Why gluten is so "out" right now

Hey there little Nutrinutters!

Anyone out there have a friend or family member that has told you to eliminate gluten because it is evil? But you, being a science man/woman (am I pushing my luck here? lol) questioned and never fully understood why?

A new trend started a few years ago in which gluten was labeled as being “bad for you” and to be avoided at all cost. But before reaching such conclusions, let’s try to better understand why gluten affects some. Most commonly known as celiac disease, happens when the part of your gut responsible for absorbing nutrients known as villi, is damaged by the frequent consumption of the grains wheat, rye and barley. This happens because these grains causes your immune system to react. Below is an image showing the difference between a healthy gut and one affected by celiac disease:

 Since the absorption of nutrients is affected, some deficiencies may develop in your body such as in the case of anemia, osteoporosis and even cause weight loss. A variety of symptoms may occur affecting people in different ways. The most common ones are: nausea, bloating, diarrhea or constipation (or both), lactose intolerance, anemia (may come with feeling extremely fatigue), weight loss, migraines, irritation of the skin (dermatitis herpetiformis).

Why is it so "in" to eliminate gluten?

It has become so trendy to eliminate gluten from our diets due to the prevalence of celiac disease being 1:133; meaning that about 3 million Americans have this condition although most are not aware of it. Does this mean it is time to panic and completely eliminate gluten from your diet? Not quite. One might have the same symptoms as mentioned above for other reasons therefore before making drastic changes in the diet, a specialist must be consulted!!!

Where is Gluten found?

Products that are made from wheat, rye or barley will contain gluten. Some common foods are breads and baked products, cereals, pastas, sauces, snack foods, prepared meats, flavored coffee and teas, among others. As we can see, it is present in an extended amount of foods found in our day-to-day diet. The best way to be sure you are not consuming gluten is by reading the food label of products. Since 2004 products in the United States are required by law to say if they contain gluten or are gluten-free.

What are some gluten-free flours?

When looking for a “substitute flour”, some good options are: corn, rice, quinoa, tapioca and nut flours.

Source: Shelley Case – Author of Gluten-Free Diet: A comprehensive Resource Guide

- The Nutrinut-

Diet soda: the solution or another problem??

Important stuff my little Nutrinutters,

Calories have been for a while labeled as the great villains. “How can I possibly lose weight and fit into a size zero if even lettuce has them???” might have crossed your mind and realistically speaking who has lettuce cravings? My comfort food is chocolate…any form of it….wouldn't it be great if there were no calories in chocolate? Then we discover that there is the miracle powder that turns foods sweet without adding extra calories like in the case of sugars, the sweeteners. Seems like the most perfect solution: I eat what I love and don’t have to pay for it later in the gym..Wooo! Now we are talking!

Does anyone else think that this sounds too good to be true though?

Accumulating evidence suggests that consumers using artificial sweetened beverages on a regular basis, just like regular sugar-sweetened beverage consumers are at increased risk of weight gain, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. But wait? How does that make any sense? If I am consuming something that has no calories, such as a diet soda, how can I still be at high risk for all of those?

Although scientists (and try not to cringe at the word ) have not been able to fully explain this, observations were made based on different results from a significant amount of studies conducted on the effects caused by the frequent intake of artificial sweeteners. You might be questioning this information with the following thought process “someone with a higher body weight might want to turn to sweeteners in an attempt to lose weight; therefore it would make sense for sweeteners to be associated with weight gain and all of the others”. Seems logical, however, these results were observed in people that were not initially overweight or obese as well. So how can this be explained? 

One possibility is that sweeteners are seen as “healthy”. This allows people to think that it's alright to splurge on other “unhealthy” foods since they are compensating the calories. The famous “I can have the large fries because I’m drinking diet soda instead of regular”. Sound familiar to anyone? :)

Another way to look at this is by remembering that sweet tastes are known to cause many body responses that help you maintain energy balance. This happens due to the ability that sweet tastes have in sending signals to your gut, letting it know that nutrients have arrived in order to help with absorption and utilization of the energy from foods. In the case of artificial sweeteners, the sweet taste is still present, but the calories do not arrive. This seems pretty harmless, as long as the calories are not in my body, it works for me! The problem with this is if you are a daily or even frequent consumer of artificial sweeteners, you are weakening this association your body makes with the sweet taste reducing how efficient it will be to utilize the energy or calories received from foods. It is also believed that this affects the ability your body has in letting you know when you are full. If one does not recognize when they are full, the chances of overeating are great.

Does this mean that we are better off sticking with regular soda? Not quite…

The importance of all this or the "take home message" is just to be aware that artificial sweeteners and diet beverages are not as good as they sound. Sugar AND artificial sweeteners consumption must be monitored and done so with caution. When looking to lose weight, the best substitute for sugar sweetened drinks is still water.

-The Nutrinut-

The "MUST KNOW" 's on food labels

Hey there Nutrinutters!

Here's a good tool on how to make better choices when you are purchasing a product: 

read and compare food labels

Below is a quick (and a tad colorful!) explanation on what you should be looking for: 

Nutrition Facts Serving Size 1 cup(228g)                                                 Servings Per Container 2
Amount Per Serving
Calories 250                                 Calories from Fat 110
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 12 g	18%
Saturated Fat 3 g	15%
Trans Fat 1.5 g
Cholesterol 30 mg	10%
Sodium 470 mg	30%
Total Carbohydrate 31 g	10%
Dietary Fiber 0 g	0%
Sugars 5 g
Protein 5 g
Vitamin A	4%
Vitamin C	2%
Calcium	20%
Iron	4%

Start with serving size and number of servings in package

Eating 2 cups instead of 1, you'll get twice the nutrients in the label.

Pay attention to calories and fat

              100 calories per serving - moderate

            400 calories or more - high.

Look at % daily value. Keep in mind it's based on 2000 calorie diet.

               

-5% or less is low daily value: 
Aim low in total fat, saturated and trans fat, cholesterol and sodium.

                             Low fat – 3 g or less

                             Low saturated fat – 1 g or less

                             Low Trans Fat – 0 g

                             Low cholesterol- 20 mg or less

                             Low sodium – 140 mg or less

               
-20% or more is high daily value: 
Aim high in vitamins,minerals and fiber.

                                                                                                 High fiber – 5 g or more

Check the ingredients list: All ingredients in foods must be listed in order of descending weight. Ingredients found in largest amounts are listed first.

Limit added sugar. If it appears in the first 3 ingredients, the product is high in sugar.

The most common claims seen in food packages and their meaning:

• Low calorie- 40 calories or less per serving
• Reduced- At least 25% less of a specific nutrient or calories when compared to the original
• Good source of- Provides at least 10-19% of daily value of a nutrient per serving
• Calorie free- Less than 5 calories per serving
• Fat free/sugar free- less than 0.5g of fat or sugar per serving

-The Nutrinut-

Fiber-it-away!!

Hey there Nutrinutters!!

A little refresher as to why we should increase our fiber intake...fiber is amazing in the following: help us feel full (a trick under our sleeves to help loose/maintain weight), lower cholesterol and help control blood sugar. To understand a little better how this works, make sure to check back on "The Wonders of Fiber"  ;)

As promised, here are some simple ways to increase fiber intake in our diets:

• Choose natural oats instead of instant oatmeal. This type can still be cooked.
• Add some fruits and cinnamon for a tease of your taste buds!
• Look for 100% whole grain or 100% whole wheat breads, crackers, pastas and tortillas.
•  Add a pinch of ground flaxseed onto cereal, yogurt, salads and soups. (Don't worry, that pinch will not make your food taste all fibery...)
•  Lentils and beans are good sources of protein AND fiber. Some ideas for meals or snacks are:
•  Hummus/bean dip to have with veggies, pita chips or use as sandwich spread
• Lentil soup
• Cook brown rice with lentils

•  Add vegetables and fruits to each meal and snack you eat. Get creative!
  

•   Make quick smoothies by keeping frozen fruit in the freezer. A quick blend with yogurt or milk and you are ready to go. (oh yeah, don't forget to add a little flaxseed here too!)
• Try to eat vegetables and fruits from each color category: red, orange/yellow, blue/purple, white and green to get the most nutrients.

I'm initiating a little "chef for the day" where I'll include simple, tasty and nutritious recipes that I find interesting to share with you guys.

-cutting red tape- Initiation ceremony ;)    

 Chef for the day!

Breakfast Idea

Banana Nut Oatmeal

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1 cup of water                                                                       

1 banana sliced

1 tablespoon chopped walnuts (or other, your choice)    

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation:

Cook the oats with water in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Add banana, walnuts and cinnamon

Nutrition information:

Calories - 310

Fat - 8 g

Protein - 8 g

Carbohydrate - 57 g

Fiber - 9 g

Cholesterol - 0 g

Sodium - 0 g

Source: Health.com

Snack Idea

Black Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1 cup diced plum tomatoes (3-4 tomatoes)

1 cup black beans 
(IMPORTANT:if canned, make sure to rinse beans before using to remove extra salt)

2 tablespoons chopped scallions                                                      

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro or parsley

1 tablespoon lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

pinch of salt and black pepper

Preparation:

Couldn't get easier....blend all ingredients  :)

Nutrition Information: 
(per serving - 1/2 cup...total recipe:4 servings)

Calories: 83 kcal

Fat: 2 g

Protein: 4 g

Carbohydrate: 11 g

Fiber: 4 g

Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: Depends on how much salt is added

Source: Eating Well

Bon Appetit!!!!

-The Nutrinut-

The Wonders of Fiber

Salut Nutrinutters!

Let's talk a little about fiber....

Is this something anybody out there thinks about? How about when reading a food label, does the amount of fiber a product have influence whether you purchase it or not?

Did you know that fiber plays a really important role in our health... and that even though the daily recommendation for an adult woman is 25 g and an adult man 38 g, the usual intake in the United States is  only half of that?? Here's why we should care:

FIBER'S AMAZING BENEFITS:

• Gives sensation of fullness, this is very helpful in controlling weight
• Guarantees proper digestion preventing both constipation and diarrhea
• Lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation and blood sugar levels in the body

How does fiber do all this?

There are 2 kinds of fiber: soluble (dissolves in water) and insoluble (doesn't dissolve in water).

The way in which the soluble fiber acts is by attracting water and turning gel-like during its trajectory in the body. This seems useless maybe, doesn't it? Why do I want my body to make gel, I have no use for that. Not true! This is great! Remember when you were a kid and used to play with these gel/slime toys?? (I believe these are called slime??)...if you would roll it around, you would observe a couple of things:

- slime moved quite slowly...

- it was not that neon color anymore...it picked up every possible dirt along the way....ick! now it's a dirty dark grey!

This is what soluble fiber is doing...it slows down digestion due to the gel-like consistency, giving you that sensation of being full for longer, also slowing down the absorption of sugar. This "gel" will also "drag" some of the bad cholesterol with it, helping eliminate excesses in our bodies.

Insoluble fiber on the other hand will help the movement of material through your digestive system by adding bulk to the stool...this is very helpful in preventing constipation.

Now I don't wanna overload ya'll with too much info  ;) ...today I just want you to learn a little about the importance of fiber and why we should be having more of it! 

Next week's post I'll have some great ideas for you on how to add fiber to your meals in a delicious way, deal? :)

See you next week!

-THE NUTRINUT-