Gluten-Free, Raw Foods Comfort Foods Using Your Food Dehydrator!
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on June 25, 2010 – -
By learning the ancient art of dehydration, which is, in essence, “low temperature baking”, you’ll be able to eat guilt-free breads, loaded with veggie goodness, and have them taste similar to your old favorites. Gluten free raw foods like pizza, enchiladas and tacos will become your favorite staple foods once you discover how easily you can make them at home.
Dr. Ritamarie and Chef Alicia have teamed up to bring you some great tips and tricks on using your dehydrator to create yummy breads, cracker and more!
About Chef Alicia:
Chef Alicia Ojeda is an amazing classically trained professional chef, who is passionate about gourmet vegan raw and living food cuisine.
Her culinary background includes both cooked and raw cuisine.
Listen to the replay: www.blogtalkradio.com/dr-ritamarie
Tags: comfort foods, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, gluten, gluten free, Gluten Free Diet, living foods recipes, livingfoods, Raw Foods, raw foods diet, raw foods recipes, whole foods
Posted in Gluten Free Diet | No Comments »
Gluten-Free Diet for Immune and Hormone Health
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on April 22, 2010 – -
Overcoming Adrenal fatigue, thyroid and Autoimmune challenges can be challenging. It’s becoming an increasingly well-known fact that these common health issues are related to one particular food. There are more and more products popping up on the grocery shelves with a new label: Gluten-free!
What does it mean for you?
Let’s start with a short history on what gluten is.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt and kamut, and it’s questionable about oats. It’s in grains, but not all grains. There are non-gluten grains.
It’s a very gluey substance, which I guess is where the name “gluten” came from. When you eat things that contain gluten, it causes kind of a glue-like mass to form in your intestinal tract. That’s one of the many good reasons to stop eating it.
When you eat the gluten in these grains, it can cause health problems. Digestive disorders, depression, migraines, ADHD, autism, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, balance problems, epilepsy, inability to concentrate, autoimmune thyroid disease, and dermatitis are amongst the many disorders that have now been linked to gluten intolerance.
It’s kind of scary that one small protein can wreak so much havoc. Gluten works its mischief in several ways.
One is by triggering autoimmune responses, another is by causing malabsorption of nutrients, and the third is through activation of opioid receptors in the brain.
Opiates in Gluten
You know that “once I start I can’t stop” feeling that many people have about bread and other baked goods? That feeling is actually similar to cocaine addiction. And it’s caused by gluten. Some of the peptides that result from the digestion of gluten are powerful opiate-like compounds, known as gluteomorphines.
One of the complaints I hear when people embark upon a gluten free diet is that the cravings are so intense.
This can be explained by the reaction of the opioid receptors to sudden withdrawal of the opioids. Now left unbound they are starving for more, similar to the mechanism found in drug, alcohol and nicotine withdrawal, and cravings result.
Gluten Effects on Your Immune System
Gluten is a problem if you have sensitivity to it in that it causes an immune system reaction.Immune system reactions to gluten are very widespread, and much more common than you may think.
Your immune system is your body’s protective force. It’s an army that protects you from invaders. It perceives gluten as an invader and mounts an incredible attack, so it can take the protein that’s in the gluten and demolish it as if it were a bacteria or microbe that’s going to harm you. In the process of doing that, it creates inflammation. The inflammation is what causes the immune system reaction that gluten is known for. Gluten causes wide-spread inflammation throughout your body.
A little bit of knowledge about how the immune system works really helps in understanding how this gluten problem affects you.
Bacteria are made of proteins. Foods have protein in them. The proteins have little amino acids that run throughout them. What the immune system does is create antibodies that attack the protein on either end.
It’s like a lock and a key. You may have a whole set of keys, but you can only get one key to open a particular door. You can try them but if they don’t look exactly alike, they won’t go in that keyhole. The immune system creates these little antibodies that are very specific for specific proteins. Unfortunately, they’re not as specific as our keys.
If there is a similarity between the gluten protein that the antibody is attacking and some of the proteins in your thyroid gland, the antibody created to attack the gluten then attacks your thyroid gland. That causes the thyroid to become swollen and inflamed. It can’t produce thyroid hormones, which in turn affects your metabolism. That causes all the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
That’s what’s happening in your body when you’re eating gluten and you’re sensitive to it. It creates an army in your immune system that attacks and gets rid of the gluten.
The process of attacking and getting rid of the gluten creates inflammation. It can create problems in your digestion. Then it can create inflammation in various parts of your body that cause malfunction.
Gluten Effects on Your Digestive System
Gluten can cause inflammation in your digestive tract. This resuts in a condition known as celiac disease. Celiac disease is a well-known medical condition that you’ll find in all the medical pathology books. It’s a sensitivity to gluten that results in damage to the cilia in the small intestine.
The cilia are little, finger-like projections in the small intestine that facilitate our absorption. When they get damaged, it causes a flattening. Imagine your small intestine as a tube with finger-like projections. The projections are almost like the little, protective hairs in your nose. They allow the foods that are fully digested to pass between them.
What happens in celiac disease is the cilia get completely flattened. Imagine a steamroller that goes down the road and flattens things out. Imagine it going through your intestine and flattening out all the cilia.
It wreaks havoc in your intestinal tract. It prevents you from absorbing the nutrients in the foods you eat, leading to symptoms of nutrient deficiencies. It causes symptoms like gas, bloating and diarrhea. It can give you that “I just
ate and now I have to go to the bathroom!” feeling. A fair number of people experience that.
If you have a gluten intolerance,in addition to creating damage to the cilia in the small intestine, it’s also likely creating inflammation that can damage in other parts of your body, too.
Getting Off the Gluten Wagon With Living Foods
Because of the addictive nature of gluten, it can be uncomfortable to withdraw form gluten. The cravings can become intense, but the physical intensity of the withdrawal symptoms rarely lasts more than a few days. The negative effects of gluten on your health last much longer and are much worse.
What’s the best way to start in removing gluten? It’s tough to go off gluten hard-core. So I recommend baby steps. Start with breakfast. Because so many start their day with toast, cereal, muffins, etc. it’s a great place to begin. My Power Breakfast Ideas book contains some delicious ways to start your day. Strive for no gluten before noon.
Learn to dehydrate crackers and breads. Or, you can purchase delicious dehydrated breads and crackers online and at some health food stores. Another option is to buy baked gluten-free breads and crackers; however, it’s important to read the labels. They tend to have a high glycemic index, meaning that they cause a rapid spike in blood sugars, usually followed by a rapid decline. They also frequently contain undesirable ingredients like sugar, eggs, dairy and processed oils. You can also make sandwiches with lettuce wraps or jicama slices instead of bread.
Replace pastas with gluten-free pasta or kelp noodles. I have some great recipes on the blog for using kelp noodles. You can also get a Saladacco Spiral Slicer and make your own pasta noodles out of zucchini. Even a simple potato peeler makes long thin slices. I found a potato peeler that’s dual sides. One side is traditional and the other shreds, and makes wonderful spaghetti-like zucchini or cucumber strands.
There are many wonderful raw and living foods options for replacing gluten in your diet. They taste better…and you’ll feel better.
Learn as much as you can about gluten. Listen to my blog talk radio show on Gluten Intolerance. Read gluten-free articles and gluten free recipe books. Get your FREE gluten-free diet survival kit at http://www.drritamarie.com/glutenfree/ containing gluten-free recipes, resource lists, and audios.
Your health is in your hands. Overcoming chronic fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, immune system disorders, digestive problems all start with going gluten-free. Start today. You have so many gluten free diet resources available to you.
Tags: autoimmune disease, celiac, celiac disease, Celiac's Disease, Dr. Ritamarie, Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo, DrRitamarie, gluten, gluten free, Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free recipes, kelp noodles, Living Foods, Raw Foods, raw foods recipes, wheat, wheat grass juice
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Holistic Nutrition, Raw and Living Foods | 1 Comment »
The Many Faces of Gluten Intolerance
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on April 14, 2010 – -
Gluten, a protein found in most cereal grains, is perhaps the protein consumed in greater quantities than any other protein. It has long been known that a small percentage of the population is intolerant to gluten, and gastrointestinal upset, including diarrhea, bloating and flatulence result from its consumption.
Less widely known is that gluten intolerance actually affects a larger population than originally thought and the gastrointestinal effects may not be present until further along in the course of the disease. Initial symptoms may not start in the small intestine, and may affect any other body system. The most common systems to be effected are the central and peripheral nervous systems, the dermatological system and the endocrine system.
Neurodevelopmental disorders in children (such as ADHD and autism) have reached almost epidemic proportion, and have been linked to gluten intolerance. Fatigue, thyroid problems, brain fog and even things like early Parkinson’s disease have all been found to be connected to the the so called “staff of life”
Most people think about gluten intolerance as being strictly an intestinal problem- gas, bloating, diarrhea, and irritable bowel. As it turns out, looking at gluten intolerance as strictly a gut thing is about as much the total picture as looking at a forest through a drinking straw.
So what’s the solution to the widespread problem of gluten intolerance? How can one little protein result in such widespread symptoms? The solution to a myriad of health challenges can indeed be as basic as changing the bread you eat.
Join Dr. Ritamarie today as she uncovers The Many Faces of Gluten Intolerance.
1:30pm EDT, 12:30pm CDT, 11:30MDT, 10:30 PDT
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/GlutenIntolerance
Do you have any experience with Gluten-free diet? How has it affected you?
Post your comments below.
Love, Health and Joy to you,
Dr. Ritamarie
P.S. For a free Gluten- Free Survival Kit, go to www.DrRitamarie.com/GlutenFree
Tags: adhd, auto immmune, celiac disease, digestion, Dr. Ritamarie, gluten, gluten free, gluten intolerance
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Vibrant Health | 3 Comments »
The Elimination Provocation Diet
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on January 27, 2010 – -
While it might sound heavy, it’s not. By figuring out and eliminating foods you have hidden allergies to, you ease up on your digestive system. Wheat, gluten, casein, dairy, corn, peanuts, eggs ….just some of the most common hidden allergies so many don’t realize they have.
Join me and find out how you can determine your hidden allergies and get that tract back on track!
Wednesday, January 27
12:30pm – 1:30pm CST
www.drritmarie.com/go/allergies
Tags: casein, Celiac's Disease, Creating a Vibrant Life, Dr. Ritamarie, food allergies, food sensitivity, gluten, whey
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Leaky Gut | No Comments »
Now you can learn to make Gluten free raw foods crispy treats without leaving home
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on April 14, 2009 – -I know how tempting it is to eat crackers and muffins, pizza and breads. Everyone else is doing it, and you feel just a bit deprived. Or you feel completely deprived. You know these foods are not having positive effects on your health, but you cave and say something like , “Well, just this once, it’s not going to hurt me”
Well, I’m here to tell you that just this once CAN hurt you if you happen to be one of the over 30% of the population that has some degree of sensitivity to gluten.
I’ve been researching the gluten issue for a long time, and I’m convinced that gluten is at the core of many health issues, especially the ones that defy conventional treatment methods.
The studies I read concerning gluten as a contributing factor in autoimmune thyroiditis concluded that even a casual exposure to wheat, like a crouton that falls into your salad once a month, can create problems by flaring up inflammation.
Your body’s response to gluten is a major cause of inflammation, and when the inflammation is chronic and persistent, damage to organs and glands occurs. This damage is only corrected by removing the underlying cause. You have to get rid of what ever is causing the inflammation. In many cases, it’s your body’s reaction to gluten.
The good news is that you can get rid of the gluten and still enjoy crispy, crunchy crackers, pizza crusts and breads. You just need one magical piece of equipment and lots of fresh food.
The great news is that you can incorporate vegetables into your comfort foods and jumpstart your metabolism at the same time.
And the absolutely fabulous news is that I’m teaming up with Chef Alicia Ojeda to teach an amazing class on food dehydration techniques and you can participate no matter how far away you live. You can learn to make delicious comfort foods, right from the comfort of your own home.
Hurry over to Dehydration Bliss and get all the details.
Tags: dehydration, gluten, gluten free, inflammation
Posted in Gluten Free Diet | No Comments »
New Article on the effects of Gluten
Written by Ritamarie Loscalzo on September 12, 2007 – -I haven’t posted in a while. Things got busy there for a while, with a lot of classes and training a new assistant. I plan to write at least weekly.
The topic of gluten intolerance has long been a favorite of mine. In my practice, I see so many major changes in people when they get the gluten out of their diets. Long standing problems often melt away within a few months, sometimes wthin a few weeks.
The widespread effects of gluten intolerance can effect every organ system. Commonly overlooked as related to gluten intolerace are depression and anxiety, thyroiditis, balance problems, ADHD and autistic spectrum disorders, and neuromuscular disorders.
I wrote an article called The Many Faces of Gluten Intolerance for a magazine called Purely Delicious. The full text is available in PDF form at http://www.purelydelicious.net/ . I also wrote a more technical article called The Role of Gluten in the Etiology of Neurodevelopmental Disorders for a professional journal called The Journal of Nutritional Perspectives.
Below is a link to a recently published article from msnbc.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20643573/site/newsweek/page/0/
All of our food preparation classes are gluten free. We have one coming up on September 26 for parents called Making Healthy Food a Hit with Kids. I will be posting details soon.
I will be publishing more gluten free recipes soon. Check back regularly. Sign up for our mailing list and newsletter at http://www.drritamarie.com/.
Healthfully yours,
Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo
Tags: adhd, depression, gluten, glutn intolerance, Raw Foods classes, thyroid problems
Posted in Gluten Free Diet, Holistic Nutrition, Hormone Imbalance | No Comments »
