What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and related cereal grains such as triticale, spelt and kamut. If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, even a small amount of gluten can be harmful. With celiac disease, foods containing gluten are poorly absorbed due to damage to the small intestine. By making the lifelong commitment to strictly follow a gluten-free diet and avoid foods containing wheat, rye, barley, commercial oats and related cereal grains, your small intestine is able to heal.

Gluten is a natural protein found in wheat, barley and rye. It is nutritious, providing healthful protein for the body. However, just as some people are sensitive to strawberries or peanuts, some people (about one in ten adults) react to gluten, too. For them, it is important to avoid gluten-containing foods.

Gluten is a composite protein, made up of the smaller protein molecules gliadin and glutelin, and it’s found in many grains, including wheat, barley, rye, oats, spelt and kamut. These gluten proteins constitute as much as 80 percent of the protein in wheat. Non-grass grains such as corn and rice do not contain these proteins and are not gluten-based foods, despite the fact that they are often categorized this way. So, those who are trying to eliminate gluten are still able to consume rice and corn. Gluten intolerance is caused by incomplete digestion of gliadin proteins.

Gluten is a protein found in wheat that is hard to digest, and it can be very inflammatory. In this video, functional medicine expert Mark Hyman, MD, describes what gluten is and its consistency, and the types of wheat products you can find it in.

Gluten is the primary protein in wheat, rye and barley. This seemingly harmless protein has become one of the top allergens, and many people are sensitive to gluten without realizing it. This wouldn't be problematic if gluten weren't so ubiquitous in processed foods.