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Do you know nutrition: Wheat free, gluten free, what's the difference?

Phylis Canion
  • Originally published September 27, 2011 at midnight, updated September 27, 2011 at midnight

By Phylis Canion

I absolutely love to eat breads but gave them up once I was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Is there a difference between wheat free and gluten free? Are there any other types of breads or flours that I could substitute?

Celiac disease is sensitivity to products that contain gluten, a protein that is found in wheat, as well as rye and barley.

However, if you have a gluten intolerance, it is important to also avoid pizza, pasta, breakfast cereals, pastries, certain sauces and other flour-containing foods. An important note to remember is that a gluten-free product is wheat free, but a wheat-free product is not always gluten free and not all individuals that have a gluten intolerance are intolerant to wheat and vice versa.

To be gluten free requires eliminating more foods than just wheat while wheat free simply means avoiding foods that contain wheat.

The following is a list of gluten-free and wheat-free flours that can be substituted: amaranth flour, arrowroot flour, barley flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, chia flour, corn flour/cornmeal, hemp flour, potato flour, quinoa, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, teff flour and white rice flour. Sprouted grains usually contain no bromide or yeast but still contain gluten.

For those who have a wheat intolerance, but no problem with gluten, sprouted grains are a healthier choice.

What are fava beans? I heard they can help with Parkinson's disease.

Fava beans are one of the oldest domesticated, cultivated legume plants around the world, but the least likely to appear on an American dinner table.

The fava bean is also known as the broad bean, the horse bean, the tic bean and the field bean.

Fava beans are low in calories, fat and cholesterol and high in protein, iron and fiber. The only bean than contains more protein than the fava bean, which contains 22 grams of protein per one cup serving, is the soybean, which contains 29 grams of protein per one cup serving.

Fava beans naturally contain L-dopa, a precursor to the neurotransmitter, dopamine. I recommend eating only approximately two tablespoons daily.

While some individuals claim that eating fava beans have helped them with their Parkinson's disease, others have not noticed a difference.

As always, I would suggest that Parkinson patients consult with their physician prior to including fava beans into their diet.

Phylis B. Canion is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and is a certified nutritional consultant, email her at doc.phyl@yahoo.com. This column is for nutritional information only and is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure.