What is gluten free?

Answer 1

Gluten free is for the small amount of people that have Celiac Disease, a gluten intolerance, or just do so for the sake of a healthier life style. Gluten is a protein found mainly in wheat, rye, barley, and many other additives and artificial ingredients. This means excluding most artificially processed foods and most likely going to natural organic foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, etc.) Most people notice dramatic changes in there overall health and well being in how they live their life. It can boost energy, help naturally resist illness, and much more if you choose to do so by choice. Some do not have a choice and are forced to follow a much more strict gluten free diet for the rest of their life or it can lead to extreme illness and even death if not treated for long periods of time. There are many gluten free foods being created by great brands and it is known as one of the fastest growing diets in America.
Technically, "Gluten-Free" means that the product in question lacks the grains that contain gluten, which is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Oats don't contain gluten but are generally contaminated by wheat in transport so are avoided by those with gluten intolerance unless they are specifically said to be gluten free.

Legally, in the EU, "Gluten-Free" means the product in question contains less that 20 ppm of gluten, although the definition was recently changed from a previous 200ppm. Companies have until 2012 to comply with the revamped law. In the USA, as of September, 2010, there is no legal standard that a product must meet to call itself gluten free. However, 20 ppm is the proposed definition of 'Gluten-Free' that seems to have the most support.

Some people who are exceptionally sensitive to gluten have anecdotally reacted to less than this amount. To avoid this problem, these folks often look for 'gluten free dedicated line' or 'gluten free dedicated facility' labels.

Contamination of the type that contaminates oats can often be an issue with other foods as well, even those that are naturally gluten free such as nuts or gluten-free grains. If you are trying to avoid gluten, you always want to look out for any mention of "may contain gluten" or "processed in a facility that also processes wheat" on the packaging. Food that are naturally gluten free include (plain) meats, vegetables, fruits, beans, legumes, nuts, rice and corn.

Restaurants and other food services that offer gluten free options have to be very careful not to allow gluten containing foods to contaminate the gluten free meals - as even the tiniest amount of gluten can induce severe symptoms in some gluten intolerant people.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-gluten.htm

Answer 2

Gluten free refers to food that does not contain gluten.