Gluten Free
Gluten Free - we seem to hear the phrase from every person interested in healthy diet... healthy nutrition. It is not a new phenomenon in health care, but it is certainly one about which more people are paying attention. I don't believe a week goes by without speaking with someone who is impacted, either personally or through a loved one or a friend.
Foods, Diets, Recipes, and Eating Out
Gluten Free Recipes (COMPLIMENTARY eBook)
Eating Gluten Free – Why?
Celiac Sprue is a genetic disease known to impact 1 of every 133 people in the US. Because it is genetic, each generation seems to have a much higher risk and should be tested early on so that proper health care can be initiated at an early age.
Celiac disease presents itself in people who eat foods containing gluten, setting off an autoimmune response that causes damage to the small intestine. The damage later causes the small intestine to lose its ability to absorb the nutrients found in food… leading ultimately to potential malnutrition and various other complications.
The symptoms vary from chronic diarrhea to chronic constipation, and may include depression, anemia, inability to gain weight and the early onset of osteoporosis. Some patients present with anxiety, Attention Deficit Disorder, diabetes or Autism. For more information about this disease, please visit www.celiac.com or www.celiac.org.
Unfortunately, everything that is known about Celiac indicates it is incurable, but is manageable by strict adherence to a gluten free diet. When the body experiences gluten in the digestive tract, it engages in serious battle with the gluten - - damaging the tiny hair like projections known as villi which are found in the small intestines. The normal job of these villi is to absorb nutrients from the food that passes through the digestive tract.
Over the course of time, the intestines can become damaged so badly they simply fail to absorb any nutrients; the person eats and eats and eats… yet are actually starving to death because the food nutrients pass right through them. Because the nutrients the body fails to absorb differ from patient to patient, some doctors fail to properly diagnose a patient who may happen to present with extra body weight.
If you are concerned you may be experiencing a gluten intolerance, what is your next best step? Research the disease and become personally knowledgeable about it so that when you take your next step – that all important visit to the physician, you can talk openly about your concerns and participate in your own well-care at the highest possible level. If your test results come back negative, but you still have some concern, don’t hesitate discussing a gluten free diet with your doctor and try it for a while to see what changes you experience in your health.
Foods, Diets, Recipes, and Eating Out
Eating becomes more complicated if you are diagnosed with gluten. You will be refrained from eating anything derived from wheat, rye and barley, and possible oats as well. Gone are the privileges of having a good malt beer, enriched bread products, pasta, Teriyaki sauces, most canned soups, and some chocolate products. You will have to embrace eating more of all fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh meats with no fillers, eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt, steak, pork and chicken. The list is of course much larger than this, but you will find what works best for you as you continue your research.
Finding gluten free foods and ingredients is becoming an easier task – most stores are willing to meet the needs of this growing niche of customers. Just be on the look out for gluten free chips, puddings, juices, etc. Health Food stores are the best place to look for ingredients if you are planning to bake or convert to gluten free recipes and cooking. They can be found near your home in most cases, and now in greater number as Internet Stores. A word of caution about buying in bulk before you try and being cautious about the shipping costs.
If your lifestyle calls for you to eat out – make a list of restaurants who cater to the gluten free diet. Be very specific that not only can you not eat “wheat” – you cannot eat flour, wheat starch or anything made from those ingredients, such as croutons. I was able to research and create a list of places you can trust to work with your diet concerns. You might want to review their websites before you make a selection, and if the particular franchise owner is not as amenable as you would like… choose the next one who will!
Gluten Friendly Restaurants
- Outback Steak House
- PF Chang's
- Wendy's
- Mcdonalds
- Chick Fil A
- Dairy Queen
- Jamba Juice
- Carrabba's Italian Grill
- TCBY
- Chilis
- Old Spaghetti Factory
- Wingers
Complimentary eBook
I trust you have found this information valuable. If your interest in healthy nutriition and gluten free eating is more than a passing one, and you would like to receive new information as it comes my way, please feel free to subscribe to Vital Nutrition and receive a complimentary 145 page Gluten Free Cookbook that will start you off on the right foot. You are also welcome to forward or gift this information to a friend or loved one.
Jan Vitale... the nutrition nanny
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