A gluten-free diet is a health food in which all foods containing gluten 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 (prolamins, glutenins) that are found in cereals such as wheat, oats, rye, and so on.
Who is the diet indicated for?
Using a gluten-free diet is a prerequisite for treating conditions such as:
- celiac disease;
- glutenin intolerance (in severe and atypical forms);
- irritable bowel syndrome;
- autism, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis;
- anemia in children under 3 years of age.
The use of foods with gluten 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.
- Violates the balance of intestinal microflora and leads to increased reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
- It impairs digestive processes as a result of the adhesion of villi on the walls of the small intestine, which are designed to digest and assimilate proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- Causes autoimmune diseases due to the fact that the immune system secretes antibodies to gluten molecules, which attack not only the digestive tract, but also proteins similar to gluten 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 food in the diet is manifested by constant stool disorders (constipation, diarrhea), flatulence, 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 lack of weight.
List of allowed and prohibited 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, namely wheat, rye, oats, barley;
- products made from flour of these cereal crops, including bread, lavash, cakes, cookies, grain 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 food, crab sticks, mayonnaise, ketchup, tea bags, yoghurts, ice cream);
- chocolates, shop jam, caramel;
- kvass, beer and other alcoholic drinks made from cereals;
- coffee with flavors and additives, decaffeinated coffee;
- products with "traces of gluten" due to production, namely table vinegar, food starch, semolina, some types of cheeses, dry seasonings and spices, and so on.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in food, the diet will not be effective, since 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;
- milk and dairy products of home 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 cereal, vegetable, meat and cottage cheese dishes, and fruits and berries are used as a snack.
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: broccoli puree soup, gluten-free pork dumplings;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 pieces of almonds;
- Dinner: cottage cheese casserole with berries.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese and banana cottage cheese pancakes, 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: cheese cakes with banana, sour cream.
Friday
- Breakfast: corn tortillas with banana puree, compote;
- Lunch: fish soup, vegetable stew, baked chicken with spices;
- Afternoon snack: fruit puree with homemade yogurt;
- Dinner: cottage cheese casserole and berry sauce.
Saturday
- Breakfast: pumpkin porridge, coffee;
- Lunch: borscht, veal cabbage rolls, green salad;
- Afternoon snack: assorted fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
Sunday
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and bell peppers, tea;
- Lunch: okroshka on 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 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 for children is prescribed under the age of 3 years.
Gluten-free food for children can be not only healthy, but also tasty, since, despite the exclusion of a number of flour products and cereals, a lot of vegetables, fruits, meat and fish dishes remain in the child's diet.
Sample menu for children for 3 days:
Day 1
- Breakfast: omelet with rice porridge, banana;
- Lunch: cheese cakes 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 casserole with banana and strawberries;
- Lunch: homemade noodles, compote;
- Lunch: buckwheat soup with meatballs, fruit jelly;
- Afternoon snack: fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with nuts 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, stew, apple;
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese casserole with orange, compote;
- Dinner: minced meat and rice 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 fiber from fruits, vegetables and cereals.
Slimming
Losing weight 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 calorie content of products.
A gluten-free diet for weight loss will help to reduce weight by 2-3 kilograms per week, provided the optimal daily calorie intake, the absence of overeating, and the following principles are observed:
- eat food 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 provoke increased appetite;
- do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
After completing the diet, limit the use of baked goods, sweets and sodas 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 meat, vegetable and dairy dishes. To expand your diet, you can use gluten-free recipes and baked goods using a variety of gluten-free flours.
Chicken breast meatballs 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 for dressing.
Peel the potatoes, add water, salt and boil until tender. At this time, the breast should be washed, cut into thin slices across the fibers, beat off each piece on both sides, salt and pepper.
Pour the water out of the pot with the finished potatoes, add sour cream and puree with a blender. Put the mashed potatoes on plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking the chops.
Chops are cooked in a hot skillet with butter, frying the meat on both sides for 2-4 minutes. It is important not to dry out the meat, however, as the chops will become dry and tough.
Chicken meatballs are laid out to the side dish immediately after cooking and served.
Rice flour sponge cake in a slow cooker
To prepare a biscuit, you will need 6 eggs, 180 grams of sugar, 150 grams of rice flour, vanillin, lemon zest, butter or vegetable oil for lubrication.
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, whites are knocked down for 8 -10 minutes into a dense foam. After that, lemon zest and rice flour are added to the yolks and mixed thoroughly with a spoon. Gradually, proteins are introduced into the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A bowl for a multicooker is greased with oil, the dough is poured and put on the baking mode for 40-50 minutes, depending on the multicooker 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 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 dry ingredients: flour, starch, baking powder. Next, in a separate bowl, you need to knock down eggs, sugar and vanillin until the sugar dissolves and foam appears, add softened butter, warm milk and beat again. Next, you should mix all the ingredients until smooth and pour into molds.
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 prohibited foods and adhere to dietary principles throughout life.