Experts summarize the statistics with horror: 18% of women in our country are overweight, and obesity is increasingly common in children and adolescents. Ignoring this problem will lead to irreparable consequences, as excess weight is the main cause of many serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, varicose veins and pathologies of the cardiovascular system.
The problem of obesity needs to be addressed. Specialists have developed special methods based on proper nutrition, exclusion of certain foods, physical activity and medication. Some of them provide stable weight loss without harming health, while others, on the contrary, can cause an exacerbation of chronic diseases, new health problems and pathologies.
A relatively new approach to weight loss is the gluten-free and dairy-free diet. What is it? How safe is it for the body? How does that affect you? Let's take a look at this article.
what is gluten
Gluten or gluten (from the Latin Gluten - cola) is a special protein found in seeds and cereals. Especially a lot in wheat, rye, barley.
Gluten in its pure form is a dry white powder with no taste, color or smell. But when water is added, it turns into a sticky, jelly-like mass. Due to this, the dough rises during cooking, it becomes elastic. The more gluten in the flour composition, the better, the more magnificent cooking will be.
Gluten is found in many foods. Let's take a look at the top foods that contain gluten:
| Contains gluten | Has "hidden" gluten |
|---|---|
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Hidden gluten are damaged and altered gluten molecules resulting from processing.
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It is necessary to carefully study the composition of products, but you cannot always trust the label "gluten-free". It all depends on the honesty of the manufacturer.
What is Dangerous and Why Gluten is Necessary
Gluten-free nutrition was developed specifically for patients suffering from celiac disease - an autoimmune disease in which the natural functions of the intestine and peristalsis are disturbed. This disease occurs in one person in every hundred. With such a pathology, gluten is not recognized by the patient's immune system, and the body throws all its strength into fighting it. But the problem is that the structure of the gluten protein is similar to the cells of the thyroid and pancreatic glands, some tissues. As a result, the body starts to destroy itself. This is the main disadvantage of a high-gluten diet for both a sick person and a healthy person.
But it should be understood that such symptoms are inherent in people with celiac disease or who suffer from individual gluten intolerance. In all other cases, the question of whether or not a special diet is necessary should be decided individually with a weight loss specialist.
The essence of a gluten-free diet
A special diet based on the introduction of gluten-free products has its own principles, characteristics, rules:
- Gluten-free products help improve digestion, peristalsis and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. That's why they are the basis of nutrition. By now, you can find a huge number of these products on the market, there is even gluten-free alcohol;
- diet meals are prepared with a minimum amount of oil, it is advisable to use a grill or a special frying pan that does not require the addition of fat;
- Gluten-free foods should be the basis of the diet. Based on the list of allowed and prohibited foods, you can make a menu yourself or use a ready-made one. On the Internet you can find recipes for main dishes, snacks.
This diet will benefit patients with celiac disease as well as people with symptoms of allergies or individual intolerance. In all other cases, it can, on the contrary, be harmful. The thoughtless exclusion of foods from the diet can cause a lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Therefore, for weight loss, it is best to use a time-tested technique based on proper nutrition, changing eating habits, and psychotherapy. Only such an approach will protect the patient from breakdowns, depression, other disorders of the psycho-emotional state and health and avoid negative consequences.
Who is a gluten-free diet for?
Special diets and a gluten-free diet should be prescribed by a weight loss specialist. It is usually prescribed for the following diseases:
- celiac disease;
- autism;
- hyper excitability;
- nervous system disorders: schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, etc. ;
- skin and dermatological diseases, especially psoriasis, vitiligo;
- frequent migraines;
- autoimmune hepatitis;
- diabetes;
- atherosclerosis;
- obesity.
If the patient does not have any of the diseases listed, it is better to use other weight loss methods. One option is to go to a good weight loss clinic. It uses a special integrated approach that combines the principles of proper nutrition and psychotherapy. Specialists teach the patient to distinguish between "good and bad" products, to independently compose a menu, to be able to deal with life's problems, not to take advantage of stress, fatigue. They are able to accurately determine the causes of a set of extra pounds and get rid of them. This method is officially recognized by the world scientific community, it is considered the most ideal, safe for health.
Gluten free diet rules
A gluten-free diet will bring certain results, but only with strict adherence to the rules. The main one is the complete rejection of products containing gluten, the list of which is presented above. Nutrition will not be effective if you indulge yourself, deviate from the intended scheme. And this is a strong psychological pressure, which is almost impossible to deal with on your own, as a result - meltdowns, depression, stress.
The gluten-free diet has a special menu for the week. It must be compiled by an expert, taking into account the body's needs for all necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals, including meat products, chicken eggs, vegetables, fruits, cereals.
List of allowed products
A gluten-free diet includes the following foods in the diet:
- fresh and frozen vegetables, berries, some fruits;
- natural meat, poultry, fish;
- natural dairy products without sweeteners, stabilizers, starch;
- natural vinegar: apple, wine, rice;
- homemade sauces without the addition of flour, starch, gluten, cereals;
- tea, coffee without flavoring additives;
- legumes;
- natural soy sauce;
- chicken eggs.
The main thing is to carefully study the composition of products purchased in stores. This is especially true for dairy products, canned meat and fish. They often contain hidden gluten, such as corn or wheat starch.
Week menu
The gluten-free diet has a special menu for the week. It is based on a list of allowed foods, with the need to reduce or completely eliminate "prohibited" foods. But such nutrition is prescribed for gluten intolerance or allergic reaction to it. For weight loss, it can be ineffective: it is often difficult for a person to refuse favorite foods without any pronounced reasons, which leads to breakdowns, psycho-emotional disorders. That's why weight loss experts recommend not experimenting on your body, but seeking expert help. Leave the menu of the week for celiac patients.
Recommendations for children
Research shows that a gluten-free and lactose-free first meal formula is ideal because it's light and doesn't put a strain on the body and gastrointestinal tract. This will help the baby adapt to new foods, gradually switching to a different diet.
The list of products for children differs little from that for an adult, it contains all the same elements: soups and broths of meat or fish, gluten-free cereals, lean meats, chicken eggs, fruits and vegetables, vegetable oils.
Gluten-free diet for celiac disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and intestines. There is usually a genetic predisposition to this. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of this disease:
- swelling;
- pain;
- diarrhea;
- foamy stools with an unpleasant odor;
- a marked decrease or increase in weight;
- the appearance of a rash on the skin;
- headache;
- weakening of the immune system.
For these patients, a special diet was developed. It has the following basic rules and principles:
- Gluten-free nutrition, complete exclusion of prohibited foods.
- The diet should consist of animal proteins, vegetables and fruits, gluten-free cereals, herbs, spices, spices, nuts.
- Such a diet provides for lifelong observance. This is the only key to maintaining health, well-being.
- A gluten-free menu for a week should be balanced, taking into account the body's needs for vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Patients should regularly undergo a clinical examination, be observed by a physician.
Gluten-free dishes are best steamed with no oil added. It is also recommended to introduce the principles of fractional nutrition: reduce the volume of portions, but increase the number of meals to 5-6 (breakfast, lunch, dinner and some snacks).
Weekly gluten-free diet menu
Nutrition in such a diet should be fractionated, about 5-6 times a day: three main meals and two or three snacks. The standard "rule of thumb" also applies here: half should be stuffed with vegetables, the other half with meat and complex carbohydrates. Such a diet will provide the body with nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Gluten-free meals can be suitable for the whole family and, when prepared correctly, do not differ from the usual ones in taste. The main thing is to use only approved products.
The menu below is an example. It can be adjusted to suit individual preferences, allergies or intolerances.
Monday
- Breakfast: a portion of rice porridge cooked in milk, you can add some fresh fruit.
- Lunch: Gluten-free bread sandwich with butter, fresh unflavored tea.
- Lunch: Vegetable soup with low-fat broccoli and cheese, chicken and potatoes, vegetable salad.
- Afternoon snack: fruit salad with gluten-free yogurt.
- Dinner: wheat porridge with walnuts or boiled vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with honey or sugar, fruit.
- Lunch: rice or any cereal bread, tea.
- Lunch: chicken soup with vegetables, salad.
- Afternoon snack: yogurt with gluten-free diet cookies.
- Dinner: Cottage cheese casserole, topped off with any fruit.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: scrambled or boiled eggs, cheese sandwich.
- Lunch: a handful of dried fruit, tea.
- Lunch: any soup with the addition of fresh herbs, chicken with buckwheat garnish.
- Snack: syrniki in rice flour with honey and berries.
- Dinner: chicken roasted in foil with vegetables.
Thursday
- Breakfast: special corn flakes (must be gluten free) with added milk, kefir or yogurt.
- Lunch: two boiled eggs, tea.
- Lunch: borscht, chicken meat and vegetable salad.
- Afternoon snack: a serving of berries or a fruit drink from them, diet cookies.
- Dinner: meatballs, buckwheat porridge.
Friday
- Breakfast: Gluten-free cookies with honey.
- Lunch: a glass of kefir or yogurt and crackers.
- Lunch: chicken cutlets with rice, vegetable salad.
- Snack: a portion of any nut, any fruit.
- Dinner: fish stew with vegetables, mushrooms.
Saturday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with honey and fruit.
- Lunch: Carrot salad topped with slices of cheese and a handful of walnuts.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with lentils, chicken stew with vegetable salad.
- Afternoon snack: tea with gluten-free biscuit, any fruit.
- Dinner: Potato pancakes, but rice flour should be used instead of wheat flour.
Sunday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs with vegetables.
- Lunch: A sandwich made with gluten-free bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese or a seasoned chicken fillet.
- Lunch: fish soup, chicken chops with rice, any vegetables.
- Snack: a small portion of nuts (20-30 grams), any fruit
- Dinner: fish stew with vegetables.
Gluten free diet to lose weight
If you need to lose weight on this diet, it is also recommended to count the number of calories consumed and expended, the proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates:
- you need to calculate your daily calorie intake using one of the formulas below and subtract 10-15% from it - that's exactly how much it takes to lose weight: formula for men: 66 + (13. 7 x weight in kg) + ( 5 x height in cm) - (6. 8 x age); formula for women: 655 + (9. 6 x weight in kg) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age);
- the norm of protein is approximately 1. 5-2 grams per kilogram of body weight;
- fats - 0. 7-1 grams per kilogram;
- carbohydrates - 1-2 grams.
For the calculation, you can use an online calculator, a smartphone app or special tables.
Changing the diet in a healthy way without psychotherapy is almost impossible. After all, only something fundamental, stable, can be considered a genuine change, not a random, temporary deviation. Well, more reliable than personal principles, beliefs, ideas - humanity hasn't created anything yet.
A nutritionist's opinion
The gluten-free industry has grown exponentially in the last five years. An increasing number of people are looking to follow a gluten-free diet to improve health conditions, including weight loss. Let's try to find out what gluten is and what you eat it with.
Gluten is a special type of plant protein that is also often referred to as gluten. It is found as a natural component of some cereals in wheat, rye and barley. Regarding oats, the opinions of experts differ, some highlight it as a possible source of gluten, others do not. Gluten can also be artificially added to other products - bread, ice cream, sauces like ketchup, kvass (as a result of fermentation in grains or bread) as a natural thickener. On its own, it is safe for a healthy person, but it plays a major negative role when a person has a condition like celiac disease.
Celiac disease is a congenital genetic disorder of gluten intolerance. If a sick person's diet contains it, immune cells begin to attack the villi of the small intestine, where the so-called parietal digestion takes place. In this case, inflammation begins, nutrient absorption is disturbed, and symptoms of the disease appear. Clinical symptoms are extremely diverse, including up to 300 symptoms, the main ones being diarrhea, vomiting, mouth ulcers, weakness, iron deficiency anemia and many others. The prevalence of celiac disease in different populations is 0. 5-1% of the population.
If a person has celiac disease, the intake of foods with gluten is accompanied by the development of the clinical picture of the disease. These products mainly include foods made with or based on wheat, rye and barley - cereals, bakery products and pasta based on traditional flour; sweets - chocolate, candy, cakes, waffles, regular cookies, ice cream, plus alcoholic beverages made from cereal. In the absence of these products in the diet, celiac disease patients feel normal.
At the same time, a gluten-free diet can often be seen among the recommendations for patients without celiac disease but who are overweight. What will happen to a person with normal gluten tolerance who refuses foods that contain gluten?
Most likely, nothing catastrophically bad will happen. The amount of carbohydrates, both simple and complex, will decrease dramatically in the diet. Because of this, the daily calorie content of the diet can be reduced, and if it stays below the daily energy intake, the weight can begin to drop. Again, the weight loss will not be due to the disappearance of gluten from the diet, but due to a possible reduction in calorie content. That is, if you reduce in any other way, leaving foods that contain gluten in the diet, the weight will decrease at the same rate.
Thus, weight loss on a gluten-free diet is possible, but as a side effect of eliminating excess carbohydrate-rich foods. At the same time, if you give up carbs completely, the body can reach a state of ketosis, which can be accompanied by discomfort and side effects. Therefore, not a gluten-free diet is best suited for weight loss, but a balanced diet with a balanced proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And whether or not gluten is in these products is not important to 99% of people without celiac disease.