A gluten-free diet is a health diet in which all foods that contain gluten 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 (prolamines, glutenins) found in grain products such as wheat, oats, rye and so on.
Who is the diet indicated for?
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 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 the intestinal microflora and leads to increased reproduction of pathogenic bacteria.
- It impairs digestive processes due to the adhesion of villi to the walls of the small intestine, which are designed to digest and assimilate proteins, fats and carbohydrates.
- Causes autoimmune diseases due to the immune system releasing antibodies against gluten molecules that attack not only the gastrointestinal tract but also proteins that resemble gluten in the cells of the thyroid gland, heart and nervous system. 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), flatulence, frequent edema, caries as well as the occurrence of ulcers on the oral mucosa and constant skin rashes.
In most cases, gluten intolerance causes iron deficiency anemia, which manifests itself in constant fatigue, brittle nails, hair loss and lack of weight.
List of permitted 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;
- flour products of these cereals, including bread, lavash, cakes, cookies, cereals;
- cereals (oatmeal, rolled oats, bulgur, pearl barley);
- bran from these grains;
- 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, yogurt, ice cream);
- chocolate, shop marmalade, caramel;
- kvass, beer and other alcoholic beverages made from cereals;
- flavored coffee and additives; decaffeinated coffee;
- products with "traces of gluten" due to the production, namely table vinegar, starch, semolina, some types of cheeses, dry spices and condiments and so on.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in the food, the diet will not be effective as inflammatory processes in the intestines do not stop even with a negligible 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 food in your diet, namely:
- vegetables and fruits;
- legumes, soy;
- buckwheat, sorghum, quinoa, flax, rice;
- milk and dairy products from domestic production;
- meat and fish;
- fish and shellfish;
- 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. hour. A diet on a gluten-free diet can consist of cereal, vegetable, meat and cottage cheeses, 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;
- Breakfast: broccoli puree soup, gluten-free pork dumplings;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 almonds;
- Dinner: cottage cheese stew with berries.
Wednesday
- Breakfast: cottage cheese and banana cottage cheese pancakes, cocoa in almond milk;
- Breakfast: tomato soup, meatballs in broth, vegetable salad;
- Afternoon snack: 3 tangerines, pumpkin seeds;
- Dinner: baked duck, fresh vegetable salad.
Thursday
- Breakfast: omelette with herbs and cheese, tea;
- Breakfast: 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, baked chicken with spices;
- Afternoon snack: fruit puree with homemade yogurt;
- Dinner: cottage cheese casserole and berry sauce.
Saturday
- Breakfast: pumpkin porridge, coffee;
- Breakfast: borscht, veal rolls, green salad;
- Afternoon snack: various fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
Sunday
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and peppers, tea;
- Breakfast: 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 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 not only be healthy, but also tasty, as 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: omelette with rice porridge, banana;
- Breakfast: cheesecakes with fruit topping, compote;
- Breakfast: 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;
- Breakfast: 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;
- Breakfast: berry jelly, gluten-free muffins;
- Lunch: soup with broccoli, zucchini and potatoes with herbs, stew, apple;
- Afternoon snack: cottage cheese stew 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 fibers from fruits, vegetables and grains.
Slimming
Losing weight with a gluten-free diet occurs by removing fast carbs 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 helps to reduce weight by 2-3 kg per week, provided that the optimal daily calorie intake is optimal, there is no overeating, and the following principles are adhered to:
- eat food 4 times a day without snacks;
- drink 1, 5-2 liters of water a day;
- there is a sufficient quantity of fresh vegetables and dairy products;
- limit the use of grains to 200 grams (raw) and high-calorie nuts to 25 grams a day;
- exclude the use of sugar, pure fructose and any sugar substitute, as all these products provoke increased appetite;
- do not eat 3 hours before bedtime.
After completing the diet, limit the use of pastries, sweets and sodas with sugar as sugar and white flour lead to rapid weight gain.
Delicious recipes
The menu for gluten-free food basically consists of meat, vegetable and dairy dishes. To expand your diet, you can use gluten-free recipes and pastries with a variety of gluten-free flours.
Chicken breast meatballs with mashed potatoes
Preparation requires 1-2 chicken breast, 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 cook until tender. At this point, the breast should be washed, cut into thin slices across the fibers, beating each piece off on both sides, salt and pepper.
Pour the water from the pan with the finished potatoes, add the sour cream and puree with a blender. Put the mashed potatoes on plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking the chops.
Chops are boiled in a hot frying pan with butter, fry the meat on both sides for 2-4 minutes. However, it is important not to dry out the meat, as the chops become dry and tough.
Chicken meatballs are added to the accompaniment immediately after cooking and served.
Rice flour sponge cake in a slow cooker
To prepare a biscuit, use 6 eggs, 180 grams of sugar, 150 grams of rice flour, vanillin, lemon peel, butter or vegetable oil for greasing.
First of all, it is necessary to separate the whites from the egg yolks and whip the egg yolks intensively with sugar and vanilla for 4-5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the mixture doubles in volume. Then beat the whites in a separate bowl for 8-10 minutes to a dense foam. Then add lemon peel and rice flour to the egg yolks and mix thoroughly with a spoon. Gradually add proteins to the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A bowl for a multicooker is greased with oil, the dough is poured and put in baking mode for 40-50 minutes, depending on the multicooker model. Check the clarity of the biscuit with a match.
Gluten-free cornmeal muffins
To make muffins, use 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, mix dry ingredients: flour, starch, baking powder. Next, in a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and vanillin down until the sugar dissolves and foam comes, add softened butter, warm milk and whip again. Next, mix all the ingredients until smooth and pour into molds.
Bake muffins 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.