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| Cooked red quinoa: Tasty, healthy and gluten free |
According to Dr. Mark Hyman, author of The UltraMind Solution: Fix Your Broken Brain by Healing Your Body First, the most serious form of gluten intolerance, Celiac Disease, may affect as many one in every 100 Americans, many of whom are undiagnosed. If you have symptoms that include excruciating cramps, vomiting, migraines, dizziness, even loss of consciousness ~ ask your doctor about Celiac Disease.
Perhaps even more of us, however, have a gluten sensitivity that can lead to feeling bloated, gassy or even dizzy after eating a meal of starchy or doughy gluten-rich foods. Because a gluten sensitivity, though less serious, can be difficult to diagnose, if you often feel unwell after a meal, it's a good idea to eliminate gluten from your diet for two weeks to see if you feel better. That's how I finally figured out where my digestive woes were coming from.
Also note, however, that lactose intolerance can cause some of the same symptoms. Remove dairy from your diet in the same way, but not at the same time as you test your sensitivity to gluten. Dairy is notorious for causing digestive troubles, as well as increased phlegm and congestion.
I remember years ago another girl telling me that she just "felt fat" after eating spaghetti ~ even her waistband felt tight. At the time, I thought this was just another inequity that women face ~ we crave starch and it makes us fat, instantly! Now I understand what was probably going on: a gluten intolerance that caused bloating.
Once you determine that gluten bothers you, what can you do?
Many companies have jumped on the GF bandwagon to provide gluten-free substitutes for the foods you love. What worked, and tasted, best for me, however, was simply letting go of processed foods and filling my diet with whole, one-ingredient foods ~ no hidden gluten.For pasta, I use brown rice pasta, which tastes great and has a nice texture, or bean thread noodles, usually available in the "ethnic" grocery aisle or in Asian markets. For bread, brown rice wraps, available in the freezer case of natural food markets, or puffed corn crackers. For breakfast, Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Steelcut Oats. For holiday stuffing this year, we are using quinoa rather than bread crumbs (we'll post the recipe next week!). And flourless dessert recipes abound: Check our recipe archive.
Good hunting, and Feel Better!
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