ELI5: What is gluten?

Gluten is a sticky protein found in wheat, barley, and rye that helps food like bread hold its shape.

Imagine you're making playdough. You need flour and water, right? Gluten is like the sticky stuff in the flour that makes the playdough stretchy and keeps it from falling apart. It's what makes bread chewy and gives pizza dough its elasticity.

• Wheat, barley, and rye are types of grains, like rice or corn. Gluten is naturally found in these grains.
• Foods made with these grains, such as bread, pasta, cereal, and many baked goods, contain gluten.

• Some people have Celiac disease, which means their body sees gluten as a bad guy and attacks it! This can make them very sick.
• Other people have gluten sensitivity, meaning that even though their body doesn't attack gluten, it still makes them feel unwell, like having a tummy ache or feeling tired.