What is gluten? Gluten is a protein found primarily in wheat. (Pixabay)
Gluten is a protein found in some grains, most commonly wheat but also barley, rye and triticale, (a hybrid crop of wheat and rye). Gluten is the component that gives your sourdough structure and stretch.
Gluten can also be an unexpected ingredient, such as in soy sauce, or even cosmetics and lotions. Cross contamination occurs when gluten-containing items come in contact with foods intended to be gluten-free, and can happen to nuts or lentils.
Who follows a gluten-free diet in Canada?
As public health nutrition researchers, we were interested in exploring gluten avoidance in Canada, including determining who avoids gluten and their eating patterns. Using the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), we found that 1.9 per cent of Canadians follow a gluten-free diet.