June 2011 Archives

Here's a topic that was suggested to me by my cousin, a speech therapist in Sacramento. She says " I'd like to hear your thoughts on the gluten free diet. The latest trend it seems-here in CA. And I keep hearing that some parents whose kids have autism are putting them on a gluten free diet."

A good question! It seems that a lot of people have decided that eating a gluten free diet is going to be the cure to all their problems. Or maybe just some of their problems! So you might wonder, should I follow a gluten free diet too? Here are the basics on eating gluten-free and if it's for you.

Much of my information comes from this article (from Eating Well). You should check it out for more detail and discussion on this issue. I think it's a great review!

What is Gluten?

According to wikipedia (the source of all things!), gluten is a protein composite that appears in foods processed from wheat and related species, including barley and rye. It gives elasticity to dough, helping it to rise and to keep its shape, and often giving the final product a chewy texture.

Gluten really is the backbone of many grains. It's what gives bread it's fluffiness.It's in most pasta. It's also used in some imitation meat products. 

Who Should Follow a Gluten Free Diet?

Experts agree that gluten-free eating works wonders for one group of people: those who have celiac disease! People with celiac have an immune response to gluten that causes inflammation in the small intestine. This often results in breakdown of tissue in the small intestine.

Side effects of eating gluten for people with celiac are severe and include diarrhea, fatigue and failure to thrive (in children). The only management for people with celiac disease is to avoid gluten. This means they have to stay away from wheat, rye, barley and sometimes oats (depending on the processing). Occasionally someone could have celiac and not have symptoms.

Experts estimate that of people who have celiac (about 1% of the US population), only 10% of those have been diagnosed. There is definitely a group of people who have the disease and haven't been diagnosed. But it's not a large percentage of the population.

Wheat allergies also exist, but are less severe and usually have symptoms like rash, or respiratory issues. For more on wheat allergies, check out this article. 

Who Shouldn't Follow a Gluten Free Diet?

Should we all be avoiding gluten? For most people, a gluten-free diet offers no benefits; in fact, it may even bring unwanted results, such as weight gain and nutritional deficiencies.

If you are celiac, YES - you must follow the diet. If someone with celiac does not follow the diet, risk for Lymphoma is increased (not to mention the unwanted GI side effects!)

However, if you simply think you have a sensitivity to gluten, it would be in your best interest to objectively measure whether you are sensitive or not. How? Track your symptoms in a log for 2 weeks while including gluten in your diet. Then do a simple 2 week or 1 month trial on the diet and continue your symptom log. Compare the two logs!

Autism, Weight Loss and other claims about a Gluten Free Diet

Why is it that celebrities think that they know more that people who have gone through many years of education in health? Am I running around writing books about acting and modeling? NO! It might be a soapbox for me, but it drives me CRAZY when people like Suzanne Summers or Jenny McCarthy promote things about health that have no evidence. Worse... they promote things that can actually be harmful, like "natural" hormones and avoiding immunizations. But, I digress. So back to the point!

In regards to the claim that a gluten free diet can help people with Autism, the bottom line is that so far, studies haven't convinced scientists of the diet's effectiveness. In addition, there's no evidence that a gluten-free diet leads to weight loss. There's not even a reasonable theory why it would. Gluten free products are usually higher in fat and more expensive.

The Bottom Line

For the average person, gluten does not provide a problem. There is no link of gluten to cancer risk unless you have celiac disease. For celiac's to reduce their risk of Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma, they need to completely avoid gluten to keep a healthy GI tract.

Some cancer survivors who have had chemo develop celiac, or gluten intolerance. The theory is that some types of chemo cause damage to the GI tract that makes the person more likely to develop the intolerance. So far, I've had a hard time finding evidence for this theory. I'll let you know when I find more!

Other than those with celiac, gluten containing foods can be a very healthy part of a plant based diet. Enjoy your grains, including wheat!

Questions or comments? Join the Cancer Dietitian Facebook page and share!
- Julie

Did you know that today is Eat Your Vegetables Day? I learned that from our local food writer, Michael Hastings. Here's his article in the Wednesday paper about it!

Summer is a great time to eat your veggies because there are so many great, fresh and YUMMY vegetables! In my last article, I asked for readers to submit recipes. I got many entries from simple ways to eat cucumber, squash and zuchini to more complex salads. They all look wonderful! Check them out here: Summer Veggie Reader Recipes

How Many Fruits & Vegetables Do You Need?

I feel like I'm saying this a lot. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables for cancer prevention and healthy survivorship. How much though? That's what people are always asking me! In general, I recommend 4-5 cups per day of fruits and vegetables combined. Add it up...

1 cup at breakfast
1 cup at lunch
1 cup at dinner
1 cup throughout the day with snacks
fruit for dessert

There you go!

Maybe you want a more personalized number. Check out this website: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/. It's a great way to know exactly how much. Plus, they have great tips and recipes. You can never have too much of that!

Cancer Dietitian on Facebook!




I shared all the reader recipes as soon as I received them via the Cancer Dietitian facebook page. Feel free to join me on facebook for even more great recipes and information regarding nutrition and cancer!

Next Topics:

I've had good feedback on what topics to write on next. Stay tuned for the following:

• Should Everyone Eat Gluten Free?
• Is Chia a super food?
• More summer recipes.

- Julie

Cucumbers: 

From my cousin, Carrie Cooper!

Peel, slice, then squeeze fresh lime juice over them with a sprinkle of salt. They're good right away and they taste good 2 days later too! This is also good with Jicama.

Cucumber and Red Onion Salad
From: http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/08/cucumber-and-red-onion-salad.html
Thanks LeeAnn Taylor for the tip!

After much trial and error, we decided that we liked our cucumber best sliced thickly and on a diagonal. This kept it from getting soggy, and was pretty as well. But do that you like best. The longer you chill the more the flavors will meld, but the cucumbers will continue to soften. The cucumber will also release juice because of the salt in the dressing. But it's no problem. just toss again with all the liquid right before serving.

3 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch pieces on a diagonal.
1/2 to 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon celery seed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar (you could also use lemon juice, champagne vinegar, or apple cider vinegar)
1 teaspoon Dijon style mustard
1 teaspoon sea salt
2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press

1-In a medium size bowl combine your cucumber and red onion slices.

2- In a small bowl combine the rest of the ingredients. Pour over cucumber and onion mixture and toss to coat. Chill for a few hours for flavors to meld. Mix right before serving and enjoy.

George Foreman Zuchini

From Anne Roediger Bell

Spray the grill with Pam (or the cheaper version), either chop (chunks, not small pieces) or slice the veggies. I also usually either spray the veggies with Pam, or toss them in a small quantity of Italian dressing. Then close Foreman and "grill". We sometimes add red peppers and mushrooms and/or broccoli, depending on what we have in the fridge. Just spray the veggies with Pam, you may want to sprinkle them with your favorite herbs.

In case you haven't heard, the USDA has finally decided to listen to me and encourage Americans to cover 1/2 their plate with fruits and vegetables! That's right, the new food guide "pyramid" is not a pyramid, it's a plate!

I find this method to be far more practical in helping people understand a healthy way of eating!



For some of the media coverage on this story, check out the Washington Post article, or the New York Times article.  To go straight to the source, you can read about the new plate at www.choosemyplate.gov.

Key Messages

MyPlate's three central messages are:

1. Balancing calories - Enjoy your foods, but eat less. Avoid oversized portions.
2. Foods to increase - Make half your plate fruits and vegetables. Eat more whole grains. Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk.
3. Foods to reduce - Compare sodium in foods such as soup, bread and frozen meals, and choose foods with lower amounts of sodium. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.

What's Not to Like?

Generally, reviews for this food guidance system have been MUCH more positive than for the very confusing pyramid! The only problems I see with it are pretty minor.

First, you might want to know that the plate size that we're talking about for the image is a 9" diameter. That is smaller than most dinner plates and definitely smaller than the plates when you eat out.

Second, I'm not convinced that dairy needs to be included in every meal. There are many bone building nutrients including vitamin K, magnesium, vitamin D, potassium and others in addition to calcium. If you opt out of the dairy though, you should probably upsize your veggies to get those extra bone builders.

Let me know what you think about the "new pyramid"!

I Need Recipes!

I have a special request from you! I am going to be doing a cooking class in a few weeks on using fresh and local produce. I want it to be practical and easy for the participants to take home and try. Do you have a recipe that you think would work great? I'll probably be using squash and zucchini, potatoes, cucumbers, herbs and blueberries. 

Eat your veggies!
- Julie