Category: Diet and Nutrition

Many of you are following a low sugar and/or gluten or grain free diet, and I commend you for your discipline in avoiding things like pastries, bread, and desserts. You may have noticed many alternative baked goods popping up that are gluten free and even sugar free. I came up with a recipe for Banana Bread that is too good not to share. It includes coconut flour and coconut oil as a healthier alternative to butter and wheat flour. Coconut contains medium chain triglycerides that are heart-healthy readily used as energy. The almond flour provides a boost of omega 3’s and add flax meal for even more healthy fatty acids!  This is just a base recipe, so I encourage you to make it your own. Enjoy!

1 1/2 c almond flour

1/4 c coconut flour

1 tspn baking powder

1 tspn baking soda

1/2 tspn salt

3 eggs

1 tspn vanilla

4 tbspn coconut oil

3-4 mashed bananas

*Optional: 

2 tbspn flax meal

2 tbspn raw honey (for added sweetness)

1-2 tbspn shredded coconut

*Additions:  dried cranberries, raisins, zucchini, pineapple, dark chocolate chips, or anything else you can think of!

Mix dry ingredients until all the clumps are gone. Separately, mix wet ingredients until blended. Blend dry and wet ingredients together until smooth, pour into greased (use coconut oil) bread loaf pan and sprinkle with dried coconut (if you are using) and bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes. Use a toothpick to check the center, bread is done when edges are slightly brown and toothpick comes out clean.

 

I recently attended a Raw Food Expo in Sedona, AZ and opened my eyes to how “extreme” some people are willing to go to eat healthy and clean. If you follow a “raw” diet, you don’t eat anything cooked over 105 degrees. Raw dieters are 100% vegan, don’t eat anything processed, and avoid nearly all grains. Basically, they eat the epitome of “rabbit food”!

Initially, I was skeptical of this diet. Having transitioned to a mostly vegetarian, nearly vegan diet myself, I still held onto a shred of belief that without some fish and eggs you would have difficulty meeting your protein and B12 requirements. (For you carnivores reading this, stay with me… there is some valuable information to be learned from raw foodies.) The most common question any vegetarian/vegan/raw foodie is asked is “how do you get your protein?” The question we should all be asking is “how much protein are you absorbing?” The answer has to do with enzymes.

There are a number of different enzymes necessary for proper digestion and absorption of food and therefore nutrients. Our body produces these enzymes, but our natural production declines as we age, starting at around age 30. We also obtain these enzymes in the food we eat. Problem is, these enzymes are destryed when food is cooked. So, we don’t produce them naturally as we age and we cook our food which in turn destroys those enzymes. The result, in addition to other digestive health complaints, is poor absorption of nutrients from our food.

All plant foods contain protein (one cup of broccoli contains almost 6 grams). Proteins are made up of amino acids, some of which our bodies can only get from our food. While animal proteins contain all of the necessary amino acids in the right amounts, plant foods contain all of the amino acids but are generally low in one (called limiting amino acid). Conventional nutrition taught us to eat complete proteins (foods containing all of the essential amino acids, in the proper amounts). If you were a vegetarian, you were supposed to use “food combining” to obtain all of the essential amino acids through plant sources. The best example of this is beans and rice. Between these two foods, all essential amino acids can be obtained. But recent studies and science have concluded that our bodies are smart enough to “sort through” the amino acids we eat and as long as you eat a variety of plant foods, you will achieve a complete protein, and it doesn’t even have to be at the same meal or even in the same day!

Animal protein, while it does contain all of the essential amino acids, is acidic to the body. Plants (nearly all of them) are alkalizing. Your blood prefers to be more alkaline, and acidity in the blood leads to numerious health problems from kidney stones to cancer. And if you’re not buying organic, hormone free meat or dairy, you’re also ingesting a host of pesticides, antibiotics, and other toxins that accumulate in your body.   

By eating raw plant food (vegetables, seeds, nuts, fruit), we can obtain all of the necessary amino acids (protein) AND the enzymes necessary for proper digestion and absorption. If you’re not ready to become a rabbit food eating, green juice drinking vegan, there are still things you can do to ensure proper absorption of protein and other nutrients.

1) Include MORE raw plant foods in your diet

2) Consider taking PLANT BASED ENZYMES with meals (found at any health food store) 

3) Reduce the amount of animal protein you consume

4) Remember, when it comes to protein, more is not necessarily better. Quality over Quantity!

Thanks for reading!

 

If you haven’t noticed the new “Gluten Free” trend, you haven’t been paying attention. Similar to when the Atkins diet was popular, restaurants and grocery stores responded with carb-free items, Gluten Free has taken the diet and food industry by storm and is bombarding us with wheat/gluten free options. But is it necessary for everyone to go “Gluten Free”?

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in processed wheat products and other grains, responsible for the elastic texture in dough. Foods containing gluten include:

Cereal, Pasta, Wheat Flour, Cookies, Crackers, Soy Sauce, Desserts, Bagels, CousCous, Barley, Oats, Candy, Pretzels, Mustard, Gravy, Immitation Crab, Sausages, some Pharmaceutical Products.

What Is Gluten Intolerance and Celiac Disease?

To start, it is important to know about Celiac Disease… a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine and prevents it from absorbing nutrients from food. This damage is due to eating gluten. The list of symptoms caused by Celiac Disease range from run of the mill gastrointestinal disturbances to even more serious symptoms due to the lack of nutrients absorbed by the body. If you have Celiac Disease, you can become extremely ill from ingesting even small amounts of gluten. To determine if you have Celiac Disease, there are tests that can be administered by your doctor. However, Celiac affects only about 1 in 100 people. So if you don’t have full blown Celiac Disease, could you have a “Gluten Intolerance”? About 15% of the population (including those with Celiac) have a “Gluten Intolerance” or sensitivity. The symptoms can often be the similar for both those with Celiac and those with a milder intolerance or sensitivity. There is a spectrum of reactivity to gluten, with those with Celiac being at the worst end of it. So how do you know if you have a gluten sensitivity? The easiest way to determine your level of tolerance is to eliminate gluten from your diet entirely, which is very difficult to do since gluten is used in many unsuspecting foods (soy sauce, processed meats). You would need to follow a gluten free diet for at least a couple of weeks and re-evaluate your symptoms to determine if there is any improvement in your energy, digestion, skin, and overall well being. Or, there are blood tests that some doctors perform to look for certain anti-bodies in your body specific to gluten. If you are concerned about Celiac or a Gluten Intolerance, you should seek professional help from your doctor, preferrably a Gastrointestinal doctor.

What Changed With Wheat?

Over the course of the last 50 years, hybridization of wheat to create a shorter, more durable plant has created an entirely new wheat that is, coincidentally, higher in gluten. The wheat we eat today is literally only a distant relative of the wheat our great grandparents ate.

Gluten Free and Weight Loss

There is really no correlation between following a gluten free diet and weight loss. Some followers of gluten free diets claim they feel less bloated, and maybe have even lost a few pounds. If they truly have a Gluten Intolerance, that could cause excess bloating, and eliminating gluten could therefore result in some weight loss. However, I suspect gluten free dieters have eliminated many foods that contribute to weight gain (baked foods, bread, cookies, crackers, and desserts) and that is the true cause of said weight loss. Such is the case with most elimination diets… by getting rid of the junk, you lose weight.

Conclusion

Eliminating certain gluten containing foods can not only be better for your health, but could help you lose weight if you are replacing those foods with fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods. Steer clear of “gluten free” products that are just high-calorie, high-sugar alternatives to their gluten containing counterparts (gluten free pretzels, cookies, bread, pizza, etc.) If you are concerned about Gluten Intolerance or Celiac, you should see your doctor. It certainly doesn’t hurt to try an elimination diet and see how you feel. You know your body better than anyone, and if you can become attuned to what foods make you react negatively, you are well on your way to feeling more energized and healthy. The journey to discovering the best path to health for you can be long and sometimes confusing, but listen to your body and it won’t let you down.

Thanks for reading!

Tara

Sources:

Barbara Toman, July 2010, Mayo Clinic Online Research Magazine

Anna Wild, Gluten Free Network

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