Day 2 Of 9 Knowing Nutrients

Food and Energy

The total energy (calories) in a given food depends upon the amount of carbohydrate, protein, fat, and alcohol it contains.  These substances provide different amounts of calories for the same unit of weight:  Calories/gram:    Carbohydrate (4)
                                          Protein (4)
                                          Fat  (9)
                                          Alcohol (7)

Density is an important nutrition principle that can be applied to both calories and nutrients.  A calorie dense food is one that contains a large number of calories and relatively few nutrients in a given amount of the food.  Foods that contain primarily fat and/or alcohol are more calorie dense than foods containing carbohydrates or protein.  Large amounts of sugar also increase the caloric density of foods. 

As you get older, your body requires less energy. During weight loss and maintenance, it is especially important to maximize your nutrient intake by choosing nutrient dense foods, because these foods will give you the most nutritional bang for you caloric buck.

Day 1 Of 9 Knowing Nutrients

Why are nutrients important? The next 2 weeks I will review basic information on nutrients and their importance.  Nutrients in food are needed for building and repairing body tissues.  They are also used for regulating body processes such as digestion, energy, and muscle contraction.  In addition, food is the primary source of energy for the body.

Nutrient and energy requirements for people differ depending on age, gender, body size, activity level, metabolic rate, and other factors such as pregnancy.  There is no single ideal food plan for everybody.  Standards have been developed to specify the nutrient intake levels considered to be adequate to meet the needs of healthy people.  These standards are called the Dietary Reference Intakes or Daily Values.  The best way to meet your needs is through a well balanced diet.

Gluten Free Thanksgiving Leftovers Salad

Ingredients

4 Cups field greens
1 1/2 Cups leftover turkey
1 Cup gluten free stuffing mix
2/3 cup cranberries
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons honey
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Instructions

1.  Heat oil in frying pan, toss in turkey and cranberries
Season with salt and pepper
Arrange over your greens then top with dry stuffing mix
Drizzle with honey mustard dressing and enjoy warm.

For the honey mustard just whisk the honey and Dijon mustard together
Add the vinegar and slowly whisk in the oil.

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

Gluten Free Pumpkin Mousse

Thanksgiving Pumpkin Mousse

I know most of you are sick of pumpkin recipes.
I promise this one is easy and worth making. It is
fluffy,  yummy and who doesn't love pumpkin.

Ingredients

2 cups canned pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine pumpkin with 1/2 cup heavy cream,
sugar, and spices in a saucepan
2. Heat over medium heat for about 5 minutes and
set aside to cool.
3. Once cool pour rest of heavy cream into mixer bowl
4. Add vanilla
5. Whip the cream until it forms peaks, be patient here
6. Put pumpkin mixture into a large bowl and fold the
whipped cream into it.
7. Place into cups and top with a sprinkle of nutmeg, cinnamon
or whipped cream.

Gluten Free Stuffing

Gluten Free Thanksgiving Stuffing

1 pound loaf of gluten free bread
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 onions
3 stalks celery diced
1 Teaspoon sage, thyme, salt, pepper
2 cups gluten free chicken broth
2 eggs

Gluten Free Mashed Potatoes

Mashed Potatoes

Naturally gluten free, here is a yummy recipe for your Thanksgiving Day.

Ingredients

4 Large Potatoes about 3 pounds
1 small onion chopped
1 package of low fat cream cheese
1 cup of low fat milk
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1.  Place potatoes and onion in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until soft.  Drain and transfer to bowl.

2.  Add the cream cheese, milk, salt and pepper, beat until fluffy.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutritional Facts
3/4 cup- 190 calories, 550 sodium, 38 grams of carbohydrates and 9 grams for protein

A Few Thanksgiving Day Tips

From making the turkey, mashing the potatoes, to making stuffing and yummy pies, Thanksgiving starts the stressful season.  Then you add dietary restrictions and it becomes more challenging.
You need to watch for cross contamination, and have something for everyone who will be with you on that day.  Here are a few tips to help you on this day and any other holiday dinner.

1.  Bring a dish.  If you have guests with restrictions, ask them to bring a dish or two that fits their needs that all can enjoy.  If that is not possible, ask them for a recipe and make it for them.

2.  Substitute, ingredients to fit all needs.  Use gluten free bread crumbs, or stuffing.  Most of the time, you can not even tell the difference.  Use gluten free broth, and depending on the food restriction, use almond milk or nut flours. 

3.Use plenty of vegetables, no matter what the restriction, all will enjoy them.  Make them as side dishes that all can enjoy.

4.  Not everything has to be made from scratch, if need be buy a gluten free cake or pie.  You can even buy a turkey or stuffing made to order.

Remember its not all about the food, be grateful you have family and friends to sit and enjoy with.

Day 2 Of 2 You Have Gluten Intolerance

Last three signs and symptoms that you may have
gluten intolerance. 

4.  You have diarrhea on most days.  Diarrhea is a common
digestive symptom of food intolerance.  Diarrhea left
untreated can lead to dehydration and even nutritional
deficiencies.

5.  You have skin rashes and itchy skin.  Skin conditions
associated with intestinal diseases are becoming more
frequent. 

Day 1 Of 2 You Have A Gluten Intolerance

Gluten can physically damage the small intestine in people
with Celiac disease.  A gluten intolerance is a more subtle
sensitivity diagnosed after exclusion of Celiac disease.

Here are 3 of 6 common signs and symptoms of gluten
intolerance.

1. You have an autoimmune disease.  There are more than
80 types, characterized by which tissues or organs are damaged.
Gluten intolerance is more likely in those with an auto immune
condition.

Celiac Disease Vs. Gluten Intolerance

It is important to understand the difference between Celiac
disease and gluten intolerance.

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten.
A tiny amount of gluten will severely damage the small
intestine of a person with Celiac disease.

On the other hand, gluten intolerance is a subtle sensitivity
to gluten diagnosed after exclusion of Celiac disease.
This is said to affect between .5 and 13% of people.
A gluten intolerant person can typically eat small
amounts of gluten safely, but experiences health
issues when they exceed their threshold.

Celiac Mom R.D.: Left Over Halloween Candy Brownies Gluten Free

Celiac Mom R.D.: Left Over Halloween Candy Brownies Gluten Free: With Halloween over and our candy binge coming to an end, here is something you can use your extra candy for.  It is easy to make and quite...

Happy Veterans Day!

Celiac And Children

Almost 20% of children with Celiac disease continue to have
symptoms after spending a year on a gluten free diet, researchers
say.

Celiac disease is a genetic autoimmune disorder with damage
happening in the small intestine.  It affects about 1% of people
around the world.  However, about 2.5 million people in the
U.S. are undiagnosed.

Scientists examined health records of 103 children with the
disease.  These children have been following a strict gluten
free diet for about 2 years.

After repeat biopsy tests persistent celiac enteropathy was seen
in 20% of the children.  Long term effects are not known,
persistent enteropathy may predispose pediatric patients
to complications and suboptimal growth.

More studies are being done to assess this.

Grain Preparation

Grain       Liquid         Grain             Cooking time              Uses

Amaranth  1 Cup         1 Cup     Simmer 7 minutes Sit 10   Hot cereal
 
Buckwheat 2 Cups       1 Cup    Simmer 15                    Hot cereal, side dish

Millet         1 1/2 Cups  1 Cup   Simmer 15                    Hot cereal, side dish

Oats           1 Cup          1/2 Cup  Simmer 15                  Hot cereal

Quinoa       2 Cups        1 Cup     Simmer 10-15            Side dish, cold salad

Teff           2 Cups         1/2 Cup  Simmer 15-20            Hot cereal
 
Wild Rice  1 Cup          1 Cup      Simmer 30                Side dish, stuffing

Gluten free broth or soup may be used as a substitution for the water to add
flavor to the grain

Cohabitation Survival With Gluten

People with Celiac react different to gluten.  Just yesterday I had a patient
say to me that she is eating gluten free, however still feels bad.  Her blood
test revealed, she is still ingesting gluten.  She lives with her husband and
2 kids, who aren't gluten free.  Where is this gluten coming from she asked.
We figured it out, the culprit was the shared toaster.  You can survive in a
house of gluten, you just need some tips to be aware of cross contamination.

Gluten Free Lip Balm

With fall here and winter upon us, most of us will have a chapstick or two on us.  Is finding a gluten free lip balm mission impossible?  It does seem that way these days, and many aren't labeled gluten free to know for sure.  Here is a list of some we know are gluten free and some to stay away from.

Gluten free

• EOS- All EOS lip balms are labeled gluten free and come in many flavors and colors.
• Carmex- There is no gluten in any of their products.
• Blistex- All their lip care products are in fact gluten free.
• Chapstick- This company use to claim it was gluten free, but has changed their answer.  They state their products contain no gluten, but not certified gluten free. So, they will not call it gluten free, guess they leave it up to the consumer.

Gluten And Medicine

People with Celiac are usually experts in label reading,
they look at a food label and can find any hidden gluten.
However, unlike packaged foods, there is no official U.S.
regulation to label non medicinal ingredients for gluten
content.

It's difficult to discover whether the inactive ingredients
such as binding agents added to give pills bulk are derived
from foods such as corn, potato or wheat. 

Vitamin K For Healthy Bones and Arteries

Vitamin K is a multi-functional nutrient.  Vitamin K is found in
green leafy vegetables like spinach and used by the liver for
blood coagulation within 10 hours.

There is vitamin K1 and K2, they circulate throughout the body
over a 24 hour period.  They are synthesized in the gut by
micobiota.  The role of K2 is in the arteries and it is the major
contributor to bone rebuilding. 

Left Over Halloween Candy Brownies Gluten Free

With Halloween over and our candy binge coming to an end, here is something you can use your extra candy for.  It is easy to make and quite yummy too.

Candy Brownies

Ingredients

1 Cup Gluten free all purpose flour plus 1 Tbsp.
1 Tsp. baking powder
1/4 Tsp. salt
3/4 Cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 Tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped up peanut butter cups
1/2 cup M&M's
1 more cup of any gluten free chopped up chocolate candy

Add all ingredients together

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Whisk 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, in a bowl 
Mix 1 Tbsp. flour with chocolate candy
Beat brown sugar, butter vanilla in a separate bowl and beat in egg till creamy
Beat both mixtures together till combined
Fold in candy pieces

Bake 20-25 minutes Cool in pan for 10
Enjoy!!