A gluten-free diet is a healthy diet in which all gluten-containing foods are removed from the diet. The diet is prescribed for diseases of the endocrine and nervous systems, as well as for pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Gluten (gluten), wheat, oat, rye, etc. is a complex of plant proteins (prolamins, glutenins) found in cereals.
Who is the diet for?
Using a gluten-free diet is a prerequisite for treating conditions such as:
- Celiac disease;
- gluten intolerance (in severe and atypical forms);
- irritable bowel syndrome;
- autism, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis;
- Anemia in children under 3 years of age.
The use of gluten-containing foods for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and neurological pathologies can lead to the following consequences:
- It causes chronic inflammation of the small intestine, as a result of which pathogenic bacteria and toxins enter the bloodstream.
- It disrupts the balance of intestinal microflora and leads to increased reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
- It disrupts the digestive processes, as a result of which villi adhere to the walls of the small intestine, designed to digest and assimilate proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- It causes autoimmune diseases because the immune system secretes antibodies against gluten molecules that attack not only the gastrointestinal tract, but also gluten-like proteins in the cells of the thyroid gland, heart, and nervous system. This is how autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes, dermatitis, infertility, and early menopause occur.
The presence of gluten-containing foods in the diet is manifested by persistent stool disorders (constipation, diarrhea), bloating, frequent edema, caries, as well as the appearance of ulcers on the oral mucosa and constant skin rashes.
In most cases, gluten intolerance causes iron deficiency anemia, which is manifested by constant fatigue, brittle nails, hair loss, and a lack of weight.
List of allowed and prohibited products
To maintain a gluten-free diet, two categories of food are excluded from the diet: those with a lot of gluten in their composition (for example, wheat bread) and hidden gluten (for example, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc. ).
On a gluten-free diet, the following foods are excluded from the diet:
- cereals, namely wheat, rye, oats, barley;
- products obtained from the flour of these cereals, including bread, lavash, cakes, cookies, cereal bread;
- cereals (oatmeal, oatmeal, bulgur, pearl barley);
- bran from these cereals;
- products with a small amount of wheat flour in their composition (cubed bouillon, soy sauce, buckwheat noodles, sausages and preserves, crab sticks, mayonnaise, ketchup, tea bags, yogurts, ice cream);
- chocolates, store jam, caramel;
- kvass, beer and other alcoholic beverages made from cereals;
- flavored and fortified coffee, decaffeinated coffee;
- products with "traces of gluten" from production, i. e. table vinegar, food starch, semolina, some types of cheese, dry seasonings and spices, etc.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in food, the diet will not be effective, since the inflammatory processes in the intestines do not stop, even with an insignificant amount of gluten in the food. It is necessary to carefully study the composition of the product on the package. Some manufacturers label their labels as "Contains Traces of Gluten. "
If you follow a gluten-free diet, you can include gluten-free foods in your diet, namely:
- Vegetables and fruits;
- legumes, soy;
- buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, flax, rice;
- home-made milk and dairy products;
- meat and fish;
- Sea products;
- vegetable and animal oils;
- yeast, spices, soy sauce.
Weekly Gluten Free Diet Menu
A sample menu for a week should consist of 4 or 5 meals every 2-3 hours. In the gluten-free diet, a diet may consist of grains, vegetables, meat and cottage cheese meals, and fruit and berries are used as snacks.
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with bananas and berries, tea;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, rice, tomato salad;
- Afternoon snack: apple, 25 grams of nuts;
- Dinner: chop with vegetable salad.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: rice porridge, coffee with soy milk;
- Lunch: mashed broccoli soup, gluten-free pork patties;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 almonds;
- Dinner: Strawberry cottage cheese casserole.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese pancakes with cottage cheese and banana, cocoa in almond milk;
- Lunch: tomato soup, meatballs in broth, vegetable salad;
- Afternoon snack: 3 tangerines, pumpkin seeds;
- Dinner: baked duck, fresh vegetable salad.
Thursday
- Breakfast: omelet with herbs and cheese, tea;
- Lunch: Rice soup with meatballs, gluten-free bread, baked fish with broccoli;
- Afternoon snack: 150 grams of raspberries, walnuts;
- Dinner: cheesecake with banana, sour cream.
Friday
- Breakfast: cornbread with mashed banana, compote;
- Lunch: fish soup, vegetable stew, spicy baked chicken;
- Afternoon snack: fruit puree with homemade yogurt;
- Dinner: cottage cheese casserole and fruit sauce.
Saturday
- Breakfast: pumpkin puree, coffee;
- Lunch: borscht, beef cabbage rolls, green salad;
- Afternoon snack: various fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
market
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and bell peppers, tea;
- Lunch: okroshka on homemade kefir, fish stew, salad;
- Afternoon snack: strawberries, currants, raspberries;
- Dinner: French meat, pepper and tomato salad.
for a child
A gluten-free diet is essential for children with celiac disease, autism, and gastrointestinal diseases. For additional indications (for example, iron deficiency anemia and other pathologies of nutrient absorption), a gluten-free diet is prescribed for children under 3 years of age.
Gluten-free food for children can be not only healthy, but also tasty, because despite the exclusion of a number of flour products and cereals, many vegetable, fruit, meat and fish dishes remain in the child's diet.
Sample menu for 3-day-old children:
1 day
- Breakfast: rice porridge, omelet with banana;
- Lunch: cheesecakes with fruit, compote;
- Lunch: borscht with sour cream and gluten-free croutons, desserts with dried fruit;
- Afternoon snack: chicken patties, fresh vegetable salad;
- Dinner: homemade cakes with honey, milk.
2 days
- Breakfast: sweet rice casserole with banana and strawberry;
- Lunch: homemade noodles, compote;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, fruit jelly;
- Afternoon snack: fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with nuts and honey.
3 days
- Breakfast: millet porridge with pumpkin, compote;
- Lunch: fruit jelly, gluten-free muffins;
- Lunch: broccoli soup, zucchini and herb potatoes, stew, apples;
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese casserole with oranges, compote;
- Dinner: minced meat and rice patties, homemade tomato juice.
An important condition for the proper digestion and movement of food through the gastrointestinal tract during a gluten-free diet is the use of plant fibers from fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Weakening
Losing weight on a gluten-free diet is accomplished by eliminating fast carbohydrates containing gluten from the diet. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the calorie content of products.
A gluten-free diet for weight loss will help reduce weight by 2-3 kilograms per week, provided that the optimal daily calorie intake is optimal, there is no overeating and the following principles are followed:
- eat 4 times a day without snacks;
- drink 1. 5-2 liters of water per day;
- there is a sufficient amount of fresh vegetables and dairy products;
- limit the use of cereals to 200 grams (raw) and high-calorie nuts to 25 grams per day;
- exclude the use of sugar, pure fructose and any sugar substitutes, since all these products cause increased appetite;
- Do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
After completing the diet, limit the use of baked goods, sweets and sugary sodas, as sugar and white flour cause rapid weight gain.
delicious recipes
As a rule, the gluten-free menu consists of meat, vegetable and dairy dishes. You can use gluten-free recipes and baked goods that use a variety of gluten-free flours to expand your diet.
Chicken breast meatballs with mashed potatoes
For cooking, you will need 1-2 chicken breasts, salt, pepper, frying oil, 0. 5 kg of potatoes, 50 grams of sour cream for gravy.
Peel the potatoes, add water, salt and boil until soft. At this time, the breast should be washed, cut into thin slices along the fibers, beat each piece, salt and pepper on both sides.
Drain the water from the pot with the finished potatoes, add sour cream and puree with a blender. Put the mashed potatoes on the plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking the cutlets.
Cutlets are baked in a hot pan with butter, frying the meat for 2-4 minutes on each side. However, it is important that the meat does not dry out, as the cutlet will be dry and tough.
Chicken meatballs are served as garnishes immediately after cooking.
Rice flour sponge cake in a slow cooker
To prepare the biscuit, you will need 6 eggs for lubrication, 180 grams of sugar, 150 grams of rice flour, vanillin, lemon zest, butter or vegetable oil.
First of all, it is necessary to separate the whites from the yolks and intensively beat the yolks with sugar and vanilla for 4-5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture doubles in volume. Then, in a separate bowl, the whites are turned into a dense foam for 8 -10 minutes. Then add lemon zest and rice flour to the yolks and mix well with a spoon. Gradually, proteins are added to the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A bowl for the multicooker is greased with oil, the dough is poured and put in the cooking mode for 40-50 minutes, depending on the model of the multicooker. Check the readiness of the biscuit with a match.
Gluten Free Corn Flour Muffin
To make muffins, you need 170 grams of cornmeal, 90 grams of cornstarch, three eggs, 100 ml of milk, 100 grams of butter, 150 grams of sugar, a tablespoon of baking powder and vanillin.
First you need to mix the dry ingredients: flour, starch, baking powder. Then, in a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanillin until sugar dissolves and foam appears, add softened butter, warm milk and whisk again. Next, you should mix all the ingredients until smooth and pour them into molds.
Muffins are baked in a preheated 180 degree oven for 20 minutes.
For a gluten-free diet to be effective, it is necessary to completely eliminate prohibited foods and adhere to lifelong dietary principles.