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 systems, 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, etc.
Who is the diet recommended 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-free foods for gastrointestinal tract diseases and neurological pathologies can lead to the following consequences:
- Causes chronic inflammation of the small intestine, as a result of which pathogenic bacteria and toxins enter the bloodstream.
- Violates the balance of intestinal microflora and leads to increased reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
- It damages the digestive processes as a result of the adhesion of villi to the walls of the small intestine, which are designed to digest and assimilate 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 cells of the thyroid gland, heart and nervous system. Thus occur autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, dermatitis, infertility and early menopause.
The presence of gluten-containing foods in the diet is manifested by persistent bowel disorders (constipation, diarrhea), bloating, frequent edema, caries, as well as the appearance of ulcers in the oral mucosa and persistent redness of the skin.
In most cases, gluten intolerance causes iron deficiency anemia, which is manifested by constant fatigue, brittle nails, hair loss and weight loss.
List of permitted and prohibited products
To maintain a gluten-free diet, two categories of foods are excluded from the diet: high-gluten in the composition (for example, whole 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;
- flour products of these cereals, including bread, lavash, sweets, biscuits, cereal bread;
- cereals (oatmeal, rolled oats, bulgur, pearl barley);
- bran from these cereals;
- products with a small amount of wheat flour in the composition (bouillon cubes, soy sauce, buckwheat noodles, sausages and canned foods, crab sticks, mayonnaise, ketchup, tea bags, yogurt, ice cream);
- chocolate, store jam, caramel;
- kvass, beer and other alcoholic beverages made from cereals;
- flavored coffee and additives, decaffeinated coffee;
- products with "gluten traces" due to production, namely table vinegar, food starch, oatmeal, some types of cheese, spices and dried spices, etc.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in food, the diet will not be effective, as inflammatory processes in the intestines do not stop even with an insignificant amount of gluten in food. It is necessary to carefully study the composition of the product on the packaging. 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;
- milk and dairy products of domestic production;
- meat and fish;
- seafood;
- vegetable and animal fats;
- 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. A diet on a gluten-free diet can consist of whole grains, vegetables, meat and cottage cheese, and fruits and berries are used as a snack.
Monday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese with bananas and berries, tea;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, pilaf, tomato salad;
- Afternoon snack: apples, 25 grams of nuts;
- Dinner: chop with vegetable salad.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: rice porridge, coffee with soy milk;
- Lunch: soup with broccoli puree, gluten-free pork noodles;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 pieces of almonds;
- Dinner: casserole with blackberries.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: pancakes with cottage cheese and banana cottage cheese, cocoa in almond milk;
- Lunch: tomato soup, meatballs, vegetable salad;
- Afternoon snack: 3 tangerines, pumpkin seeds;
- Dinner: roast duck, salad with fresh vegetables.
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: cheese cake with banana, sour cream.
Friday
- Breakfast: corn tortilla with banana puree, compote;
- Lunch: fish soup, vegetable stew, roasted chicken with spices;
- Afternoon snack: fruit puree with homemade yogurt;
- Dinner: casserole with cottage cheese and berry sauce.
Saturday
- Breakfast: pumpkin porridge, coffee;
- Lunch: borscht, beef cabbage rolls, green salad;
- Afternoon snack: various fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
Sunday
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and bell peppers, tea;
- Lunch: okroshka in homemade kefir, fish casserole, salad;
- Afternoon snack: strawberries, raisins, raspberries;
- Dinner: Salad with French meat, pepper and tomatoes.
For a child
A gluten-free diet is a must 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 delicious, because, despite the exclusion of a number of flour and cereal products, many vegetables, fruits, meat and fish remain in the child's diet.
Example of a children's menu for 3 days:
Day 1
- Breakfast: omelette with rice porridge, banana;
- Lunch: fruit cakes with fruit top, compote;
- Lunch: borscht with sour cream and gluten-free croutons, cakes with dried fruit;
- Afternoon snack: chicken meatballs, fresh vegetable salad;
- Dinner: homemade cakes with honey, milk.
Day 2
- Breakfast: sweet casserole with rice with bananas and strawberries;
- Lunch: homemade noodles, compote;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, fruit jelly;
- Afternoon snacks: fruit;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with nuts and honey.
Day 3
- Breakfast: millet porridge with pumpkin, compote;
- Lunch: blackberry jelly, gluten-free muffins;
- Lunch: broccoli soup, zucchini and potatoes with herbs, stew, apples;
- Afternoon snack: casserole with orange cheese, compote;
- Dinner: minced meat and meatballs, 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 whole grains.
weakening
Weight loss with a gluten free diet occurs by eliminating fast carbohydrates containing gluten from the diet. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the caloric 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 observed:
- eat food 4 times a day without snack;
- drink 1, 5-2 liters of water per day;
- has a sufficient amount of fresh vegetables and dairy products;
- limit the use of whole grains to 200 grams (raw) and high-calorie nuts to 25 grams per day;
- exclude the use of sugar, pure fructose and any sugar substitutes, as all these products provoke increased appetite;
- do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
After completing the diet, limit the use of baked goods, sweets and fizzy drinks with sugar, as sugar and white flour lead to rapid weight gain.
Delicious recipes
The menu for gluten-free food, as a rule, consists of dishes of meat, vegetables and milk. To expand your diet, you can use gluten-free recipes and baked goods using a variety of gluten-free flours.
Meat chicken breast with mashed potatoes
Cooking requires 1-2 chicken breasts, salt, black pepper, oil for frying, 0, 5 kg of potatoes, 50 grams of sour cream per sauce.
Peel the potatoes, add water, salt and simmer until soft. At this time, the breast should be washed, cut into thin slices through the fibers, beat each piece on both sides, salt and pepper.
Drain the water from the pot with the potatoes, add the yoghurt and puree with a blender. Put the mashed potatoes on plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking the chops.
The chops are cooked in a hot pan with butter, frying the meat on both sides for 2-4 minutes. However, it is important that the meat does not dry out, as the chops will become dry and firm.
The chicken meatballs are placed on the side dish immediately after cooking and served.
Pandispanja with rice flour in a slow cooker
To prepare a 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 the whites should be separated from the yolks and yolks with sugar and vanilla beaten vigorously for 4-5 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the mass doubles in volume. Then, in a separate bowl, whisk the whites for 8 -10 minutes in a thick foam. After that, the lemon peel and rice flour are added to the yolks and mixed well with a spoon. Gradually, the proteins are added to the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A bowl for a large pot is greased with oil, the dough is poured and placed in baking mode for 40-50 minutes, depending on the model of the oven. Check the readiness of the biscuit with a matchstick.
Gluten-free cornmeal 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 tablespoon 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 beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla until the sugar dissolves and the foam appears, add the softened butter, warm milk and beat again. Next, you need to mix all the ingredients until they are uniform and pour them into the molds.
The muffins are baked in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 20 minutes.
For a gluten-free diet to be effective, it is necessary to completely eliminate forbidden foods and adhere to dietary principles throughout life.