Beneficial or harmful? A nutritionist named the pros and cons of a gluten-free diet

nutritionist, endocrinologist of the “Semeynaya” clinic network

“Gluten-free diet can be called one of the fashionable trends of proper nutrition. Suffice it to say that in 2019 the turnover market of gluten-free products reached $ 7 billion. True, then the craze for this diet went down, and sales, accordingly, fell, and many doctors said that you can not just give up gluten. Nevertheless, this diet is still in demand among those who want to lose extra pounds quickly. However, how safe is it?”

What is gluten and why do some people need to eliminate it from their diet?

From the point of view of doctors, a gluten-free diet is primarily a therapeutic diet, which is prescribed for certain indications. Those who cannot tolerate gluten, who have allergic reactions to it, should exclude it from their diet.

Gluten is a group of proteins that are part of cereal plants (rye, barley, wheat). It is responsible for the elasticity and elasticity of the dough, for that amazing muffin flavor that we all love so much in baked goods. Simply put, it’s gluten.

The most common condition in which gluten intolerance is noted is celiac disease. In this case, the component is not broken down in the small intestine, which causes damage to the mucosa of the small intestine and leads to serious malfunctions in the body, pain, skin problems. With intolerance to cereal protein, a person must follow a gluten-free diet for life.

However, this diet has gone beyond therapeutic and has become popular, including in healthy people. For the simple reason that products made from the highest grade of flour – the very ones with a mellow flavor and firm texture – have a noticeable effect on body weight. Fascination with buns sooner or later leads to overweight, because it is no coincidence that nutritionists call white flour useless.

The benefits and harms of a gluten-free diet

Undoubtedly, the refusal of refined products contributes to weight loss. However, the very principle of gluten-free diet requires more complex changes in the diet than replacing white bread with buckwheat bread, and ordinary pasta, for example, amaranth pasta. After all, gluten is contained not only in gluten, but also in such products as barley malt, soy sauce, any batter, everything based on oats (including oat milk, which is a favorite of many), yogurts with cereals and cereals – pearl, semolina, bulgur, couscous, spelt.

Exclude all this from the diet without medical indications is not worth it, because cereals and grains – a treasure trove of very important and useful complex carbohydrates. Their use normalizes the cardiovascular system, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

It is also worth adding that gluten-free products usually do not contain important vitamins and trace elements, especially zinc, magnesium, selenium, folic acid, fiber. If a person is forced to adhere to a gluten-free diet for health reasons, the doctor will necessarily recommend vitamin complexes. Self-appointment of this type of diet will inevitably lead to an impoverished diet and health consequences.

Products recommended for a gluten-free diet

If still gluten-free diet is necessary and important, then when switching to it, you need to adhere to a few basic recommendations.

1. Any gluten-free product should be introduced into the diet with caution, testing the allergic reactions of the body.
2. The use of rice should be limited, because in large quantities it can disrupt the gastrointestinal tract and provoke various diseases and weight gain.
3. Flour can be used corn flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, amaranth flour.
4. All kinds of fish, poultry and meat, root vegetables can be consumed.

Switch to a new diet and learn how to combine gluten-free ingredients, the sample weekly menu will help.

Example of a weekly menu for a gluten-free diet

Monday

• Breakfast: yogurt with fruit slices.
• Lunch: chicken soup with rice and potatoes, salad “Spring Freshness” (cabbage, cucumber, radish, corn, greens).
• Dinner: baked meat with vegetables, buckwheat bread.

Tuesday

• Breakfast: omelet with greens and tomatoes.
• Lunch: baked chicken with boiled young potatoes.
• Dinner: fritters with zucchini and cherry tomatoes on rice flour.

Wednesday

• Breakfast: quinoa with fresh berries and almonds.
• Lunch: boiled tuna with amaranth paste.
• Dinner: boiled beef with broccoli and sweet and sour sauce.

Thursday

• Breakfast: corn baguette with avocado.
• Lunch: vegetable stew with eggplant and zucchini.
• Dinner: chum salmon with arugula and green peas.

Friday

• Breakfast: cottage cheese with banana, raspberries and cinnamon.
• Lunch: cornmeal tortilla with chicken and vegetables.
• Dinner: baked salmon with vegetables.

Saturday

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
• Lunch: stuffed chicken with rice and vegetables.
• Dinner: stuffed peppers with vegetable salad.

Sunday

• Breakfast: rice pancakes with sour cream.
• Lunch: Caesar salad with corn bread croutons, quinoa.
• Dinner: grilled veal with baked vegetables.

The above menu is perfectly balanced, contains different dishes that can not be called unpalatable at all. And this proves that, even adhering to a diet (quite strict, which is the gluten-free diet), you can eat tasty and varied.

You can use this menu and the principles of gluten-free diet as a temporary measure, if you need a low-calorie diet or for the purpose of food variety. However, it is still not advisable to completely switch to a gluten-free diet unless there are medical indications.