A gluten-free diet is a healthy food in which all gluten-containing foods are excluded from the diet. The diet is prescribed for diseases of the endocrine and nervous system, as well as for pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract.
Gluten (gluten) is a complex of plant proteins (prolamine, glutenin) found in cereals such as wheat, oats, rye and so on.
Who is the diet indicated for?
The use of 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 pathology 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 disturbs the balance of the intestinal microflora and leads to increased reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
- It damages the digestive processes as a result of the adhesion of the villi to the walls of the small intestine, which are designed for digestion and assimilation of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- It causes autoimmune diseases due to the fact that the immune system releases antibodies to gluten molecules, which 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 mellitus, dermatitis, infertility and early menopause occur.
The presence of gluten-containing foods in the diet is manifested by constant stool disorders (constipation, diarrhea), bloating, frequent edema, caries, as well as the appearance of ulcers on the oral mucosa and constant skin rashes.
Gluten intolerance in most cases causes anemia due to iron deficiency, which is manifested by constant fatigue, brittle nails, hair loss and weight loss.
List of allowed and forbidden products
To maintain a gluten-free diet, two categories of foods are excluded from the diet: with a lot of gluten in the composition (for example, wheat bread) and with hidden gluten (for example, mayonnaise, ketchup, etc. ).
On a gluten-free diet, the following foods are excluded from the diet:
- cereals, ie wheat, rye, oats, barley;
- flour products of these cereals, including bread, lavash, cakes, pastries, cereal bread;
- cereals (oatmeal, rolled oats, bulgur, pearl barley);
- bran of these cereals;
- products with a small amount of wheat flour in the composition (broth cubes, soy sauce, buckwheat noodles, sausages and canned food, crab sticks, mayonnaise, ketchup, tea bags, yogurts, ice cream);
- chocolates, shop jam, caramel;
- yeast, beer and other cereal alcoholic beverages;
- coffee with aromas and additives, decaffeinated coffee;
- products with "traces of gluten" due to production, such as table vinegar, food starch, semolina, some types of cheese, dry spices and condiments, etc.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in food, diet will not be effective, because inflammatory processes in the intestines do not stop even with a small amount of gluten in 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, as follows:
- vegetables and fruits;
- legumes, soybeans;
- buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, flax, rice;
- milk and milk products of domestic production;
- meat and fish;
- sea food;
- vegetable and animal fats;
- yeast, spices, soy sauce.
Weekly menu of a gluten-free diet
An example of a weekly menu should consist of 4 or 5 meals every 2-3 hours. A gluten-free diet can consist of meals of grains, vegetables, meat, and cottage cheese, and fruits and berries are used as snacks.
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with banana and berries, tea;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, pilaf, 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 dumplings;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 pieces of almonds;
- Dinner: casserole of cottage cheese with berries.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: fresh cheese and banana pancakes, cocoa in almond milk;
- Lunch: tomato soup, meatballs in soup, vegetable salad;
- Afternoon snack: 3 tangerines, pumpkin seeds;
- Dinner: roast duck, fresh vegetable salad.
Thursday
- Breakfast: omelette 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: cheesecakes with banana, sour cream.
Friday
- Breakfast: corn tortillas with banana puree, compote;
- Lunch: fish soup, vegetable stew, roasted chicken with spices;
- Afternoon snack: fruit puree with homemade yogurt;
- Dinner: fresh cheese casserole and berry sauce.
Saturday
- Breakfast: pumpkin porridge, coffee;
- Lunch: borscht, veal cabbage, lettuce;
- Afternoon snack: various fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
Sunday
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and peppers, tea;
- Lunch: okroshka with homemade kefir, fish casserole, salad;
- Afternoon snack: strawberries, currants, raspberries;
- Dinner: French meat, pepper and tomato salad.
For a child
A gluten-free diet is necessary for children with celiac disease, autism and gastrointestinal diseases. For additional indications (for example, iron deficiency anemia and other nutrient absorption pathologies), children under 3 years of age are prescribed a gluten-free diet.
Gluten-free food for children can be not only healthy, but also delicious, because, despite the exclusion of numerous flour and cereal products, a lot of vegetables, fruits, meat and fish dishes remain in the child's diet.
Example of a menu for children for 3 days:
Day 1
- Breakfast: omelet with rice porridge, banana;
- Lunch: cheesecakes with fruit topping, compote;
- Lunch: borscht with sour cream and gluten-free croutons, dried fruit sweets;
- Afternoon snack: chicken meatballs, fresh vegetable salad;
- Dinner: homemade cakes with honey, milk.
Day 2
- Breakfast: sweet rice pan with banana and strawberries;
- Lunch: homemade noodles, compote;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, fruit jellies;
- Afternoon snack: fruit;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with walnuts and honey.
Day 3
- Breakfast: millet porridge with pumpkin, compote;
- Lunch: berry jelly, gluten-free muffins;
- Lunch: soup with broccoli, zucchini and potatoes with herbs, goulash, apple;
- Afternoon snack: casserole of fresh cheese with orange, compote;
- Dinner: minced meatballs and rice, homemade tomato juice.
An important condition for 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.
Slimming
Weight loss with a gluten-free diet occurs by eliminating fast gluten-containing carbohydrates from the diet. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the caloric content of the product.
A gluten-free weight loss diet will help reduce weight by 2-3 pounds per week, provided that the optimal daily calorie intake is optimal, that there is no overeating and that the following principles are followed:
- eat food 4 times a day without snacks;
- drink 1, 5-2 liters of water a 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, because all these products cause increased appetite;
- do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
After finishing the diet, limit the use of bakery products, sweets and carbonated drinks with sugar, because sugar and white flour lead to rapid weight gain.
Delicious recipes
The menu for gluten-free food, as a rule, consists of meat dishes, vegetables and dairy products. To expand your diet, you can use gluten-free recipes and pastries using a variety of gluten-free flours.
Chicken breast meatballs with mashed potatoes
For cooking, you need 1-2 chicken breasts, salt, black pepper, frying oil, 0. 5 kg of potatoes, 50 grams of sour cream for the dressing.
Peel a squash, add water, salt and cook until soft. At this time, the breasts should be washed, cut into thin slices over the fibers, tear off each piece on both sides, salt and pepper.
Drain the water from the sherpa with the prepared potatoes, add the sour cream and mix with a mixer. Put mashed potatoes on plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking chops.
The cutlets are baked in a heated pan on butter, frying the meat on both sides for 2-4 minutes. However, it is important that the meat does not dry out, because the chops will become dry and tough.
Chicken meatballs are served immediately after cooking and served.
Rice flour biscuit in a slow stove
To prepare the biscuit you will need 6 eggs, 180 grams of sugar, 150 grams of rice flour, vanilla, lemon peel, butter or vegetable oil for lubrication.
First of all, it is necessary to separate the egg whites from the yolks and intensively whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla for 4-5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture doubles in volume. Then, in a separate bowl, beat the egg whites for 8-10 minutes into a thick foam. After that, add lemon peel and rice flour to the yolks and mix well with a spoon. Gradually, the proteins are introduced into the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
Grease the multivarka bowl with oil, pour the dough and bake for 40-50 minutes, depending on the multivarka model. Check the readiness of the biscuit with a match.
Gluten-free corn flour muffins
To make muffins, you need 170 grams of corn flour, 90 grams of corn starch, three eggs, 100 ml of milk, 100 grams of butter, 150 grams of sugar, a spoonful of baking powder and vanilla.
First you need to mix the dry ingredients: flour, starch, baking powder. Then, in a separate bowl, you need to break the eggs, sugar and vanilla until the sugar dissolves and foam appears, add the softened butter, warm milk and whisk again. Then all the ingredients should be mixed until smooth and poured into molds.
Bake the muffins in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
In order for a gluten-free diet to be effective, it is necessary to completely eliminate forbidden foods and adhere to the principles of nutrition throughout life.