Gluten free diet

• flour products: pastries, cakes;
• semi-finished products, sausages, store minced meat;
• cereal-based drinks: beer, kvass, whiskey, vodka;
• store dressings, mayonnaise.

• products containing starch: wheat, barley, rye, rice;
• canned vegetables, fruits, seafood, meat products;
• flavored coffee and tea;
• products containing the following ingredients: polysaccharides, thickeners, sweeteners, additives E150, E160, E965.

It is necessary to carefully study the composition of products, but you cannot always trust the "gluten-free" label. It all depends on the honesty of the manufacturer.

What is dangerous and why gluten is needed

Gluten-free food was developed specifically for patients suffering from celiac disease - an autoimmune disease in which the natural intestinal functions 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 uses all its forces to fight it. But the problem is that the structure of the gluten protein is similar to the cells of the thyroid gland and pancreas, 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 and a healthy person.

But it should be understood that such symptoms are inherent in people with celiac disease or suffering from individual intolerance to gluten. In all other cases, the question of whether or not a special diet is needed should be decided on an individual basis 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, features, rules:

• Gluten-free products help improve digestion, peristalsis and the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. That is why they are the basis of nutrition. Until now, you can find a large number of such products on the market, there is even gluten-free alcohol;
• dietary foods 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 food should be the basis of the diet. Based on the list of allowed and prohibited foods, you can 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 intolerance. In all other cases, on the contrary, it can be harmful. Thoughtlessly excluding foods from the diet can cause vitamin, mineral and nutrient deficiencies. Therefore, for weight loss, it is better to use a time-tested technique based on proper nutrition, changing eating habits and psychotherapy. Only such an approach will protect the patient from breakdowns, depression, other disorders of the psycho-emotional state and health and prevent negative consequences.

Who is a gluten-free diet for?

Special diets and a gluten-free diet should 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 for weight loss. 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 draw up a menu, to be able to cope with life's problems, not to catch stress, fatigue. They are able to accurately determine the causes of a group of extra kilograms and get rid of them. This method is officially recognized by the world scientific community, it is considered the most optimal, 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. Eating will not be effective if you give yourself pleasure, deviate from the intended scheme. And this is a strong psychological pressure, which is almost impossible to cope with on your own, as a result - breakdown, depression, stress.

The gluten-free diet has a special menu for the week. It should 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, 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 milk products without sweeteners, stabilizers, starch;
• natural vinegar: apple, wine, rice;
• homemade sauces without the addition of flour, starch, gluten, grains;
• tea, coffee without flavoring additives;
• legumes;
• natural soy sauce;
• chicken eggs.

The main thing is to carefully study the composition of products bought in stores. This is especially true for dairy products, canned meat and fish. Most often 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 food is prescribed for gluten intolerance or an allergic reaction to it. For weight loss, it can be ineffective: it is usually difficult for a person to refuse favorite foods without obvious reasons, which leads to breakdowns, psycho-emotional disorders. That is why weight loss experts recommend not to experiment on your body, but to seek help from specialists. Leave the menu for the week for celiac patients.

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 and gastrointestinal tract. It will help the child adapt to new foods, gradually switch to a different diet.

The list of products for children differs slightly from that of an adult, it contains all the same elements: soups and broths of meat or fish, gluten-free cereals, lean meat, chicken eggs, fruits and vegetables, vegetable oils.

Gluten-free diet for celiac disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by disorders in the gastrointestinal tract and intestines. There is usually a genetic predisposition to it. The following symptoms may indicate the presence of this disease:

• bloating;
• pain;
• diarrhea;
• foamy stools with an unpleasant smell;
• 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 rules and principles:

1. Gluten-free food, complete exclusion of prohibited foods.
2. The diet should consist of animal proteins, vegetables and fruits, gluten-free cereals, herbs, spices, spices, nuts.
3. Such a diet ensures lifelong adherence. This is the only key to maintaining health and well-being.
4. A gluten-free menu for a week should 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 the addition of oil. It is also recommended to introduce the principles of partial meals: 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

Feeding in such a diet should be partial, about 5-6 times a day: three main meals and two or three snacks. The standard "plate rule" also applies here: 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 foods can be suitable for the whole family and when prepared correctly, they will not differ from regular ones in taste. The main thing is to use only approved products.

The menu below is an example. It can be adjusted to suit individual preferences, allergies or intolerances.

Monday

• Breakfast: a portion of rice porridge cooked in milk, you can add some fresh berries.
• Lunch: gluten-free bread sandwich with butter, fresh unflavored tea.
• Lunch: vegetable soup with broccoli and low-fat cheese, chicken with potatoes, vegetable salad.
• Afternoon snack: fruit salad with gluten-free yogurt.
• Dinner: wheat porridge with a side dish of nuts or boiled vegetables.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: cottage cheese with honey or sugar, fruit.
• Lunch: rice or any cereal bread, tea.
• Lunch: chicken soup with vegetables, salad.
• Afternoon snack: yogurt with gluten-free diet cookies.
• Dinner: cottage cheese casserole, topped with any fruit.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs or boiled eggs, sandwich with cheese.
• Lunch: a handful of dried fruits, 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 noodles with vegetables.

Thursday

• Breakfast: special corn flakes (they must be gluten-free) with the addition of milk, kefir or yogurt.
• Lunch: two boiled eggs, tea.
• Lunch: borscht, chicken and vegetable salad.
• Afternoon snack: a portion of berries or a fruit drink made from them, diet cookies.
• Dinner: meatballs, buckwheat porridge.

Friday

• Breakfast: gluten-free pancakes with honey.
• Lunch: a glass of kefir or yogurt and cookies.
• Lunch: chicken cutlets with a side dish 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 fruit.
• Lunch: carrot salad topped with cheese slices and a handful of nuts.
• Lunch: vegetable soup with lentils, chicken stew with vegetable salad.
• Afternoon 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 seasoned 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 for weight loss

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 intake of calories using one of the formulas below and subtract 10-15% from it - this is exactly how much is needed to lose weight: formula for men: 66 + (13. 7 x weight in kg) + ( 5 x height in cm) - ( 6, 8 x age); formula for women: 655 + (9. 6 x weight in kg) + (1. 8 x height in cm) - (4. 7 x age);
• the protein rate is approximately 1. 5-2 grams per kilogram of body weight;
• fat - 0. 7-1 gram per kilogram;
• carbohydrates - 1-2 grams.

For the calculation, you can use an online calculator, a smartphone application or special tables.

Changing your diet in a healthy way without psychotherapy is almost impossible. After all, only something substantial, lasting can be considered a real change, and not a random temporary deviation. Well, more reliable than principles, beliefs, personal ideas - humanity has not yet come up with anything.

A nutritionist's opinion

The gluten-free industry has grown exponentially over the past five years. A growing number of people are looking to follow a gluten-free diet to improve health conditions, including weight loss. Let's try to understand what gluten is and what it is eaten with.

Gluten is a special type of plant protein that is often called gluten. It is found as a natural component of some grains in wheat, rye and barley. As for oats, expert opinions differ, some highlighting it as a possible source of gluten, others not. Gluten can also be artificially added to other products - bread, ice cream, sauces such as ketchup, kvass (as a result of fermentation in wheat or bread) as a natural thickener. By itself, it is safe for a healthy person, but it plays an important negative role when a person has a disease such as celiac disease.

Celiac disease is a congenital genetic disease of gluten intolerance. If the diet of a sick person contains it, then the immune cells begin to attack the villi of his small intestine, on which the so-called parietal digestion takes place. In this case, inflammation begins, the absorption of nutrients is disrupted and 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, then eating foods with gluten is associated with the development of the clinical picture of the disease. These products include mainly food made on the basis of or using wheat, rye and barley - cereals, baked goods and pasta from traditional flour; sweets - chocolates, sweets, cakes, waffles, ordinary cookies, ice cream, as well as alcoholic beverages made from cereals. In the absence of these products in the diet, celiac patients feel normal.

At the same time, a gluten-free diet can often be seen among the recommendations for patients without celiac disease who are overweight. What will happen to a person with normal gluten tolerance who refuses foods containing gluten?

Most likely, nothing catastrophically bad will happen. The amount of carbohydrates, simple and complex, will be significantly reduced in the diet. Because of this, the daily caloric content of the diet can be reduced. If it ends up at a level lower than the daily energy consumption, the weight can start to decrease. Again, the weight loss will not be due to the elimination of gluten from the diet, but due to a possible reduction in calorie content. That is, if you reduce it in any other way, leaving gluten foods in the diet, the weight will go away at the same rate.

Thus, weight loss on a gluten-free diet is possible, but as a side effect of eliminating excessive carbohydrate foods. At the same time, if you completely abandon carbohydrates, the body can reach a state of ketosis, which can be accompanied by discomfort and side effects. Therefore, not a gluten-free diet is more suitable for weight loss, but a balanced diet with a balanced ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. And whether gluten will be in the composition of these products or not, it is not important for 99% of people without celiac disease.