What is gluten free?
The term gluten free can be heard and found more frequently in various types of food and during discussions on a healthy diet, but what exactly does it mean? Gluten is a protein composite found in wheat rye and barley and consists of gliadin and glutenin, where glutenin is the most common factor in generating negative reactions by consumers. So how do you maintain a gluten free diet? In the simplest terms it means avoiding all food containing gluten, which most commonly are: wheat, rye and barley products, breaded or floured products and food that is prepared in the same oil as gluten containing products. This still leaves a large selection of food groups available for anyone wishing to follow a gluten free diet such as: fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry, fish, seafood, dairy, beans, nuts and insects!
Why gluten free?
Following a gluten free diet usually has one of two reasons. The first being medical necessity when people experience negative reactions to consuming gluten. The most common conditions being celiac disease where the body identifies gluten a poison and will trigger the immune system to attack it. The trouble with celiac disease is that it can display a wide range of symptoms and sometimes none at all, which makes a diagnose very difficult. Another reason for switching to a gluten free lifestyle is improving an overall healthy lifestyle. Gluten containing products are often linked with weight gain, so cutting out gluten can positively influence weight loss. Furthermore, by denouncing gluten a large portion of unhealthy processed foods become forbidden, hereby significantly lowering the intake of unnatural chemicals commonly found in highly processed foods.
No more gluten
A common issue when people switch to a gluten free diet is that they will also miss out on crucial vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are usually found in grains. Edible insects bring you the best of both worlds! All our frozen insects for human consumption (lesser mealworms, mealworms crickets, grasshoppers) are gluten-free (audited by independent certified laboratories). These insects remain within the set limits of 20 mg/kg. This is the legal limit for products being labeled gluten free by the
European Union (Commission Regulation (EC) No 41/2009).
