by Sal Prothero | 18, Sep, 2017 | Blog
Gluten free and low gluten carbohydrates – what to eat
Gluten free is all the rage now and it’s not always healthy. Fair enough if you have Coeliac Disease or an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten but there are many who are giving up gluten because they think it’s healthier. I’m frequently asked about the best gluten free carbohydrates to eat so this is for all you out there! But first, a bit about gluten …..
A study on whether gluten-free (GF) products were healthier than non-gluten free products in Australian supermarkets was published in the British Journal of Nutrition. They found that ‘the consumption of GF products was unlikely to confer health benefits, unless there was clear evidence of coeliac disease, gluten intolerance or allergy to gluten-containing grains. There was a moderate likelihood that GF labelling was being used to infer healthiness for discretionary items, which was unwarranted’.
Many health professionals believe gluten to be inflammatory. Others believe that you can become deficient in certain minerals, vitamins and fibre. My philosophy with cutting out any food group is to be aware of what you’re eating and replace with good quality/quantity of whole foods. Education is the key and only you can make the right decision.
Some people simply ‘don’t feel right’ when they eat gluten. You will only know for sure if you have Coeliac Disease, an intolerance or allergy by getting tested. Ask your GP or health care professional for details.
I see the supermarket shelves growing with gluten free products, some of which claim to be healthy. The best one is ‘healthy’ gluten free cookies. They’re still cookies and they still contains loads of sugar!
Gluten free and low gluten carbohydrates
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, oats, barley and rye. Carbohydrates are the most challenging macronutrient to eat when on a GF diet, especially if you’re used to eating sandwiches every day.
We all need carbohydrates for energy, right? It can be challenging finding gluten free, complex carbohydrates, especially when you’re away from home. If you’re an extremely busy person or if you exercise a lot or if you’re a sporty teenager/child, you still need complex carbohydrates to fuel your body.
Which carbohydrates?
- Wholegrains – quinoa, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, brown rice, brown basmati rice, freekah, oats (if tolerated).
- Noodles – buckwheat, brown rice
- Pasta – buckwheat, quinoa, spelt (if tolerated)
- Vegetables and fruit
- Nuts and seeds
How to incorporate these foods into your diet. We’ll start with breakfast. Here are just a few ideas.
- 2 eggs (including the yolks!) – any way you like with wilted spinach and any other veggies you fancy.
- Greek or plain yoghurt with nuts and seeds and berries. I personally love ‘Caveman Crunch’ as a topping, a delicious nut and seed combination from ‘Civilized Caveman Cooking’.
- Muesli – if you can’t eat the above, ‘Caveman Crunch’ is a good muesli to have. There are just a few from the supermarket that aren’t packed with sugar. Alternatively, buckwheat or quinoa makes a good porridge or you can have it cold with yoghurt on top. Of course, oats if you can tolerate.
- Dairy free and vegan – a smoothie
Lunch
I’m a big fan of dinner left overs for lunch. It’s easy to cook a healthy dinner and bring to work or school.
- Salad – with the 3 macronutrients, including a complex carbohydrate (see below)
- Pasta – if you can’t imagine your life without pasta, buckwheat or quinoa are OK or spelt if you can tolerate.
- Sandwich – choose a bread or wrap with the minimum number of ingredients and no preservatives or additives
I love quinoa as it’s easy on my digestion and is one of the few grains to contain a high amount of amino acids. However, quinoa contains Saponins which are bitter compounds that are naturally present in quinoa and some people don’t tolerate quinoa very well.
One last word about gluten – if someone needs to follow a ‘gut healing’ diet, cutting out gluten is part of the process. If you think you need to improve your gut health, there is a specific way of doing this so don’t just cut out gluten and hope your gut has healed. See your healthcare professional for advice.
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by Sal Prothero | 14, Aug, 2017 | Home
I’m always going on about gut health. I usually look at gut health first in my one to one consultations and I hold seminars about gut health so maybe that’s why! But what is it really all about?
First of all, here’s some juicy information about your microbiome ……
The microbiome is defined as all the bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and eukaryotes that inhabit the human body. Collectively referred to as the “second human genome”, the gut microbiome in particular is now being considered a separate “organ” with distinct metabolic and immune activity.
Did you know that there are 10x the number of microbial cells in the human gut than in the whole human body, totalling roughly 100 trillion microbes representing as many as 5,000 different species and weighing approximately 2 kilograms. There are other human microbiome sites as well, including skin, oral, and vaginal but the gut is the most popular and diverse neighborhood! I think that’s amazing.
OK that’s interesting but what does the good gut bacteria actually do?
- Extract energy from food
- Produce essential vitamins such as Vitamin K, Vitamin E and the B vitamins
- Digestion and absorption of nutrients
- Regulates our immune system
- Regulates our glucose levels and metabolism
- Manufacturers neurotransmitters such as serotonin
- Influences our brain and mental health
- Protects us from disease causing microbes
What causes our gut microbiome to be unhealthy in the first place?
- Natural birth vs caesarean
- Breast fed vs bottle fed
- Poor diet in childhood
- Antibiotics
- Environment – pesticides, herbicides, synthetic hormones, pollution
- Foods – intolerances, processed foods, high sugar foods, high trans-fat foods
- Chronic stress
- Medication
- Lack of exercise
- Smoking
So what are the signs of an imbalanced gut microbiome? There are many, many signs so I’ve only mentioned a couple here.
- Feel irritable and moody but not sure why?
- Do you have interrupted sleep?
- Do you have allergies, intolerances and/or food sensitivities?
- Have you ever had parasites or similar?
- Have you ever had gastrointestinal upset overseas?
- Do you find it difficult to lose weight?
- Do you feel fatigued?
- Do you have a skin condition?
- Do you have a ‘foggy’ brain?
- Hormones out of whack?
- Constipation, acid reflux, diarrhoea, bloating?
What can you do to improve the health of your gut? You can start by removing the following:
- Common reactive foods – usually dairy, eggs, gluten. Get tested if you unsure.
- Refined carbohydrates and sugar
- Artificial sweeteners
- Unhealthy fats
- Additives and preservatives
- Environmental toxins
- Excess caffeine/alcohol
- Unnecessary medications
- Stress
You can also start by eating wholefoods and fermented food. Whole foods are as nature intended. Foods that haven’t been tampered with such as packaged food. I know that we live in a busy world and some packaged food will be in your diet. That’s OK in moderation but there some packaged foods better than others. Fermented food includes sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, sourdough bread (good quality).
You can also reduce your stress. In today’s modern society, we’re running around like headless chickens. We need to stop! My e-book contains tips on how to reduce your stress.
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by Sal Prothero | 17, Jul, 2017 | Blog
My Story and how it may help you
Although I’m a Nutritionist, I don’t eat healthily 100% of the time. I believe in the 80/20 rule. Food is to be enjoyed and not feel guilty when we eat that delicious cake!
Health and wellbeing hasn’t always been part of my life. When I lived at home in Ireland, my mum made meal times special and always wanted me to finish what was on my plate, which I did. I loved food but I didn’t have a clue about what I should and shouldn’t eat. In those days, it was cool to sit in McDonalds all afternoon to chat with school pals and eat as much rubbish as possible. I went to boarding school and was fed reasonably well but was addicted to chocolate bars and chips.
Fast forward to my 20’s and I became a vegetarian. I was the worst vegetarian ever! Again, I didn’t know what to eat. I had cravings for carbohydrates. A lunch wasn’t complete without a sandwich and I loved pasta. I also loved desserts and coffee. I also had a stressful job working in the corporate world.
Over the years, I started getting digestive issues such as bloating and reflux and I used to get very overwhelmed and struggled to handle basic things. I had no idea that my diet and lifestyle may be contributing. Finally, I began to change what I ate – I knew that my bloating was worse with wheat so I reduced it. At first, I thought ‘What am I going to eat?!’, what is going to replace my sandwich and pasta!? I started eating left-overs from the night before, gluten free wraps and soups etc. I felt better but still not quite right.
In my 30’s, I had 2 kids. I didn’t realise at the time I had post-natal depression. I thought that it was normal. My life was so different and I wasn’t sure if I liked it. Changing my diet was not foremost in my mind, more like, where was the next coffee coming from!? By this stage, I had enough and decided to see a Nutritionist. The first person I went to see scribbled something down on a piece of paper and I spent loads of money on various tests. The next Nutritionist put me on such a restricted diet, I ended up being a recluse, I couldn’t go out! Those Nutritionists inspired me to become one and do better so I decided to start a Nutrition degree with 2 very young kids in the background. That was stressful enough, then halfway through the degree, I moved from Scotland to Sydney and then Melbourne. Another stressful experience. I didn’t know anyone, my husband went to work and nothing had changed much for him. My health started to deteriorate and I knew I was very low in nutrients.
You know when you’re asked ‘How are you?’ and you always say ‘good thanks’ but because you don’t have an illness that’s visible, everyone thinks you really are OK when you’re not? I felt under the weather each day. I thought, ‘Surely this isn’t what I’m supposed to feel?’. I had some tests done and discovered I had dysbiosis which can lead to a leaky gut. I also had parasites which wouldn’t go away with herbal medicine so I finally had to take antibiotics which did get rid of them. Of course, antibiotics destroy any healthy bacteria you have left in your gut so I started taking probiotics.
I started a degree in Nutritional Medicine in Melbourne and again, more stress. The final 2 years were the most stressful years in my life and I started to get pains in my gut, something I had never experienced before. I also had PMT – irritable and moody and thought the whole world was against me.
Several investigations and tests later, including a colonoscopy, gastroscopy, swallowing a camera, blood tests (I had anaemia), I discovered I was sensitive to gluten and could be susceptible to coeliac disease.
I now manage my health with mostly whole foods, supplements and reducing stress. I’ve been through the gut healing stage but I know I need to do more. I am now a Bio-Compatability Hair Analysis Practitioner – this test is to find out which foods you are incompatible with. A couple of my favourite foods have shown up in my list but I substitute them for other foods. This is a 6 month Wellness Program and I’m the first client! Will let you know how it goes next month.
I’m telling you my story because I don’t want you to go through years of not knowing what’s wrong with you. Usually, women come to see me when they’ve exhausted all other avenues and are unhappy with their previous treatment. It shouldn’t take so long.
I’m passionate about helping women put themselves first for a change and feel empowered to change their health.
If you’d like to book a free 20 min Health Assessment Call, please book here.
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by Sal Prothero | 02, Jul, 2017 | Home
The foods found in today’s western world diet are largely made up of highly processed and long shelf-life sugary food and drinks. A diet lacking in whole foods contributes to mental health issues and conditions such as depression and anxiety.
by Sal Prothero | 02, Jul, 2017 | Home
There are a myriad of benefits in the consumption of whole food. Whole food is a food that has not been packaged or processed. When treated correctly, it is the nutritional composition of whole food that acts as both protective and therapeutic agents for our body systems on a daily basis.
