“I’ve only been gluten free for a week, but I’m already really annoying,” declares the cartoon caption from a recent New Yorker magazine.
Almost as trendy as eating gluten free is the trend of writing about how gluten free diets aren’t healthy. And the gluten free bandwagon certainly has been taking a beating lately in the mainstream media.
Just last week as part of its How We Eat series, even the Wall Street Journal featured an article on the gluten free craze, questioning whether it is healthy.
Well, for the 3 million Americans with celiac disease (about 1 in 100 citizens), a gluten free lifestyle is the only therapeutic option out there for beating this autoimmune disease.
But going gluten free doesn’t mean you have to ditch all of the great grains that make up a nutritious diet.
Here are 5 great grains that you might not have known are gluten free:
1.) Corn
Whole, dried corn is a whole grain and the most widely grown crop in the Americas. Research from Cornell shows that corn has the highest amount of antioxidants of any fruits or vegetable.
2.) Brown Rice
When it comes to rice, brown is better. One study from the Harvard School of Public Health showed that people who ate white rice had a higher risk of type 2 diabetes than people who ate brown rice.
3.) Oats
Oats are gluten free, but they are often contaminated with wheat during growing or processing. Look for oat products that contain pure, uncontaminated oats and that are in foods certified as gluten free.
4.) Quinoa
Technically a seed, this superfood is high in protein and fiber, and its flour makes a great base for gluten free pizzas, breads, and rolls.
5.) Buckwheat
This high fiber rain can be made into pancakes, waffles, and crepes. It has been shown to act as a prebiotic, meaning that it also has the potential to aid in digestion for certain people.