Celiac Disease May Require Gluten Free Diet

March 13, 2019/in Blog, Nutritional Consultant, Ten Types of Common Diets

Some food grain antigens found in wheat, rye, and barley are thought to create a toxic reaction in those who suffer from celiac disease, gluten intolerance, wheat allergy, and other health problems. Studies have been inconclusive but the gluten intolerance seems based in genetic makeup, especially in people of Northern European descent.

For someone with gluten intolerance, eating foods made with those grains containing gluten, especially wheat, may cause severe gastrointestinal discomfort. Celiac disease commonly requires a gluten-free diet. Read more

A Step-By-Step Gluten-Free Diet You Can Follow

November 30, 2018/in Blog, Gluten-Free, Nutritional Consultant

Starting any new diet can be challenging. However, by taking several small steps at the beginning, and by making sure you have a plan you know you will be able to stick with, getting the ball rolling on a new diet doesn’t have to be impossible by any means. We aren’t saying it will be challenging, but a little research is definitely going to go a long way.

That thought can definitely be applied to a gluten-free diet. The more you learn about the basics of a gluten-free diet, the easier it will be to make necessary changes to how you shop for, prepare, and eat food.

Getting Started On Your Gluten-Free Diet

One of the great misconceptions with a gluten-free diet is that it’s terribly limiting. This isn’t really true. Yes, you have to cut a few things out, but the list isn’t as substantial as some will have you believe. A gluten-free diet can involve many steps. Here are the basics to guide you in the early stages:

Identify the gluten-free groups

Fruits, veggies, many kinds of meat and poultry, many kinds of fish and seafood, dairy, and beans/legumes/nuts are all safe food groups. Obviously, within this range alone, you can begin to see the possibilities.

Learn about grains

There are many, many grains you can actually eat on a gluten-free diet. This can include rice, tapioca, beans, soy, potatoes, and gluten-free oats are just a few.

Learn about the alternatives

There are numerous gluten-free alternatives available these days. An important step in embracing a gluten-free diet is to learn more about those alternatives, and find the ones that are going to appeal to you. Using alternative flours and grains, you should be able to find some appealing possibilities. However, it is important to make sure you’re reading labels carefully, ensuring that you are actually purchasing something that will be gluten-free.

Learn about the things you can’t have, or the things you need to be very careful about: Read the labels carefully for products like soups, sauces, beverages, vitamins, supplements, and medicines.

Find a good 7-day program to get going

A good 7-day gluten-free diet plan is ideal for getting started on the right foot. You can use one of these plans to establish a clear idea of your meals, drinks, and even snacks.

Consult a nutritionist

If you can afford it, consider seeking out the advice of a professional nutritionist. They can help you to fill in the blanks with your new diet.

Gluten-Free Diet – What To Eat In a Day

November 20, 2018/in Blog, Gluten-Free, Nutritional Consultant

Gluten is becoming a new sensation in the world of dieting. Especially when we talk about gluten-free eating, people think this is the new revolution. The problem is that when we hear “gluten-free diet” most of us unconsciously relate it to unnecessary starving and removing some of the most delicious foods from our menu.

Such a diet could be not only as delicious as our previous eating habit, but could bring many other, unknown to now benefits like a healthier lifestyle, more energy during the day and cleansed body.

What to look for in a diet? Most gluten-free foods exclude important substances like Vitamin B12, fiber and niacin. Make sure that when you create your own, personal diet, you include all of those in your menu. Read the labels of the packaged foods carefully. For instance – when buying bread (one of the most common parts of our daily eating), we should be looking for one that has around 70 calories per slice.

Breakfast

For the most important meal of the day you can experiment more than usual. You can include oats cooked in water, 1 cup of raspberries (great supplier of needed vitamins in the morning), almonds and honey. Another recipe you can eat – 1 slice gluten-free bread, 1 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter with one cup unsweetened almond milk. Classics like scrambled eggs (with olive oil of course) should not be overlooked and you can add corn tortilla or avocado.

Lunch

Focus on salads (not only for lunch but mainly here). One of the top salads you can eat is – 2 cups spinach, 2 oz chunk light tuna in water (drained), 1/3 cup canned white beans (rinsed), Half a cup of veggies (cucumber is the obvious choice). Mix them all together and enjoy the healthy life. You can also have – 2 cups mixed greens, 5-6 cherry tomatoes, 4 oz cooked chicken and half a cup of quinoa.

Dinner

Brown rice is a great option here as you can have it with almost everything if it is not enough. You can cooked chicken breast (cooked with olive oil and seasoned with ground cumin, salt and pepper) and again – quinoa.

During the day you might need the feel to recharge the batteries with some snack – boiled eggs are a wonderful option providing you with a lot of protein. Raspberries and almond milk is a combination that you will love as well.

The Basics of a Gluten-Free Diet

November 19, 2018/in Blog, Gluten-Free, Nutritional Consultant

Going gluten-free can be explained with 3 different conditions – you are Coeliac diagnosed, you are gluten sensitive or you just like the new fashion and want to try it. No matter what is the reason behind it, there are strict rules that need to be applied to your gluten-free diet and here is some basic information that can help you. What is forbidden?

If you are certain about your condition and are definitely going gluten-free, most grains should be avoided. That does not mean that you cannot enjoy some of them (quinoa, chia, corn – all naturally gluten-free). What you should avoid when it comes down to grains is wheat, rye, barley. A lot of the delicious everyday foods are naturally gluten-free – you can safely eat eggs, cheese, milk, beans and most importantly fruits and vegetables. If you are not used to some of the gluten-free foods, initially you will experience like your body is missing substantial ingredients but as anything else in life – it is about habits and it takes time to adjust and get used to it.

Be more careful with your drinking beverages.

You would not need to remove a good glass of wine from your menu nor sports drinks and juices. The downside of a gluten-free diet comes with beer. Most beers sold in our supermarkets are containing the protein called gluten and if you are a die hard fan, you would need to be looking for the “gluten-free” label.

Coeliac and gluten sensitivity

The main reason why would someone change their eating habits is health. Getting diagnosed with coeliac could be a life changing event. It is usually surrounded by symptoms like diarrhea, severe rashes but there are many cases when no symptoms were experienced and yet the disease was there. If you are gluten sensitive a change in the meal plan is necessary as well. The gluten-free diet would have to be for life but if you follow it strictly you would still fully enjoy the rest of your healthy life.

Having to change your diet from regular to gluten-free could be a hassle in the beginning but with all the information online, it could start a life altering chain of events. The most important tip that you will get is to read the labels of the foods carefully. Familiarize yourself with the needed gluten information and how to avoid foods containing gluten.

Discover Why the Gluten-free Diet Can Be Very Tricky

November 9, 2017/in Blog, Dieting Advice, Personal Training

Yes, you read that right. The gluten-free diet can be very tricky for the simple fact that gluten can be hiding in many foods and you may not know which foods contain gluten. Following a gluten-free lifestyle is tough enough as it is without gluten playing hide and seek with you.

This article will highlight place where gluten may be hiding so that you can spot it a mile away. Of course, before even going into foods that may contain gluten, you need to be aware of foods that you can and cannot eat.

A general rule of thumb is that most natural foods do not contain gluten. Eggs, meat, poultry, vegetables, seafood, dairy, beans, nuts, legume and fruit do not contain gluten. Feel free to eat these to your heart’s content.

While there are grains that contain gluten, there are many that don’t and are perfectly safe to consume even if you’re gluten intolerant. Rice, soy, yucca, teff, millet, quinoa, tapioca, millet, potato, yucca, cassava, maize and oats (gluten-free) are all safe foods to eat. You do have choices.

Now, let’s look at why you may inadvertently end up getting gluten in your diet. In many cases, it may not even be your fault. Gluten may creep into your diet because of cross-contamination or even deceptive or poor labeling.

For example, in stores that package their gluten-free food, they often use the same preparation area for non-gluten free foods. Some crumbs from the bakery section may find their way into the cut fruit packages if a common preparation is used.

Even at home, one family member might use a knife on the whole-wheat bread and leave crumbs in the butter. The gluten intolerant person may get these crumbs into their body without even realizing it. So, separate containers will be required.

Another matter that you may totally have no control over is for processed foods. Even with products such as canned fruit or vegetables, the manufacturing line may be processing gluten containing foods too. There is a very real possibility of cross-contamination despite what the labels say.

In cases like these, you may have to contact the manufacturer and get reassurance that their product line is solely dedicated to gluten-free products. This is a hassle but it is a necessary inconvenience, especially for those who have celiac disease.

Living on a gluten-free diet is a lifelong challenge. There is no easier way to say it.

You need to be aware of foods that contain gluten. Like mentioned earlier, natural foods such as meat do not contain gluten. However, processed meats such as sausages, meatballs and ground meats may use wheat-based filler. Now you have a meat that contains gluten.

Sauces, gravies and marinades may contain gluten too. That dollop of tomato sauce you just added to your plate may have gluten flour in it. That bag of potato chips may be seasoned with ingredients that contain wheat starch.

So, you need to be alert all the time. You need to research and exercise due diligence in getting as well-informed as you can. Ultimately, this will help you make the best choices when deciding if the food you plan to eat is something you should be eating. Forewarned is forearmed.

Goin’ All Veggies – A Guide to Becoming a Vegetarian (Free Download)

5 Gluten-free Diet Mistakes You MUST Avoid

November 8, 2017/in Blog, Dieting Advice, Personal Training

The gluten-free diet is an extremely strict diet. Unlike most other diets which have a certain degree of laxity, the gluten-free diet does not have that luxury. Most of the people on the gluten-free diet are gluten intolerant.

Even a small amount of gluten in their diet will cause symptoms such as headaches, lethargy, rashes, mood swings, inflammation, etc. None of these are worth writing home about and should be avoided.

They can be avoided if gluten is avoided. Yet, many people make mistakes and let gluten creep into their diet, either through ignorance or a lack of will-power. This article will highlight 5 of the most common mistakes that are made and how you should avoid them.

The first mistake that most people make is to think that products that do not list gluten as an ingredient are automatically gluten-free. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Gluten creeps into many products indirectly and you can never be 100 percent sure unless you check.

Gluten is used as a stabilizing agent in many commercial food products. Yet, since it is an agent and not a “food ingredient”, in many cases, it is not mentioned on the label.

Even healthy foods such as vitamins and supplements have been found to contain gluten.

To make matters worse, gluten need to not necessarily come in the form of food. Soaps, creams, shampoos, lipsticks, deodorants, hair sprays and other beauty products may contain gluten because of the wheat germ oil that is often used in the manufacture of these products.

Cross-contamination can happen at any time. Toasting gluten-free bread in a toaster that was used to toast normal bread will cause cross-contamination. You need to be watchful of the way your food is being handled and prepared. Cross-contamination often occurs in a household where one person is gluten intolerant and the rest are not.

Even the most well-meaning family members may make a mistake because it’s always the small things that matter. The devil is in the details. By double dipping a bread knife in butter, they may have inadvertently left tiny gluten containing crumbs in the butter. This is a very common example.

It always goes down first before it comes up. You must remember this. What does this mean? It means that when you first start the gluten-free diet, your body will react negatively. You will not feel good. You may feel sick. You may even suffer withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

You will be very tempted to throw in the towel and give up on the diet. Don’t do that. You will recover from these negative effects. Your body needs to adapt and re-adjust to the new diet.

You should recover in a few days and will come out feeling stronger, healthier and a whole brand new you. You will also notice many pre-existing conditions slowly dissipate and disappear.

Another mistake that many people make is going gluten-free but not adopting a healthy, well-rounded diet. Remember, the gluten-free diet only has one rule. Avoid gluten. It doesn’t concern itself with micro and macro nutrients. You however, need to watch your diet.

You want to ensure that you are getting sufficient protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals… while remaining gluten-free.

Don’t believe everything you read, especially food labels. There are major food companies that proudly display the words “Gluten-free” on their product. In reality, due to legal loopholes, products containing 20 parts per million gluten are referred to as gluten-free. This is the harsh reality of the world today where the dollar is more important than the consumer’s health.

Therefore, the onus is on you to make sure the food you eat really is gluten-free. Keep a food journal and record down how you are feeling that day. Over time, you will notice patterns emerging and it will be easy to see what is affecting you. Then, you just need to tweak your diet.

It will take time to achieve a completely gluten-free life. This will be a challenge but rest assured that it is achievable and worth the struggle.

Your Guide To Vegan Cooking ~FREE DOWNLOAD~

What are the Pros and Cons of a Gluten-free Diet?

November 6, 2017/in Blog, Eating 101, Personal Training

There are two sides to every coin and nothing is perfect for everybody. The same applies for the gluten-free diet. It is extremely beneficial for those who are gluten intolerant. However, there are downsides to it too.

This article will examine both the pros and cons of a gluten-free diet. It goes without saying that if you are gluten intolerant, you really have no choice but to avoid gluten. The weighing of positives and negatives are for the fence sitters who usually tend to think about going on a gluten-free diet for health benefits.

You’re probably able to handle gluten and you’re wondering if you should make the switch to a gluten-free lifestyle. If that is the case, do read on.

It may seem that going gluten-free seems to be all the rage these days just like how the paleo diet’s popularity has skyrocketed. However, the gluten-free diet is the result of Celiac disease. This autoimmune disorder affects millions and has serious health implications. Sufferers really need to avoid gluten foods just to stay healthy.

It’s not a trend but an essential lifestyle change to cope with the negative effects of gluten intolerance.

So, what is gluten?

Basically, it’s a protein found in wheat. This protein is made up of glutenin and gliadin. Most flours contain glutenin and this is one reason it is so difficult to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle. Most commercially sold foods such as breads, pastries, sauces, etc. contain gluten or wheat based additives.

When a gluten intolerant person consumes gluten foods, the villi, which line the small intestine gets destroyed. This hampers and impedes the body from absorbing nutrients into the blood stream via the small intestines. The end result is a sick person who is nutrient deficient.

So the big question is, should you adopt a gluten-free diet?

If you’re gluten sensitive, the answer in a categorical YES!

If you’re not gluten sensitive, then the answer is no. You do not need to adopt a gluten-free lifestyle. It is unnecessary hassle and serves no health benefits. You would be better off with the paleo or Mediterranean diets which are far superior.

The pros of the gluten-free diet only apply to those who are sensitive or intolerant to gluten. They will be able to reduce or make most of their negative health symptoms disappear. Inflammation, headaches, lethargy, etc. all fade and disappear once they go on a gluten-free diet.

The downside to the diet is that it requires immense preparation and you need to be well-informed. You’ll need to find gluten-free substitutes for the usual foods you eat. Gluten also tends to creep in through cross-contamination or it is hidden in certain foods such as sauces, etc.

You will constantly need to be alert and investigate how the food is manufactured. This is really too much work for someone who is not gluten sensitive. Gluten-free foods are not necessarily healthier. They contain fats and calories too. You can gain weight and be unhealthy on a gluten-free diet. Gluten-free foods also tend to be more costly.

The gluten-free lifestyle is a solution for sufferers. It is not a health trend that should be adopted if you’re not affected by gluten. You can be healthy by eating wholesome foods in moderation and incorporating an effective exercise regimen in your life. It’ll be easier and way more fun.