Gluten Free Beer
New York-based Ramapo Valley Brewery manufactures gluten-free beer. The beer does away with barley and wheat, and instead is fermented with honey and Kosher-certified yeast. The gold-tinted kosher for Passover Honey Beer doesn't taste sweet, but it does possess a honey aftertaste. Though the brew uses hops --- the dry, ripe cones that gives beer its bitter taste --- Guinness beer fans are sure to find it leaves something to be desired.
So the stuff may not be up to snuff for hardcore beer enthusiasts, but when you want a beer and your only other choice is a glass of wine, you take what you can get. Gluten-free beer is the least of the worries for people with celiac disease, which is characterized by gluten intolerance. People must eliminate obvious foods like bread, noodles and cereals, in addition to reading the labels of soups, dressing and processed foods. No wheat, rye or barley --- not a crumb. It's not like some other diets, like diabetic diets, where there is some leeway.
Ingesting gluten triggers an autoimmune reaction in people with the disorder, which destroys the villi in the small intestine. Villi are small, finger-like projections that absorb nutrients. When people with celiac disease eat gluten, some may show little or no external symptoms, while others will experience bloating, headaches or fainting episodes. Sometimes the effects can be extreme. People with the disease are more likely to develop osteoporosis and suffer damage to the nervous system and internal organs. Left untreated, celiac disease can be fatal.
