Modern Kitchen - Gluten-Free: 50 Easy Recipes for Healthy Eating, Healthy Living & Weight Loss

Gluten-Free 50 Easy Recipes for Healthy Eating, Healthy Living & Weight Loss Modern Kitchen Copyright 2017 Modern Kitchen This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

O ver the last several years, there has been a great deal of public awareness and research done concerning the condition of gluten sensitivity.

We know that the symptoms range from mild bloating after eating foods containing gluten to severe cramping and headaches. We also know that the number of people affected by gluten intolerance and celiac disease appears to be on the rise. Come and spend some time with me as you learn: What gluten is How gluten free differs from grain free What happens when your body doesnt like gluten How to tell if a product has gluten in it Strange places where gluten can hide Helpful resources for learning more about celiac disease and gluten sensitivity Why go Gluten-Free Although grains are classified as carbohydrates, about 10 to 15 percent of a kernel of grain is actually protein. The germ of the wheat that will become a new plant is mostly protein. The types of proteins vary from plant to plant, but in many grains, the most plentiful protein is gluten. In wheat, gluten makes up about 80% of the protein.

When water is added to flour made from ground-up wheat kernels, the mixture becomes an elastic, sticky substance. It is the gluten within the dough that enables bread to rise and gives it its strength and texture. Upon kneading, the gluten causes long and flexible strands to develop in the dough. Then when yeast is added to the dough, these strands capture the gases released by the yeast, and the dough rises. As the dough cooks, it cements the strands of the gluten protein into place and allows the dough to remain in a solid, expanded form. Gluten is responsible for the chewiness of bread.

Compare French baguettes with the softness and light airy texture of a cake. The differences in texture are determined by how much the gluten is developed. For chewiness, the gluten is kneaded extensively; for a cake, just a little mixing is done. Without gluten, foods like bagels, pizza, doughnuts and yeast breads would not exist as we know them today. Gluten is found in grains like spelt, kamut, wheat, rye, graham, semolina, triticale, einkorn, durum, barley, farro, and bulgur wheat. Because flours like corn and rye have no gluten in them, wheat flour has to be added to them so loaves of bread can be made out of these flours.

You see, without the gluten, yeast breads simply wouldnt get off the ground. Oats normally do not contain gluten; however, commercially processed oats can easily become contaminated with gluten due via exposure to other grains that do contain gluten. Great care must be taken in keeping grains separated during processing and storage in order to eliminate cross-contamination of gluten grains with non-gluten grains. Now that you know a little bit more about what gluten is, in the next chapter I will discuss whether or not gluten is bad for you. Gluten-Free and Celiac Disease Although celiac disease was first described nearly two thousand years ago, it has only been in the past few decades that the link between gluten and this chronic, debilitating disease has become clear. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease, one of a class of diseases where your own immune system attacks normal cells within your body.

When a person has celiac disease, antibodies are formed against gliadin, a component protein of gluten. These antibodies attack the lining of the small intestine, damaging the small finger-like projections of these cells (called villi). With repeated damage, these villi become atrophic, and their ability to absorb nutrients is lessened. Along with this malabsorption, the lining of the intestine also becomes leaky, and toxic proteins that ordinarily could not enter the bloodstream are able to pass through the intestinal wall and travel throughout the body. Whenever someone with celiac disease and to a lesser extent someone with gluten sensitivity eats a product that has gluten in it, it triggers an autoimmune response. This attack can cause inflammation in many organ systems wherever the antibodies find similar proteins to attack.

Because your body is literally fighting against itself, certain side effects result that you may not even realize are due to your gluten intake. When this happens, any of the following symptoms can occur: Fogginess Joint pain Headaches Abdominal pain Extremities becoming numb Diarrhea Bloating Fatigue Depression Fertility issues Eczema As more research is conducted in the area of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity, it has become apparent that gluten is turning out to be a real problem for many people even for many who dont even realize it. Your Gut Microbiome Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungal organisms and thats a good thing! These organisms, collectively referred to as the microbiome, help you digest food, regulate your metabolism, moderate your immune system, quell inflammation, remove toxins, and ensure efficient elimination. They also play a significant role in maintaining a healthy weight. A proliferation of bad bacteria due to chronic stress, the overuse of antibiotics, or a diet full of refined carbohydrates will result in an imbalanced microbiome. So, too, will inadequate good bacteria due to eating a diet without much fiber or probiotics.

Restoring and fostering a healthy microbiome involves eating a diet with lots of fiber-rich produce, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, as well as prebiotic foods in the form of fermentable carbohydrates to feed the good bacteria, and probiotic-rich fermented foods to supplement the good bacteria. The good news is these foods are naturally gluten-free, and many are also vegan and free of the top eight allergens. Unfortunately, even after they eliminate gluten, many people with celiac disease continue to experience gastrointestinal symptoms due to an imbalanced gut microbiome. A study published in 2003 in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found that women with celiac disease experienced greater indigestion, constipation, and abdominal pain despite adherence to a gluten-free diet. Researchers noted this could be an effect of the gluten-free diet, which can be high in easily digestible starches. Another study published in the same journal found a high prevalence of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in celiac patients who continued to experience gastrointestinal symptoms despite following a gluten-free diet.

Treatment for SIBO involves the antibiotic rifaximin, which cleared up symptoms in all patients treated in the study. Drug-free treatment options include the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which excludes starches. It is similar to (but stricter than) the Paleo Diet. The low-FODMAP diet may also alleviate symptoms of a disrupted microbiome. FODMAP sensitivity FODMAP is an acronym that denotes fermentable carbohydrates, including wheat, some dairy products, many fruits, and a wide array of vegetables. It stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols.

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