The heroics and sheer athleticism of Novak Djokovic during the recent Wimbledon tennis tournament highlighted not only the climax of a journey that has seen him rise to the world number one spot, but also claims that his superior fitness and energy levels were due to his new gluten free diet. A gluten free diet has been promoted by those in the fitness industry for many years, but what does it actually mean? More importantly, is it for me?
What is gluten?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. This protein can trigger an immune response in the small intestine of people with gluten intolerance and those with celiac disease. The body responds to this reaction by creating anti bodies to attack the 'foreign invader'. During the process of the attack the villi of the small intestine are affected which can cause all sorts of gastrointestinal symptoms and dysfunctions. These symptoms can include;
- Abdominal discomfort
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Fatigue
- Gas
- Joint Pain
- Migraines
Should I avoid gluten if I am not celiac or gluten intolerant? An article by Charles Poliquin, a world renowned expert on health and fitness suggests it should be removed from every diet. The reasons he gives are as follows;
- Gluten inflames the brain, therefore can interfere with brain function;
- The glutamate content in gluten is known to kill brain cells;
- Gluten intolerance has been shown to negatively affect the thyroid;
- Gluten can aggravate menopausal symptoms. Removing it from the diet can help reduce the severity of associated symptoms such as night sweats, hot flushes, headaches, mood swings and fatigue;
- Gluten is associated with accelerated ageing;
- Gluten weakens tooth enamel;
- Gluten negatively affects body composition. Gluten is known to raise the levels of insulin and cortisol. The combination of increased levels of these hormones can lead to obesity.
(For full article, see www.charlespoliquin.com)
Following a gluten free diet means completely avoiding the following foods;
- Bagels
- Beer
- Beverage mixers
- Biscuits
- Bread
- Bread crumbs
- Breaded fish
- Breaded meat or poultry
- Cake
- Candy
- Canned baked beans
- Cereal
- Chicken nuggets
- Croissants
- Crackers
- Crisps
- Croutons
- Custard
- Doughnuts
- Dumplings
- Flour
- Flour tortillas
- Fried vegetables
- Fruit filling
- Gravy
- Gum
- Hamburger buns
- Hotdogs
- Hotdog buns
- Ice cream (also non-dairy ice cream)
- Ice cream cones
- Macaroni
- Melba toast
- Muffins
- Noodles
- Packaged cereals
- Pancakes
- Pasta
- Pastries
- Pizza crust
- Pretzels
- Processed chocolate milk
- Rolls
- Salad dressing
- Salad dressing
- Soy sauce
- Spaghetti
- Stuffing
- Syrups
- Tabbouleh
- Tinned soup
- Waffles
This seemingly endless list removes many of the foods that would make up a standard shopping list. But do not fear, many supermarkets now offer a range of foods that are free from gluten (many from wheat and dairy too). These foods are considered specialist, so inevitably more expensive than the standard versions, but eating a gluten free diet does not mean having a boring tasteless diets. It does mean spending a little ore time in the kitchen preparing your own meals. There is an abundance of gluten free recipe and cook books out there, a selection of 3500 recipes from top TV chefs such as James Martin and Rick Stein can be found on www.bbc.co.uk/food/diets/gluten_free . A couple of examples are Steamed fish with Chinese vegetables and plum sauce, or Surf and Turf with wilted spinach, watercress and mustard sauce, both meals sound tasty and are full of whole foods and nutrients.
So all that is left for you to do is to give it a try. For two weeks completely eradicate gluten from your diet and monitor your energy levels, your sleep patterns and your digestive function. I would be extremely surprised if each of those does not vastly improve.
For more information regarding planning an effective diet or fitness programme contact me on james.hutchison4@btinternet.com
You are ALL over it Thanks for the info!!
ReplyDelete