Gluten and Dairy Free Eating
When my son was born I quickly found out that I had glute and dairy free issues. Once my daughter was born they were 100 x worse.
It explained a lot over the years; my eczema, my gut issues, asthma here and there and just overall my skin was always a mess. I was thrilled to finally figure out what the problem was and could easier fix it if I stayed away from gluten and dairy. It was really hard at first because really those were the two things I ate a lot of. There also wasn't a lot of information out there and the grocery stores hadn't come on board yet with the idea of having those options to offer their customers so I had to learn how to do it myself. I found a great recipe book and I learned how to make my own bread (which needed to be toasted and then it tasted great), I had muffin mixes and pancake mixes already prepped and ready in my house from ingredients at the bulk barn, I found pasta that I could eat too which was amazing.
It took about 4 years for my body to settle down after having the kids and I could eat trace amounts of it without too much discomfort. What I did find though was if I was stressed my intolerances were drastically heightened.
As the year passed the grocery stores started offering different gluten free options so it made my life a lot easier. I didn't stay away from it fully but I tried as best I could to make my own things and eliminate those ingredients.
When joining the FASTer Way program it made me revisit the Gluten Free and Dairy Free lifestyle and again, found out very fast that my body preferred it that way. Reducing or eliminating gluten and dairy in the diet often leads to improved gut health, skin appearance and texture, energy, and reduced inflammation.
What is Gluten
Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat, rye, barley and triticale (a cross between barley and rye). Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting much like glue that holds food together.
Wheat is commonly found in:
- breads
- baked goods
- soups
- pasta
- cereals
- sauces
- salad dressings
- roux
Barley is commonly found in:
- malt (malted barley flour, malted milk and milkshakes, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring, malt vinegar)
- food coloring
- soups
- beer
- Brewer’s Yeast
Rye is commonly found in:
- rye bread, such as pumpernickel
- rye beer
- cereals
Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected. Some processed, packaged and refined foods contain gluten but much of these are avoided in the FASTer Way because of the focus on whole food nutrition. Consider some of these common foods that may contain gluten proteins that could accidently sneak into an otherwise whole foods eating pattern.
Consider some of these common foods that may contain gluten proteins:
- Bouillon cubes
- Meatballs, meatloaf
- Soy sauce
- Salad dressing
- Canned soup
- Store bought sauces, dipping sauces
- Rotisserie chicken with added spices and flavorings
- Spice blends, seasoning mixes
There are several ways to know a product is gluten free:
- Look for a gluten-free label.
- Check the allergen listing. It will say “wheat” if the product contains wheat.
- Check for obvious ingredients such as wheat, barley, rye, malt, brewer’s yeast, oats (unless specifically labeled gluten-free)
Substituting Gluten-Free Products for Gluten-Containing Products
A whole foods-based eating pattern is almost always superior to one with refined, processed and packaged foods. While the FASTer Way does not tell explicitly tell clients what to eat or what not to eat, replacing one refined and processed grain for another is not recommended.
Emphasize naturally gluten-free grains and whole foods to meet carbohydrate requirements:
- Amaranth
- Arrowroot
- Beans: black, fava, navy, pinto, red, etc.
- Buckwheat
- Garbanzo beans (chickpeas), hummus
- Lentils
- Peas
- Millet
- Steel cut oats, traditional oats
- Quinoa
- Rice (wild, white, brown)
- Fruit, fresh or frozen, dried/dehydrated without added sugar
- Plantain
- Yam
- White potato
- Sweet potato
- Parsnips
- Winter squash
- Beets
- Butternut squash
- Acorn squash
- Pumpkin
What is Lactose
The major reason some people can not digest dairy products and experience GI symptoms is because they lack the enzyme lactase which is necessary for breaking down lactose, the major sugar in dairy products. Lactose-free products are marketed as an appropriate replacement for regular dairy products because the main culprit, lactose, has been removed or “pre-digested”.
Tolerating Dairy
Whether an individual can tolerate dairy is dependent on several factors including:
- The status of the gut barrier. If someone has compromised intestinal permeability, or “leaky gut,” it is more likely that their immune system will respond to potentially allergenic components in milk.
- Whether or not an individual has small intestinal bacteria overgrowth (SIBO) or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Bacteria in the small intestine aggressively ferments lactose causing gas, bloating and other GI symptoms in people who have SIBO and/or IBS.
- Whether or not an individual is gluten intolerant. Milk proteins commonly cross-react with gluten so if a person reacts to gluten, they are likely to react to milk.
- Whether or not an individual is eating raw or pasteurized dairy. Pasteurized dairy and raw dairy products are not the same thing. Raw dairy is a whole food and pasteurized diary is a processed food.
Bone Health
There is no evidence that dairy is necessary to strengthen bones. Several factors lead to the development and maintenance of strong bones, including: strength training and weight bearing exercise, vitamin D status, vitamin K status, avoiding very low calorie diets, eating adequate protein, and more.
I know a lot of people love dairy and have a concern that if they remove it, they won't be getting their daily source of Calcium. There are tons of options though, see below.
Many other whole food sources contain calcium such as:
- Canned sardines and salmon due to the edible bones
- Beans and lentils
- Nuts - almonds in particular
- Leafy greens - collard greens, spinach, kale, arugula
- Seeds - sesame, chia in particular
- Tahini (sesame)
- Dried figs
Do you struggle with finding gluten free and dairy free recipes? Don't stress out, join my next 6 week program
here and you will have your Gluten Free meals planned for 6 weeks.
Comment YES if you are already gluten free and dairy free.
Check out my
instagram account for my latest Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe.
xoxo
Lisa