Gluten-free diet Gluten-free diet A gluten-free diet (GFD) is a diet that strictly excludes gluten, a mixture of proteins found in wheat and related grains, including barley, rye, oat, and all their species and hybrids (such as spelt, kamut, and triticale). The inclusion of oats in a gluten-free diet remains controversial, and may depend on the oat cultivar and the frequent cross-contamination with other gluten-containing cereals. Gluten causes health problems for those with gluten-related disorders, including coeliac disease (CD), non-coeliac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), gluten ataxia, dermatitis herpetiformis (DH), and wheat allergy. In these people, the gluten-free diet is demonstrated as an effective
Wheat gluten (food) imported to the West in 1969 by the American company Erewhon. Wheat gluten is also called seitan (, ; Japanese: セイタン), mianjin (Chinese: 麵筋), milgogi(Korean: 밀고기), wheat meat, gluten meat, or simply gluten. Wheat gluten, called "miàn jīn" in Chinese (traditional: , simplified: , literally "dough tendon"; also spelled "mien chin" or "mien ching") is believed to have originated in ancient China, as a meat substitute for adherents of Buddhism, particularly some Mahayana Buddhist monks, who are strict vegetarians (see Buddhist cuisine). One story attributes the invention of imitation meat to chefs who made it for Chinese emperors who, traditionally,