A gluten-free diet is a healthy 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 diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Gluten (gluten) is a complex of vegetable proteins (prolamins, glutenins) found in cereals such as wheat, oats, rye, etc.
Who is the diet suitable for?
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 foods containing gluten in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and neurological diseases can lead to the following consequences:
- It causes chronic inflammation of the small intestine, which allows pathogenic bacteria and toxins to enter the bloodstream.
- Violates the balance of the intestinal flora and leads to an increased multiplication of pathogenic bacteria.
- It interferes with digestive processes by the attachment of villi to the walls of the small intestine, which are designed to digest and assimilate proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.
- Causes autoimmune diseases when the immune system releases antibodies against gluten molecules that attack not only the gastrointestinal tract but also gluten-like proteins in the cells of the thyroid, heart and nervous system. This is how autoimmune thyroiditis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, dermatitis, infertility and early menopause develop.
The presence in the diet of foods containing gluten is manifested in constant stool disorders (constipation, diarrhea), flatulence, frequent edema, tooth decay, as well as the appearance of ulcers on the oral mucosa and constant rashes.
In most cases, gluten intolerance leads to iron deficiency anemia, which manifests itself in 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: 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 cereals, including bread, lavash, cakes, biscuits, grain breads;
- Cereals (oatmeal, oatmeal, bulgur, pearl barley);
- Bran from these cereals;
- Products with a small amount of wheat flour in the composition (stock cubes, soy sauce, buckwheat noodles, sausages and canned goods, crab sticks, mayonnaise, ketchup, tea bags, yogurt, ice cream);
- Chocolates, jams, caramel;
- Kvass, beer and other alcoholic beverages made from cereals;
- Coffee with flavorings and additives, decaffeinated coffee;
- Products with production-related "traces of gluten", namely table vinegar, corn starch, semolina, some types of cheese, dry spices and spices, etc.
Due to the presence of hidden gluten in food, the diet will not be effective, since inflammatory processes in the intestine will 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".
By following 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 milk products from our own 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 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: cutlet with vegetable salad.
Tuesday
- Breakfast: rice porridge, coffee with soy milk;
- Lunch: broccoli puree soup, gluten-free pork dumplings;
- Afternoon snack: banana, 5 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 mandarins, pumpkin seeds;
- Dinner: baked 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: cheesecake 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 mash, coffee;
- Lunch: borscht, veal cabbage rolls, green salad;
- Afternoon snack: various fruits;
- Dinner: cottage cheese with honey.
Sunday
- Breakfast: hummus with carrots and peppers, tea;
- Lunch: okroshka on homemade kefir, fish casserole, salad;
- Afternoon snack: strawberries, currants, raspberries;
- Dinner: French salad with meat, peppers and tomatoes.
For a child
A gluten-free diet is a must for children with celiac disease, autism, and gastrointestinal disorders. For additional indications (for example, iron deficiency anemia and other pathologies of nutrient absorption), children under 3 years of age are prescribed a gluten-free diet.
Gluten-free food for children can be not only healthy, but also tasty, because, 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 congee, banana;
- Lunch: cheesecake with fruit topping, compote;
- Lunch: borscht with sour cream and gluten-free croutons, dried fruit candies;
- 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 pasta, 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 requirement 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.
To lose weight
Lose weight on a gluten-free diet is done by removing fast, gluten-containing carbohydrates from the diet. In this case, it is necessary to take into account the calorie content of the products.
A gluten-free weight loss diet will help reduce weight by 2-3 kilograms per week, provided the optimal daily calorie intake is optimal, there is not overeating and the following principles are observed:
- eat 4 times a day without snacks;
- drink 1. 5-2 liters of water per day;
- there are sufficient quantities 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 sugar substitutes, as all of these products cause an increased appetite;
- Do not eat anything 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 gluten-free menu usually consists of meat, vegetable and dairy dishes. To add to your diet, you can use gluten-free recipes and baked goods made with a variety of gluten-free flours.
Chicken breast meatballs with mashed potatoes
For cooking, 1-2 chicken breasts, salt, black pepper, oil for frying, 0. 5 kg of potatoes, 50 grams of sour cream for dressing are needed.
Peel the potatoes, add water, season with salt and cook until soft. At this point, the breast should be washed, cut into thin slices over the fibers, chop off each piece from both sides, salt and pepper.
Drain the water with the finished potatoes from the pot, add the sour cream and puree with a mixer. Put the mashed potatoes on plates, sprinkle with dill and start cooking the chops.
Chops are cooked in a hot pan with butter, and the meat is fried on both sides for 2-4 minutes. However, it is important not to dry out the meat as the chops will become dry and chewy.
Chicken meatballs are placed on the side dish and served immediately after cooking.
Rice flour sponge cake in a slow cooker
To make a biscuit, you will need 6 eggs, 180 grams of sugar, 150 grams of rice flour, vanillin, lemon peel, butter or vegetable oil for lubrication.
First of all, it is necessary to separate the egg whites from the yolks and intensely beat the yolks with sugar and vanilla for 4-5 minutes until the sugar dissolves and the volume of the mixture doubles. Then, in a separate bowl, the whites are pounded into a thick foam for 8-10 minutes. After that, lemon peel and rice flour are added to the egg yolk and mixed thoroughly with a spoon. Little by little, proteins are added to the dough until the mass becomes homogeneous.
A bowl for a multicooker is greased with oil, the dough is poured and, depending on the model of the multicooker, put in the baking mode for 40-50 minutes. Check the readiness of the biscuit with a match.
Gluten-free cornmeal 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 smash eggs, sugar and vanillin until the sugar dissolves and there is foam, add softened butter, warm milk and beat again. Next, you should stir all the ingredients until smooth and pour them 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 nutritional principles for life.