if it is a case of cross-reactivity. However, these people can re-introduce dairy in their diet after sometime.

Ghee by nature is gluten free. However, it may contain some amount of casein which may cause cross-reactions in susceptible individuals. In order to be sure that your ghee is casein free as well, do not over cook it. The moment you notice the bottom residue has started turning light brown continue cooking for a minute and switch off the burner. Carefully strain the ghee into another container making sure none of the residues gets inside the container. However, this residue also contains a lot of ghee. Remember not to try to squeeze out the ghee out of this residue. By doing this you may accidentally end up adding casein to your ghee, in spite of all the precautions that you take. The ghee from the residue can be used for other members at home who are not allergic gluten or casein. The casein or the residue left behind should also not be thrown away as it contains protein and can be mixed with a little sugar and given to kids or mixed with flour to make chapattis or paratha.  

IS GLUTEN CAUSING MY HIVES??

Hives also known as Urticaria or Nettle Rash is a sudden onset of raised red or white itchy skin rash that clears away on its own within a few hours or in rare cases in a few days. It usually first develops in the covered areas like thighs, waist, trunk, but can also appear in any other part of the body.
A variety of possible causes, including allergic reactions to certain foods, have been identified as a trigger for urticaria but unfortunately, actual trigger often goes unnoticed.

CAUSES OF HIVES

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• Pollen
• Insect Bites
• Stress
• Exposure to Sunlight
• Certain Medications
• Food Sensitivities

HOW HIVES DEVELOP

When we are stressed or our body comes in contact with something that produces an allergic reaction an inflammatory response in triggered in the body that causes the body cells to release a compound called Histamine. This histamine causes dilation of capillaries or tiny blood vessels which are seen as a rash or swollen area on the skin.

FOOD SENSITIVITY AND HIVES

Food sensitivity is when your body reacts abnormally to certain proteins present in food and produce inflammation anywhere in the body, giving rise to conditions such as Arthritis, Eczema, Asthma, Dermatitis, Psoriasis and Hives depending upon the site where inflammation has occurred.
Basically, two types of proteins have been identified which may be responsible the development of hives. These are:
Gluten: Present in wheat, barley, and oats.
Casein: Present in milk and other dairy items.

GLUTEN AND HIVES

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, oats and is poorly tolerated in some individuals. In fact, it has been found to be one of the major causes of hives or urticaria. A number of studies published in various medical journals like the Lancet, Allergy (4), Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology (1), Paediatric Dermatology (2), etc. have suggested links between gluten sensitivity and hives. In all these studies, patients showed improvement when put on a gluten free diet. However, the exact mechanism on how gluten leads to the development of hives is not yet known and is still under study.

TREATMENT

There are two main aspects of the treatment for hives: 

• Treatment with drugs.
• Avoidance of allergen/trigger.

Treatment with drugs: Antihistamines is usually prescribed for combating the effects of hives. These drugs work by blocking the action of histamine which is involved in Hives. Antihistamine if taken as soon as rash flares up, the rash will fade away faster than it would normally. In the case of recurrent hives, people may have to take this drug o a regular basis to prevent hives from reappearing.

Avoidance of allergen/trigger: If food or any other allergen is believed to be a cause of recurrent hives, one may have to completely avoid that food source or allergen to prevent hives from recurring. In case one is unsure of the cause of hives he may have to avoid all the potential sources that may cause an allergic reaction in that person for sometime to determine if hives disappear and then reintroduce them one by one in small amounts to find out if the rash reappears.


References

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16609761
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20199432
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18447142
• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10505471

GLUTEN FREE POORI

Unlike the traditional poori which is made using a whole wheat flour, this recipe uses a gluten free flour and contains a fair amount of fiber. Since the preparation method involves deep frying, it must be avoided by individuals who are trying to loose weight, diabetics, heart patients, and people with liver problems.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 1


Ingredients

• Gluten Free Flour/ All Purpose Gluten free flour        ½ cup
• Carom Seeds                                                 ¼ tsp
• Salt                                                               ¼ tsp
• Oil                                                                1 tsp + for frying
• Warm water                                                   enough to make stiff dough

Method

• Make firm dough using flour, salt, carom seeds, 1 tsp oil and water.
• Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for 20-30 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 5-6 equal portions and roll out each portion into a poori.
• Heat oil in a kadhai and deep fry the pooris on medium heat till golden brown.
• Drain on an absorbent paper and serve hot.