Researchers Create Genetically-Modified Gluten-Free Wheat

If you have a gluten sensitivity, gluten allergy, or diagnosed Celiac disease, avoiding gluten in your diet is practically a full-time job.

A surprisingly large number of foods contain gluten that you might not expect, like sauces, chips, canned soup, candy, ice cream, and deli-cooked chicken. It's one reason you have to be extra vigilant about reading food labels.

But what about bread, cereal, and other baked foods made with flour that typically contains gluten found in barley, wheat, and rye? These are foods anyone who has a problem with gluten should avoid.

And while there are gluten-free alternatives made with grains other than barley, wheat, and rye, the foods don't always taste the same…until now.

At the Institute for Sustainable Agriculture in Cordoba, Spain, a team of researchers have created a genetically-modified strain of wheat that doesn't produce the typical adverse effects of gluten for people with a sensitivity or allergy like diarrhea, vomiting, gastrointestinal distress, and other health problems.

And while this GMO gluten-free wheat still has trace amounts of gluten, it's such a small amount that it appears most people with gluten issues can tolerate it without any adverse health problems, says lead researcher Jan Chojecki of PBL-Ventures, who hopes to market this product in the U.S. in the form of baguettes and bread rolls.

Small clinical trials of 10 to 20 people using this form of gluten-free wheat are currently underway in Mexico and Spain, and the results appear to be promising. But it's going to be a while before, gluten-free wheat products are available in stores.

Until then, you'll have to stay vigilant about watching your diet to avoid foods that contain gluten. Fortunately, there's lots of healthy and delicious food you can eat even if you are on a gluten-free diet. Just check out the selection of Gluten-Free meals all made from fresh ingredients and only take minutes to prepare in the microwave.