Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Inflammation: Gluten

Athletes pioneer in nutrition, for obvious reasons.  They want their bodies to work at peak performance.   Inflammation interferes, again, for obvious reasons.  Researchers have found a culprit in the inflammation process:  gluten, the protein in wheat.   The findings apply to normal people, not just the people with celiac disease.  Celiac disease, an autoimmune condition,  makes the person who has it completely incapable of tolerating gluten.  The inflammation in the celiacs' bowel makes little hairlike cells, call celia, lay down flat, hence the name, celiac disease.  Someone with celiac disease becomes very ill with inflammation of their GI tract if they eat gluten.  They suffer with constipation; diarrhea; bloating and gas; fatigue; depression.  Untreated, celiac disease leads to low bone density, dangerous weight loss, and anemia.

For the normal, in the sense of not having an autoimmune disease, athlete, a low gluten diet improves digestion and absorption of nutrients.  They look to other forms of carbs, rather than wheat and flour carbs.  That means less bread and bagels; fewer pretzels and crackers.  They find substitutes for pasta.  Sugary foods, like cookies, pastry and cake, are loaded with empty calories.  They are high gluten and athletes avoid them anyway.  When athletes reduce their gluten intake, they improve their recovery from strenuous exercise, reduce susceptibility to colds.  They have more energy.   When they are stressed, the stress is less likely to show up as heartburn, bloating, or bowel problems.

Here are some healthy carb sources that keep gluten out of your system:
1.  Fruit.  Remember, small servings for us
2.  Beans and lentils.  A serving for us is 1/3 cup.  You can add them to vegetable soup, stews and gumbo.  Hummus, made with chickpeas, is a great dip with celery or other raw vegetable dippers.  Bean dips are good that way, too.
3.  Sweet potatoes, winter squash, peas, potatoes and corn.  These are starchy vegetable, high in carbohydrate.  They are nutrient rich and great sources of fiber.  Remember to limit the amount you eat for your blood sugar's sake.
4.  Oatmeal, quinoa, rice and amaranth.  You've heard of oatmeal and rice, for sure.  Quinoa and amaranth may be more mysterious to you.  You can have these grains and products made from them in small quantities.  Quinoa makes a lovely pilaf and it substitutes beautifully for wheat in tabbouleh.

Reducing carbs means substituting vegetables for carb-rich food.  Here are some substitutes for wheat products:
1.  Instead of a sandwich with bread, make a lettuce wrap.  Wrap whatever you'd put into a sandwich in a leaf of Romaine or other leafy lettuce. 
2.  Make your favorite mac and cheese with cooked vegetables instead of macaroni.  Broccoli or cauliflower florets work beautifully with the cheese.
3.  Lasagne noodles pack lots of carbs.  Layers of eggplant slices, pre-baked, make a wonderful substitute.
4.  Pizza?  Whatever you like on you pizza, put it on a bed of greens.  Tastiest salad you ever ate.
5.  Wheat noodle and spaghetti have a tofu counterpart, shiritaki.  The Chinese call shiritaki "long tofu."  It takes on the flavor of whatever you combine it with, having little flavor of it's own You can find it in the refrigerated section of a natural foods groceries or order it online.  You must rinse it well to remove it's "fragrance."  Heat it in soup, sauce or anything you'd use spaghetti for.

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