The gluten-free basic food basket: a problem of availability, cost and nutritional composition

Abstract

The basic food basket (BFB), formed by the more economical products available, is used by less-affluent countries to establish the minimum daily food consumption to satisfy nutritional requirements in less-privileged individuals. There is no information about groups that depend on the BFB and in addition follow gluten-free diet (GF/BFB). We measured availability, cost, main ingredients and nutritional composition of GF/BFB. Data were collected in the area that was first in the social priority list in the capital city, matching BFB components with gluten-free equivalents (GF/BFB). GF/BFB characterized by being 42% less available, three times more costly (>500% higher for bread), with up to 69% lower protein content and with no fortifications, leaving at nutritional risk celiac individuals that depend on GF/BFB. Results raise concerns on the capacity of the GF/BFB to encourage adherence, maintain adequate nutritional status and quality of life in celiac patients.

Calidad de vida en adultos del Paraguay con enfermedad celiaca

“…No obstante, revisiones actuales no pueden establecer si la DSG mejora o no la CVRS debido a que existen múltiples factores que hacen a esta dieta difícil de llevarse: costos, accesibilidad, palatabilidad, etcétera 24,26 . Un estudio realizado en 2016 en Chile demostró que los alimentos sin gluten están menos disponibles, son tres veces más costosos y contienen menos proteínas y vitaminas 27 . Se desconoce esta situación y su implicancia en la CVRS en Paraguay, donde los alimentos derivados del maíz y mandioca, de fácil acceso, forman parte del acervo cultural.…”

La Dieta Sin Gluten Y Los Alimentos Libres De Gluten

“…En un segundo estudio evaluamos la Canasta Básica Familiar Sin Gluten (CBF/SG) (35). El concepto CBF es usado en nuestro país para establecer el consumo mínimo de alimentos que deben mantener cada integrante de una familia que en promedio está formada por 4 miembros, para cubrir los requerimientos nutricionales.…”

Are Gluten-Free Foods Just for Patients with a Gluten-Related Disease?

“…Coinciding with them, Estevez et al [35] found, when analysing the basic basket of glutenfree products available in Chile, that regular wheat-based foods like biscuits and noodles contain 50% more ibre than their gluten-free equivalents, which also contain 24% less protein, on average. In addition, dairy products, like gluten-free cheese and yogurts, can have up to 52.4% more sodium than the regular ones.…”

“…Due to the technological diiculty for obtaining high-quality gluten-free products and to their lower market demand than their conventional food counterparts, they can be up to 300% more expensive [35]. Therefore, an option for people with gluten-related disorders is the home preparation of foods from unprocessed sources to devise a balanced gluten-free diet.…”

“…It is because wheat lours are fortiied with vitamins and minerals in several countries; hence, alternative lours for gluten-free foods should be also fortiied. Despite this, most of the gluten-free products commercially available are not fortiied, and those already fortiied premium products are not widely available and have higher costs that are not accessible to the majority of consumers [35].…”