Experts summarize the statistics with horror: 18% of women in our country are overweight, and obesity is becoming more common in children and adolescents. Ignoring this problem will bring irreparable consequences, since 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, the exclusion of certain foods, physical activity and medications. Some of them provide stable weight loss without harm to 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 and dairy free diet. What it is? How safe is it for the body? How does it affect you? Let's take a closer look in this article.
what is gluten
Gluten or gluten (from the Latin Gluten - glue) 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 odor. But when water is added to it, it turns into a sticky mass that looks like jelly. Due to this, the dough rises during cooking and becomes elastic. The more gluten in the composition of the flour, the better, the baking will be more magnificent.
Gluten is found in many foods. Let's take a closer look at the main foods that contain gluten:
| It contains gluten | Have "hidden" gluten |
|---|---|
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Hidden gluten is damaged and altered gluten molecules that result from processing.
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It is necessary to carefully study the composition of the products, but the "gluten-free" label cannot always be trusted. It all depends on the honesty of the manufacturer.
What is dangerous and why is gluten needed?
Gluten-free nutrition was developed specifically for patients suffering from celiac disease, an autoimmune disease in which the natural functions of the intestines and peristalsis are disturbed. This disease occurs in one person in a hundred. With such a pathology, gluten is not recognized by the patient's immune system, and the body puts all its forces into combating 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 begins to destroy itself. This is the main disadvantage of a gluten-rich diet for both a sick person and a healthy one.
But it should be understood that such symptoms are inherent in people with celiac disease or suffering from individual gluten intolerance. In all other cases, the question of whether or not a special diet is needed 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 and rules:
- Gluten-free products help improve digestion, peristalsis and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. That is why they are the basis of nutrition. By now, you can find a large number of such products on the market, there is even gluten-free alcohol;
- dietary meals are prepared with a minimum amount of oil, it is advisable to use a grill or a special pan that does not require the addition of fat;
- Gluten-free foods should be the basis of the diet. Based on the list of permitted and prohibited foods, you can either make a menu yourself or use a ready-made one. On the Internet you can find recipes for main dishes, snacks.
Such a diet will benefit patients with celiac disease, as well as people with symptoms of allergies or individual intolerances. In all other cases, it can, on the contrary, be harmful. Thoughtless exclusion of food from the diet can lead to a lack of vitamins, minerals and nutrients. Therefore, to lose weight, it is better to use a proven technique based on proper nutrition, changes in eating habits and psychotherapy. Only such an approach will protect the patient from nervous breakdowns, depression, other disorders of the psycho-emotional state and health, and will prevent negative consequences.
Who is a gluten-free diet for?
Special diets and the gluten-free diet must be prescribed by a weight loss specialist. It is usually prescribed for the following diseases:
- Celiac Disease;
- autism;
- hyperexcitability;
- 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 listed diseases, then it is better to use other methods of losing weight. 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 cope with life's problems, not to take advantage of stress, fatigue. They can 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 optimal and 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 gluten-containing products, the list of which is given above. Nutrition will not be effective if indulgence is given, it deviates from the planned scheme. And this is a strong psychological pressure, which is almost impossible to handle on your own, as a result - nervous breakdowns, depression, stress.
The gluten-free diet has a special menu for the week. It must be compiled by a specialist, taking into account the body's needs for all the necessary nutrients, vitamins and minerals, including meat products, chicken eggs, vegetables, fruits and 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 canned dairy products, meat, and fish. Most of the time they contain hidden gluten, such as corn or wheat starch.
menu for the week
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 "forbidden" foods. But such nutrition is prescribed for gluten intolerance or an allergic reaction. For weight loss, it can be ineffective - it is usually difficult for a person to refuse favorite foods without pronounced reasons, which leads to nervous breakdowns, psycho-emotional disorders. That is why weight loss experts recommend not to experiment with your body, but to seek help from specialists. Leave the menu of the week for celiacs.
Recommendations for children
Research shows that a gluten-free and lactose-free first meal formula is ideal because it's light and doesn't overwhelm the body or the GI tract. It will help the baby to adapt to new foods, gradually switch to a different diet.
The list of products for children differs little from that of an adult, it contains all the same elements: meat or fish soups and broths, gluten-free cereals, lean meats, chicken eggs, fruits and vegetables, vegetable oils.
Gluten-free diet for celiacs
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and intestines. Usually there is a genetic predisposition to it. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of this disease:
- swelling;
- pain;
- Diarrhea;
- foul-smelling foamy stools;
- a sharp decrease or increase in weight;
- the appearance of a rash on the skin;
- headache;
- weakening of the immune system.
For such patients, a special diet has been 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 must 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 doctor.
Gluten-free dishes are best steamed, without adding oil. 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 divided, about 5-6 times a day: three main meals and two or three snacks. The standard "plate rule" applies here as well: half should be filled 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 in taste from the usual ones. The main thing is to use only approved products.
The following menu is an example. It can be adjusted to suit individual preferences, allergies or intolerances.
Monday
- Breakfast: a portion of rice porridge cooked in milk, some fresh berries can be added to it.
- Lunch: sandwich on gluten-free bread with butter, fresh unflavored tea.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with broccoli and low-fat cheese, chicken with potatoes, vegetable salad.
- Snack: fruit salad with gluten-free yogurt.
- Dinner: wheat porridge garnished with dried fruit or stewed vegetables.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with honey or sugar, fruits.
- Lunch: rice or any cereal bread, tea.
- Lunch: chicken broth with vegetables, salad.
- Snack: yogurt with gluten-free diet cookies.
- Dinner: cottage cheese casserole, complemented by any fruit.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs, cheese sandwich.
- Lunch: a handful of nuts, tea.
- Lunch: any soup with the addition of fresh herbs, chicken with buckwheat garnish.
- Snack: syrniki on rice flour with honey and berries.
- Dinner: Chicken baked in foil with vegetables.
Thursday
- Breakfast: special cornflakes (must be gluten-free) with the addition of 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, dietary cookies.
- Dinner: meatballs, buckwheat porridge.
Friday
- Breakfast: gluten-free fritters with honey.
- Lunch: a glass of kefir or yogurt and crackers.
- Lunch: chicken cutlets with a side of rice, vegetable salad.
- Snack: a portion of any nut, any fruit.
- Dinner: fish stew with vegetables, mushrooms.
Saturday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with honey and fruits.
- Lunch: carrot salad topped with slices of cheese and a handful of walnuts.
- Lunch: vegetable soup with lentils, chicken stew with vegetable salad.
- Snack: tea with gluten-free cookies, any fruit.
- Dinner: potato pancakes, but rice flour should be used instead of wheat flour.
Sunday
- Breakfast: scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs with some vegetables.
- Lunch: A sandwich made with gluten-free bread, lettuce, tomato, cheese, or a spiced chicken fillet.
- Lunch: fish soup, chicken cutlets 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 through this diet, it is also recommended to count the number of calories consumed and spent, the ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates:
- it is necessary to calculate the daily calorie intake using one of the formulas below and subtract 10-15% from it; this is exactly what is needed to lose weight: formula for men: 66 + (13. 7 x weight in kg) + ( 5 x height in cm) - (6. 8 x age); female formula: 655 + (9. 6 x weight in kg) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age);
- protein norm is about 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 application 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, and not a random temporary deviation. Well, more reliable than personal principles, beliefs and ideas - mankind has not found anything yet.
The opinion of a nutritionist
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 it is eaten with.
Gluten is a special type of vegetable protein that is also known as gluten. It is found as a natural component of some cereals in wheat, rye and barley. Regarding oats, the opinions of the 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 such as ketchup, kvass (as a result of fermentation in grain or bread) as a natural thickener. By itself, it is safe for a healthy person, but it plays a major negative role when a person has a condition such as celiac disease.
Celiac disease is a congenital genetic disease of gluten intolerance. If the diet of a sick person contains it, the immune cells begin to attack the villi of his small intestine, in which the so-called parietal digestion occurs. In this case, inflammation begins, the absorption of nutrients is disturbed, and the symptoms of the disease appear. Clinical symptoms are extremely diverse, they can include up to 300 symptoms, the main of which are 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 consumption of gluten-containing foods is accompanied by the development of the clinical picture of the disease. These products mainly include foods made from or using wheat, rye and barley: cereals, baked goods and pasta with traditional flour; sweets: chocolate, sweets, cakes, waffles, regular cookies, ice cream, as well as cereal-based alcoholic beverages. In the absence of these products in the diet, celiac patients feel normal.
At the same time, the gluten-free diet is often listed among the recommendations for patients without celiac disease, but who are overweight. What will happen to a person with normal gluten tolerance who rejects gluten-containing foods?
Most likely, nothing catastrophically bad will happen. The amount of carbohydrates, both simple and complex, will drastically decrease in the diet. Because of this, the daily caloric content of the diet can be reduced, if it ends up at a level below the daily energy intake, the weight can begin to decrease. Again, the weight loss will not be due to the disappearance of gluten from the diet, but to a possible reduction in caloric intake. That is, if you reduce it in another way, leaving gluten-containing foods in the diet, the weight will come off at the same rate.
Therefore, weight loss on a gluten-free diet is possible, but as a side effect of cutting out excess carbohydrate foods. At the same time, if you completely abandon carbohydrates, the body can go into a state of ketosis, which can be accompanied by discomfort and side effects. Therefore, a gluten-free diet is not more suitable for weight loss, but a balanced diet with a balanced proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And whether or not gluten will be in the composition of these products is not important to the 99% of people without celiac disease.