Steps to a Gluten-Free Diet for Improved Mental Health

For people with gluten intolerance, good physical and mental health requires a complete diet change. At first it can seem impossible because so many foods contain gluten.

But the popularity of the gluten-free diet is now making life just a little simpler for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities.

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website includes a plethora of information about gluten-free foods. They even have some recipes for people who can’t consume gluten, ranging from coconut chicken soup to spinach pesto, to chicken and asparagus pizza.

The website celiac.com also has a “safe gluten-free food list,” which includes items like corn, eggs, fruit and milk. Some oats are acceptable to eat, but it depends on whether or not they’ve been contaminated with gluten in processing.

For people who don’t know if they’re gluten intolerant or not, it might be time to try a trial gluten-elimination diet.

“Eliminate it from your diet for no less than four weeks and then reintroduce it,” said Heather Schrock, a nutritional therapy practitioner.

“If your symptoms return, you are sensitive. It is very important that you completely eliminate it though and that is where the difficulty may lie. Gluten is hidden in thousands of food and personal care products. That's right, even gluten in your lotion can affect someone with gluten sensitivity.”

Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, a training director at Bay Area Family Therapy & Training Associates, said in an email that there are numerous gluten-free grains that people can consume as part of a healthy diet.

For example, in order to bake bread, cookies, cakes and pizzas, people can use gluten-free flour such as tapioca, coconut, rice and corn. She added that people can now choose from some gluten-free noodles now as well.

“Changing diet may seem like a daunting task, but really, everything is out there ready to be used as substitute,” Beaudoin said.

“The main challenge is the first step: figuring out what you’ll eat at every meal. Once that transition is accomplished, the dietary change can be completely enjoyable and easy to follow.”

She also said that in order to find out if you’re intolerant to gluten, you can take a test, but you have to be eating gluten at the time so the blood test shows your body’s reaction to gluten. Or you can try the elimination diet and go off of the potential reduction of negative symptoms.

Dr. Wendie Trubow, the quality director of Visions HealthCare who has celiac disease, said in an email that sometimes people who eliminate gluten from their diets will have a “washout period” where they feel worse during the elimination time period.

However, she said it’s best for people to stick with a gluten-free diet for at least two weeks, and then reintroduce gluten for two days at every meal to see if they are really tolerant or not.

She added that people on a gluten-free diet still have plenty of food options, such as an assortment of rices like jasmine, brown, basmati and wild rice. Buckwheat, quinoa and millet are also grains that are gluten-free. She suggests putting them in a rice cooker to save time in food preparation.

There are a potpourri of websites and resources that contain gluten-free foods, recipes, and even lists of gluten-free (or gluten-free friendly) restaurants.

What are your favorite gluten-free resources, and what are some gluten-free foods you enjoy eating? Do you have any special gluten-free recipes you like using?

Steps to a Gluten-Free Diet for Improved Mental Health

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Gluten free diet

A gluten free diet is a diet completely free of ingredients containing gluten, a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye and triticale. Gluten constitutes about 80% of the proteins contained in wheat and is responsible for the flexibility of kneaded dough. Those with celiac disease (CD) and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH- the skin manifestation of CD characterized by chronic, extremely itchy rash consisting of bumps and blisters), who are gluten intolerant, must strictly follow this diet.

Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that affects one in 133 Americans. The disease seems to most affect people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it may also affect Hispanic, Black and Asian populations. Those affected suffer damage to regions of their intestines if they consume gluten. Oats have traditionally been considered to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies have shown otherwise. This research is ongoing and it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.

A gluten free diet may also be helpful for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders, although currently there are no high quality human trials available to support this claim.

A gluten free diet is a diet completely free of ingredients containing gluten, a protein found in wheat (including kamut and spelt), barley, rye and triticale. Gluten constitutes about 80% of the proteins contained in wheat and is responsible for the flexibility of kneaded dough. Those with celiac disease (CD) and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH- the skin manifestation of CD characterized by chronic, extremely itchy rash consisting of bumps and blisters), who are gluten intolerant, must strictly follow this diet.

Celiac disease is a genetic disorder that affects one in 133 Americans. The disease seems to most affect people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it may also affect Hispanic, Black and Asian populations. Those affected suffer damage to regions of their intestines if they consume gluten. Oats have traditionally been considered to be toxic to celiacs, but recent scientific studies have shown otherwise. This research is ongoing and it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.

A gluten free diet may also be helpful for persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune disorders, although currently there are no high quality human trials available to support this claim.

Gluten free diet

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7 Foods That Sabotage Your Diet

We've followed all of the weight-loss rules, trading our lunchtime burger and fries for a salad, cutting back on snack foods and sweets, choosing fat-free over full-fat whenever possible. So if we're doing everything right, why is the needle on the scale stuck—or worse, moving in the wrong direction? 

Even when we have the best of intentions, something as simple as a healthy but oversize snack can make us gain weight rather than lose. But finding small ways to save just 100 calories a day can take off 10 pounds in a year. With help from a few nutrition experts, we've put together this list of red-flag foods and some simple strategies to keep them from undermining your weight-loss efforts. 

1. PRE-MEASURED PACKS 
Are 100-calorie snack packs a part of your stay-slim repertoire? As it turns out, these pre-portioned treats may do more harm than good. When researchers from the Netherlands gave TV-watching students either two large bags of potato chips or several portion-controlled ones, those with the smaller bags ate twice as many chips. If you find yourself reaching for a second 100-calorie bag, leave the empty pack in plain sight: Previous research has shown that people consume less food when they can see what they've already eaten. 

2. "DIET" TREATS 
Fat-free and sugar-free don't necessarily mean low-calorie. For example, one brand of reduced-fat chocolate chip cookie supplies 47 calories—just 6 less than a regular cookie. Plus, studies show that people who are overweight take in twice as many calories when they eat low-fat snacks rather than the regular versions. If you have a cookie craving, advises Katherine Brooking, RD, a New York City-based dietitian, go for the real thing—but limit yourself to 150 calories' worth. 

3. LIQUID CALORIES 
A couple of cups of cappuccino (each with 2 teaspoons of sugar) and a couple of cups of tea (each with 2 teaspoons of honey) add up to 150 calories in sweetener alone. Brooking recommends making do with less sweetener or switching to a zero-calorie alternative, like Splenda. Watch out for alcoholic beverages, too. Replace wine or beer with flavored club soda or sparkling water, and you can save big on calories. 

4. SUPER-SNACKS 
Eating every few hours is a good way to keep your metabolism humming, but it's easy to consume too many calories if you aren't careful. Snacks are the main culprits, particularly if they are too big and too frequent, explains Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, author of The Flexitarian Diet. Limit yourself to just two snacks a day, at about 150 calories each. And be wary of relying on energy bars as snacks; some deliver as many as 400 calories each. As a rule of thumb, a bar under 200 calories is a snack, Blatner says; anything above that counts as a meal. 

5. RICH PROTEINS 
Stick with lean proteins because higher-fat versions can have twice as many calories. Even if you measure the proper serving size, just 3 ounces of sirloin supplies 225 calories, nearly half of which come from fat. By comparison, the same amount of skinless turkey contains 144 calories, only 10 of which come from fat. And turkey sausage has 75% less saturated fat than pork sausage. Other lean protein choices include fish and beans. 

6. FAT-FREE SALAD DRESSINGS 
Often the fat is replaced with sugar, which means that your dressing still may be loaded with calories. Ironically, a salad without fat is not living up to its potential. "You need a little fat to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K and other nutrients," explains Katherine Tallmadge, RD, spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Instead, use smaller amounts of oil-based salad dressings; you'll get good-for-you fats rather than the saturated fat found in some creamy dressings. Look for ingredients like olive oil, vinegar, and herbs. 

7. BAKED POTATO CHIPS 
Yes, they're lower in fat. They're also high in calories but low in nutrients, with little fiber to fill you up. A better snack choice: popcorn. You'll get the salt and crunch of the chips in this whole grain, plus a healthy dose of fiber, all for about 65% fewer calories per cup. Look for oil-free microwave popcorn or brands that are air-popped or popped in healthful oils such as olive or canola. Adults who munch on popcorn consume up to 2 ½ times more whole grains than those who don't, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 

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7 Ways To Stay Motivated While Dieting

Diet is a dirty word for most people. Many people start a diet only to quit after just a few days or maybe a few weeks. Staying motivated to diet is difficult as you think that eating that one cookie is fine until you slip up and then become derailed both physically and mentally.

If you are truly ready to start a diet and are looking for ways to stay motivated here are seven things that you can do in order to make sure your diet is a success.

1. Set Goals that are Realistic

The most important thing that you need to do when starting a diet is to make sure that the goals that you set are realistic. If you set your goal to lose 30 pounds within a month or two, you are setting yourself up for failure. You are going to be more successful with a diet if you focus on your health and create eating strategies that are sensible.

2. Go Slow

Making changes to your lifestyle is difficult and you want to make sure that you give yourself time to adjust. Start out slowly. Consider cutting out just 200 calories per day from your diet. If you do this you will lose between one and two pounds a week, which is a healthy weight loss that can be sustained over time.

3. Expect Set backs

Remember, at some point you are going to give in to your temptations. Allow for this. Treating yourself to a hot fudge sundae or other favorite desert every once in a while is okay. Remember, dieting is about moderation - one slip up does not mean that you have failed.

4. Remember You Are Not Perfect

So, you had a rough morning and then you eat a pint of ice cream for lunch. An indulgence is just an indulgence and you need to move on from it. One of the biggest problems that people have is thinking that the only way they are going to succeed is if they stick to their diet perfectly. They think that making a mistake means that they have failed and this causes them to give up entirely. The bottom line is when you screw up, forget about it and remember tomorrow is a new day.

5. Find a Friend

The people that succeed at losing weight almost always have a partner. If you are married try to get your spouse on board with you. Find a friend to help motivate you to stay on track. If no one in your life is currently ready to start a healthier lifestyle consider one of the many online programs that are available. These sites will provide you with support from outsiders that are on the same mission as you are. When you have a bad day you record it and the group will help you move on from it.

6. Reward Yourself

Going on a diet is hard and it is not always all that fun. A small reward can be a great incentive to keep going. Do not use food as a reward though. Consider a massage after losing five pounds or something else that you enjoy. Perhaps you want a night out with some friends or a great new pair of jeans. Celebrating your achievements throughout the process can be a great way to help you stay on track.

7. Create a Maintenance Plan

For most people, losing weight is the easy part it is keeping the weight off that is difficult. The most important thing to remember is that healthy eating should be a life-long goal and not just a one-time project to meet your goals. If losing weight and keeping it off has been a problem in the past make sure to devise a maintenance plan before you start. Sometimes consulting an expert is the best way to create a diet and exercise plan that will work for you.

7 Ways To Stay Motivated While Dieting

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Paleo Diet

While archeologists continue to find long buried - and often highly preserved - bodies of our great ancestors who perished many thousands of years previously, there is one thing that the majority will agree upon. This is that our fore bearers were physiologically extremely fit, with physiques that were designed to encourage power and speed when living upon their wits. Perhaps unsurprisingly many of the traits needed for a classic hunter-gather lifestyle are still in demand within contemporary society, and an entire culture has risen based upon the advantages of following a strictly Paleo diet.

As much as modern diets tend to encourage either occasional days of fasting, or limiting calorific diet, the Paleo diet is near enough to being the exact opposite. Were we lucky enough to be able to discuss and compare our lifestyles with those of our ancestors, the simple truth that we would learn would be that food is there to be consumed - as much as possible - whenever available. In a world without refrigeration (or convenience stores) the fact is that when a prey or harvest was brought into the group, it would be devoured as swiftly as possible before the food began to perish and spoil.

Before becoming too excited, the Paleo diet is based upon the notion that food is a scarce resource that absorbs the overwhelming amount of our ancestors time. Forget any notions of a happy caveman at one with nature, the fact is that throughout the dawning years of human civilization life was a struggle exclusively centered upon surviving until the next day. To achieve this groups had to be mobile, and tribes tended to be commonly on the move in the search of animal prey and in according to the movement of the seasons.

Thankfully today everything needed to follow such a diet is available at incredible convenience, and the advantages of following a diet that removes processed or refined foods is well known to researchers. Such diets tend to be focussed very much upon maximizing the amount of protein that will be consumed - however far from being a carnivores delight the truth is that such proteins are found from a wide variety of sources. Research suggests that fish and scavenged nuts provided far more calorific energy that prime steaks during this period - not a bad thing at all remembering that oily fresh fish is far better for the body than cuts from mammals that will invariably be stacked with unhealthy fats.

By no means ought it to be assumed that a Paleo diet is all about eating fish and meat - the fact is that when combined with other traditional foodstuffs - collected and distributed through modern day knowledge - the diet ought to be exceedingly rich in minerals and nutrients. For our ancestors, bringing down a deer or other such mammal could never be guaranteed, especially enough to feed larger groups, therefore gathering berries, herbs and fruits was a far more lucrative means of ensuring future survival. With such foodstuffs often considered today to be ranked among the 'super-foods' it's no surprise that enjoying such a diet can be incredibly good for overall health, and especially the digestive tract.

As a diet it is ideal when combined with modern processes - there should be nobody out there who is going to have to eat their meat anyway they dislike it. Indeed archeological evidence implies that for tribes on the move, being able to set up camp and slow cook meats over open fires was the preferable way of not just cooking but also curing the food for future use. All it needs is to cut out the refined, starchy foods that would be alien to our fore-bearers and there is no reason why a rich, slow cooked stew cannot be exceedingly healthy, packed with protein and essential vitamins. Perhaps it's best just to play a nod to ancestry, and acknowledge that the Paleo method offer a hearty, and versatile menu that is truly the most traditional - and long serving - of diets.

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Steps To A Gluten-Free Diet For Improved Mental Health

For people with gluten intolerance, good physical and mental health requires a complete diet change. At first it can seem impossible because so many foods contain gluten.

But the popularity of the gluten-free diet is now making life just a little simpler for people with celiac disease and gluten sensitivities.

The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness website includes a plethora of information about gluten-free foods. They even have some recipes for people who can’t consume gluten, ranging from coconut chicken soup to spinach pesto, to chicken and asparagus pizza.

The website celiac.com also has a “safe gluten-free food list,” which includes items like corn, eggs, fruit and milk. Some oats are acceptable to eat, but it depends on whether or not they’ve been contaminated with gluten in processing.

For people who don’t know if they’re gluten intolerant or not, it might be time to try a trial gluten-elimination diet.

“Eliminate it from your diet for no less than four weeks and then reintroduce it,” said Heather Schrock, a nutritional therapy practitioner.

“If your symptoms return, you are sensitive. It is very important that you completely eliminate it though and that is where the difficulty may lie. Gluten is hidden in thousands of food and personal care products. That's right, even gluten in your lotion can affect someone with gluten sensitivity.”

Marie-Nathalie Beaudoin, a training director at Bay Area Family Therapy & Training Associates, said in an email that there are numerous gluten-free grains that people can consume as part of a healthy diet.

For example, in order to bake bread, cookies, cakes and pizzas, people can use gluten-free flour such as tapioca, coconut, rice and corn. She added that people can now choose from some gluten-free noodles now as well.

“Changing diet may seem like a daunting task, but really, everything is out there ready to be used as substitute,” Beaudoin said.

“The main challenge is the first step: figuring out what you’ll eat at every meal. Once that transition is accomplished, the dietary change can be completely enjoyable and easy to follow.”

She also said that in order to find out if you’re intolerant to gluten, you can take a test, but you have to be eating gluten at the time so the blood test shows your body’s reaction to gluten. Or you can try the elimination diet and go off of the potential reduction of negative symptoms.

Dr. Wendie Trubow, the quality director of Visions HealthCare who has celiac disease, said in an email that sometimes people who eliminate gluten from their diets will have a “washout period” where they feel worse during the elimination time period.

However, she said it’s best for people to stick with a gluten-free diet for at least two weeks, and then reintroduce gluten for two days at every meal to see if they are really tolerant or not.

She added that people on a gluten-free diet still have plenty of food options, such as an assortment of rices like jasmine, brown, basmati and wild rice. Buckwheat, quinoa and millet are also grains that are gluten-free. She suggests putting them in a rice cooker to save time in food preparation.

There are a potpourri of websites and resources that contain gluten-free foods, recipes, and even lists of gluten-free (or gluten-free friendly) restaurants.

Read More