Overview: Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet
By Carol Ann Brannon, MS, RD, LD
What is the Gluten-Free Casein-Free (GFCF) diet? The GFCF diet excludes all foods that contain the proteins gluten and casein. Gluten and casein are dietary proteins. Gluten is found in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats, while casein is found in dairy foods and beverages. For many children and adults these unique dietary proteins are either difficult to properly breakdown and metabolize or these proteins elicit an allergic reaction. Children and adults that are most likely to benefit from the GFCF diet are those with one or more of these conditions: Celiac Sprue disease; wheat and milk allergies or intolerances; Autism Spectrum Disorder; and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In addition, a growing number of people are eliminating wheat from their diet in hopes of reducing their frequent headaches, lethargy, and diarrhea. This article will provide a brief overview of gluten and casein and a general outline of the GFCF diet.
Gluten and Grains: A whole grain kernel has three parts, the bran (outer layer or covering); endosperm (middle portion), and the germ (smallest innermost part). The bran layer contains fiber and phytochemicals, which are substances that offer disease protection and promote wellness. The endosperm is the starchy portion, while the germ is rich in vitamins and minerals. When grains are refined the bran and wheat germ are removed, but the endosperm remains intact.
Gluten is an insoluble protein located in the endosperm of wheat (all varieties including durum, einkom, emmer, faro, kamut, and spelt), barley, rye (including triticale that is a hybrid of rye and wheat), and certain n oats. About 80 percent of the protein in a wheat kernel is gluten. Proteins are large, complex chemical structures consisting of long chains of amino acids, the smallest “building blocks” of proteins and peptides, which are short chains of amino acids. Wheat gluten is distinct because it contains the peptide gliadin, while barley gluten contains the peptide hordein. Rye gluten contains the peptide secalini and avenin is the peptide found in oats. These peptides, gliadin, horedin, secalin, and avenin can be potentially harmful to the digestive tract and health of selected children and adults who cannot properly breakdown proteins and peptides to amino acids. The most potentially harmful peptide is gliadin, followed by hordein in barley, then secalin in rye and lastly avenin in oats. The Celiac Sprue Association - USA coined the acronym "WBRO" to highlight the order of potential toxicity of these grains for persons with celiac disease: Wheat, Barley, Rye, and Oats.
A Note about Oats: For more than 20 years the appropriateness of oats in a gluten-free diet has been debated and discussed. The scientific evidence regarding the safety of consuming oats for children and adults with celiac disease is inconclusive and inconsistent. Some children and adults with celiac disease may be able to tolerate a trace amount of gluten in commercially prepared oats, while others may not be able to tolerate even trace amount. Commercially prepared oats are not gluten-free due to cross-contamination with wheat and other gluten-containing grains in processing. The Celiac Sprue Association recommends excluding oats to ensure no adverse reactions. Of course, each individual must decide for themselves whether to include oats or not.
Casein and Dairy Foods: Casein is one of the major proteins in the milk of all mammals including cows, goats, and humans. Therefore, food sources of casein include all dairy foods and beverages and foods containing derivatives of milk including whey protein. Like gluten, casein is composed of peptides that when properly digested break down into amino acids.
Summary: Excluding foods containing gluten and casein from one’s diet is not easy; however, as the number of children and adults adhering to a GFCF diet has increased so has the number of GFCF foods in the supermarket. Amaranth, buckwheat, corn, millet, quinoa, all varieties of rice, potatoes (white and sweet) are gluten-free grains, cereals, and starches that are available in most supermarkets today. A variety of alternative casein-free milks are available including soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk. However, the protein and calcium content of plant-based and casein-free milks vary significantly from cow’s milk. Thus, careful diet planning needs to be done to ensure adequate intake of protein and calcium. Perhaps the best approach is to focus on the foods that are allowed, rather than foods not allowed (See chart below for foods allowed).
| Grains/Cereals/Starches | Amaranth Buckwheat Corn Millet Quinoa Rice (All varieties) Potatoes, White and Sweet Gluten-Free Oats |
| Protein | Eggs Beef, Chicken, Lamb, Turkey, Fish, Shellfish |
| Fruits/Vegetables | **All |
| Casein-Free Beverages | **Soy milk Rice milk Almond milk otato based milk) |
| Legumes, Nuts, Seeds, Oils | **All |
*This is not an exhaustive list. **Unless allergic to a specific food
References and Resources for this Article:
Books:
Bock, K and Stauth, C. Healing the New Childhood Epidemics Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies, The Random House Publishing Group, 2007.
Case, S. Gluten-Free Diet A Comprehensive Resource Guide, Publisher: Case Nutrition Consulting, 2006. HYPERLINK "http://www.glutenfreediet.ca" www.glutenfreediet.ca
McCandess, J. Children with Starving Brains – A Medical Treatment Guide for Autism Spectrum Disorder 2nd ed, 2003
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