Gluten Free Diet; A Fad Fantasy or Hardcore Results?

[ValorPerformanc]

Originally published at: valorperformance.wordpress.com

The gluten free diet is one of the newest and biggest crazes in the worlds of weight loss and nutrition. You have likely heard of this diet or have seen products now advertising that they are "Gluten Free". But do you know what gluten actually is? I bet not. How do you know if you are gluten intolerant, or should take up this gluten free diet? Will this diet get you to your weight loss or muscle hypertrophy goals? And how would you even know what foods contain gluten? So many questions... it's time to discuss.

What is Gluten?

You must first understand what gluten is to know what foods contain gluten and how gluten will effect your body. Gluten is a protein that is naturally occurring in grains, such as: wheat, barley, rye, kamut, or anything that is a type or combination of these (such as spelt and triticale). You've likely never heard of a few of these sources and that is fine. If you don't recognize a name it is likely obscure and not directly in your diet or just classified as wheat or rye. And again to reiterate, gluten in its purest form is naturally occurring and found in organic foods. It does though, become a part of the processing and "enriching" of wheat products because it helps flour rise. For example most, or almost all, flour products (white and wheat) have excess gluten added to improve texture of the product.

What Foods Contain Gluten?

Gluten is found in any product that contains wheat or any of the ingredients listed above. Cosmetic products also use gluten in their make ups and creams and what not. I cannot sit here and type out every grocery item containing gluten. Read the ingredients and when in doubt use Google. And remember, just because a product says "Gluten-Free!" on the package does not make it a healthy or even healthier food choice. So put the "Gluten-Free!" coco pebbles and cherry pies down and stop lying to yourselves, those items are not and never will be healthy.

Am I Gluten Intolerant?

Now that you have a basic knowledge of what gluten is you can decide if you are gluten intolerant, right? That must be the reason that stubborn belly fat isn't coming off...never mind those cookies from yesterday, the hot dogs the day before that and barely working out the past month. Leaving that to the side for now, you cannot decide if you are gluten intolerant, nor should you try. If you are truly curious, go to your doctor and get the blood work done. Gluten intolerance is called celiac disease, and is a serious autoimmune disorder that will cause damage to the intestines, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. Yes, contrary to what magazines and infomercials will tell you, people afflicted with celiac disease will actually lose weight. This is due to an inflammation of the small intestine thus not being able to absorb key nutrients. This is not a desirable form of weight loss, though, and this disease does not effect the mass millions of people that commercials will tell you. Also, if you are wanting to get tested for celiac disease, do not go on a gluten free diet. This may seem contradictory but you must have gluten in your body for the blood work and tests to be accurate.

Will A Gluten-Free Diet Aid My Goals?

This is a question that is better asked once you have analyzed your diet and fitness routine and have kept a food log for at least three full days. But I will answer what I can in general terms. The gluten free diet is commonly associated with weight loss. Many people actually find this diet to work, they cut out gluten and they lose weight. So it must work, right? Not exactly and not directly. What most people really benefit from when going gluten free is reducing their total caloric intake every day and eliminated excess carbohydrates. Weight loss, in most cases, is achieved by "burning" more calories than you take in, known as a caloric deficit. Eating less and working out more or more effectively will achieve this.. So by cutting down in gluten you cut down your calories. For example a normal meal may be a hamburger and a side, while a similar gluten free meal may be a hamburger with no bun and a side. You cut gluten (assuming your burger is actual meat) but also cut the calories of the meal. Gluten being the indirect cause and cutting calories being the direct cause of weight loss. Also, most people eat way more carbs than their body needs. Carbs are meant to fuel the body in daily life and physical activity. They are not needed to sit on the couch and watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for three straight hours. But unfortunately for most people, carbs taste great and they are easy to overload on.

Weight Loss

If your goals are weight loss focus on decreasing your calories, increasing physical activity and eating a more nutrient dense and God grown diet. This may sound like a daunting task but just take it one step at a time and focus on small but meaningful changes. For example, replacing white bread with whole grain bread. Or picking one meal everyday and consistently modifying it to be the healthiest meal of your day. Instead of eating nothing or a pop tart for breakfast, eat your favorite fruit. No one gets to a healthy lifestyle in one day; trying to completely overhaul your diet rarely works in the long run and usually leads to complete failure and frustration. Slow and steady wins the race.

Building Muscle

Similarly, if you are trying to pack on the muscle you will likely need gluten to do so, assuming you have not been diagnosed with celiac disease. Always choose whole grains and non bleached options over white carbs. These are trash and myself being a naturally skinny guy who is a "hard gainer" even I cannot benefit from these empty calories. Muscle needs nutrients to grow. If you could get huge and strong eating white bread and jellybeans then you wouldn't have read this far into the article. If you are a naturally big mezomorph or endomorph you may benefit from lowering your gluten and carbs while keeping a very high protein and healthy fat diet. Skinny guys... unless you have a seriously regimented and well programmed diet, you will need your whole carbs and naturally occuring gluten.

In Conclusion

Whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle the game will never change. There are no fads or secrets to get you to your goals. Simply focus on bettering yourself every day of your life in regard to nutrition and fitness and before long you will be the one handing out sought after advise. The gluten free diet is not a terrible idea for the folks eating white bread and butter everyday, but for most of everyone out there simply eating whole grains and matching your carbs to your activity level will get you to your goals.

[Exploitation]

Originally published at: valorperformance.wordpress.com

The gluten free diet is one of the newest and biggest crazes in the worlds of weight loss and nutrition. You have likely heard of this diet or have seen products now advertising that they are "Gluten Free". But do you know what gluten actually is? I bet not. How do you know if you are gluten intolerant, or should take up this gluten free diet? Will this diet get you to your weight loss or muscle hypertrophy goals? And how would you even know what foods contain gluten? So many questions... it's time to discuss.

What is Gluten?

You must first understand what gluten is to know what foods contain gluten and how gluten will effect your body. Gluten is a protein that is naturally occurring in grains, such as: wheat, barley, rye, kamut, or anything that is a type or combination of these (such as spelt and triticale). You've likely never heard of a few of these sources and that is fine. If you don't recognize a name it is likely obscure and not directly in your diet or just classified as wheat or rye. And again to reiterate, gluten in its purest form is naturally occurring and found in organic foods. It does though, become a part of the processing and "enriching" of wheat products because it helps flour rise. For example most, or almost all, flour products (white and wheat) have excess gluten added to improve texture of the product.

What Foods Contain Gluten?

Gluten is found in any product that contains wheat or any of the ingredients listed above. Cosmetic products also use gluten in their make ups and creams and what not. I cannot sit here and type out every grocery item containing gluten. Read the ingredients and when in doubt use Google. And remember, just because a product says "Gluten-Free!" on the package does not make it a healthy or even healthier food choice. So put the "Gluten-Free!" coco pebbles and cherry pies down and stop lying to yourselves, those items are not and never will be healthy.

Am I Gluten Intolerant?

Now that you have a basic knowledge of what gluten is you can decide if you are gluten intolerant, right? That must be the reason that stubborn belly fat isn't coming off...never mind those cookies from yesterday, the hot dogs the day before that and barely working out the past month. Leaving that to the side for now, you cannot decide if you are gluten intolerant, nor should you try. If you are truly curious, go to your doctor and get the blood work done. Gluten intolerance is called celiac disease, and is a serious autoimmune disorder that will cause damage to the intestines, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. Yes, contrary to what magazines and infomercials will tell you, people afflicted with celiac disease will actually lose weight. This is due to an inflammation of the small intestine thus not being able to absorb key nutrients. This is not a desirable form of weight loss, though, and this disease does not effect the mass millions of people that commercials will tell you. Also, if you are wanting to get tested for celiac disease, do not go on a gluten free diet. This may seem contradictory but you must have gluten in your body for the blood work and tests to be accurate.

Will A Gluten-Free Diet Aid My Goals?

This is a question that is better asked once you have analyzed your diet and fitness routine and have kept a food log for at least three full days. But I will answer what I can in general terms. The gluten free diet is commonly associated with weight loss. Many people actually find this diet to work, they cut out gluten and they lose weight. So it must work, right? Not exactly and not directly. What most people really benefit from when going gluten free is reducing their total caloric intake every day and eliminated excess carbohydrates. Weight loss, in most cases, is achieved by "burning" more calories than you take in, known as a caloric deficit. Eating less and working out more or more effectively will achieve this.. So by cutting down in gluten you cut down your calories. For example a normal meal may be a hamburger and a side, while a similar gluten free meal may be a hamburger with no bun and a side. You cut gluten (assuming your burger is actual meat) but also cut the calories of the meal. Gluten being the indirect cause and cutting calories being the direct cause of weight loss. Also, most people eat way more carbs than their body needs. Carbs are meant to fuel the body in daily life and physical activity. They are not needed to sit on the couch and watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for three straight hours. But unfortunately for most people, carbs taste great and they are easy to overload on.

Weight Loss

If your goals are weight loss focus on decreasing your calories, increasing physical activity and eating a more nutrient dense and God grown diet. This may sound like a daunting task but just take it one step at a time and focus on small but meaningful changes. For example, replacing white bread with whole grain bread. Or picking one meal everyday and consistently modifying it to be the healthiest meal of your day. Instead of eating nothing or a pop tart for breakfast, eat your favorite fruit. No one gets to a healthy lifestyle in one day; trying to completely overhaul your diet rarely works in the long run and usually leads to complete failure and frustration. Slow and steady wins the race.

Building Muscle

Similarly, if you are trying to pack on the muscle you will likely need gluten to do so, assuming you have not been diagnosed with celiac disease. Always choose whole grains and non bleached options over white carbs. These are trash and myself being a naturally skinny guy who is a "hard gainer" even I cannot benefit from these empty calories. Muscle needs nutrients to grow. If you could get huge and strong eating white bread and jellybeans then you wouldn't have read this far into the article. If you are a naturally big mezomorph or endomorph you may benefit from lowering your gluten and carbs while keeping a very high protein and healthy fat diet. Skinny guys... unless you have a seriously regimented and well programmed diet, you will need your whole carbs and naturally occuring gluten.

In Conclusion

Whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle the game will never change. There are no fads or secrets to get you to your goals. Simply focus on bettering yourself every day of your life in regard to nutrition and fitness and before long you will be the one handing out sought after advise. The gluten free diet is not a terrible idea for the folks eating white bread and butter everyday, but for most of everyone out there simply eating whole grains and matching your carbs to your activity level will get you to your goals.

Great article

[PT140]

Awesome and well written article

Originally published at: valorperformance.wordpress.com

The gluten free diet is one of the newest and biggest crazes in the worlds of weight loss and nutrition. You have likely heard of this diet or have seen products now advertising that they are "Gluten Free". But do you know what gluten actually is? I bet not. How do you know if you are gluten intolerant, or should take up this gluten free diet? Will this diet get you to your weight loss or muscle hypertrophy goals? And how would you even know what foods contain gluten? So many questions... it's time to discuss.

What is Gluten?

You must first understand what gluten is to know what foods contain gluten and how gluten will effect your body. Gluten is a protein that is naturally occurring in grains, such as: wheat, barley, rye, kamut, or anything that is a type or combination of these (such as spelt and triticale). You've likely never heard of a few of these sources and that is fine. If you don't recognize a name it is likely obscure and not directly in your diet or just classified as wheat or rye. And again to reiterate, gluten in its purest form is naturally occurring and found in organic foods. It does though, become a part of the processing and "enriching" of wheat products because it helps flour rise. For example most, or almost all, flour products (white and wheat) have excess gluten added to improve texture of the product.

What Foods Contain Gluten?

Gluten is found in any product that contains wheat or any of the ingredients listed above. Cosmetic products also use gluten in their make ups and creams and what not. I cannot sit here and type out every grocery item containing gluten. Read the ingredients and when in doubt use Google. And remember, just because a product says "Gluten-Free!" on the package does not make it a healthy or even healthier food choice. So put the "Gluten-Free!" coco pebbles and cherry pies down and stop lying to yourselves, those items are not and never will be healthy.

Am I Gluten Intolerant?

Now that you have a basic knowledge of what gluten is you can decide if you are gluten intolerant, right? That must be the reason that stubborn belly fat isn't coming off...never mind those cookies from yesterday, the hot dogs the day before that and barely working out the past month. Leaving that to the side for now, you cannot decide if you are gluten intolerant, nor should you try. If you are truly curious, go to your doctor and get the blood work done. Gluten intolerance is called celiac disease, and is a serious autoimmune disorder that will cause damage to the intestines, vomiting, diarrhea, and weight loss. Yes, contrary to what magazines and infomercials will tell you, people afflicted with celiac disease will actually lose weight. This is due to an inflammation of the small intestine thus not being able to absorb key nutrients. This is not a desirable form of weight loss, though, and this disease does not effect the mass millions of people that commercials will tell you. Also, if you are wanting to get tested for celiac disease, do not go on a gluten free diet. This may seem contradictory but you must have gluten in your body for the blood work and tests to be accurate.

Will A Gluten-Free Diet Aid My Goals?

This is a question that is better asked once you have analyzed your diet and fitness routine and have kept a food log for at least three full days. But I will answer what I can in general terms. The gluten free diet is commonly associated with weight loss. Many people actually find this diet to work, they cut out gluten and they lose weight. So it must work, right? Not exactly and not directly. What most people really benefit from when going gluten free is reducing their total caloric intake every day and eliminated excess carbohydrates. Weight loss, in most cases, is achieved by "burning" more calories than you take in, known as a caloric deficit. Eating less and working out more or more effectively will achieve this.. So by cutting down in gluten you cut down your calories. For example a normal meal may be a hamburger and a side, while a similar gluten free meal may be a hamburger with no bun and a side. You cut gluten (assuming your burger is actual meat) but also cut the calories of the meal. Gluten being the indirect cause and cutting calories being the direct cause of weight loss. Also, most people eat way more carbs than their body needs. Carbs are meant to fuel the body in daily life and physical activity. They are not needed to sit on the couch and watch The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air for three straight hours. But unfortunately for most people, carbs taste great and they are easy to overload on.

Weight Loss

If your goals are weight loss focus on decreasing your calories, increasing physical activity and eating a more nutrient dense and God grown diet. This may sound like a daunting task but just take it one step at a time and focus on small but meaningful changes. For example, replacing white bread with whole grain bread. Or picking one meal everyday and consistently modifying it to be the healthiest meal of your day. Instead of eating nothing or a pop tart for breakfast, eat your favorite fruit. No one gets to a healthy lifestyle in one day; trying to completely overhaul your diet rarely works in the long run and usually leads to complete failure and frustration. Slow and steady wins the race.

Building Muscle

Similarly, if you are trying to pack on the muscle you will likely need gluten to do so, assuming you have not been diagnosed with celiac disease. Always choose whole grains and non bleached options over white carbs. These are trash and myself being a naturally skinny guy who is a "hard gainer" even I cannot benefit from these empty calories. Muscle needs nutrients to grow. If you could get huge and strong eating white bread and jellybeans then you wouldn't have read this far into the article. If you are a naturally big mezomorph or endomorph you may benefit from lowering your gluten and carbs while keeping a very high protein and healthy fat diet. Skinny guys... unless you have a seriously regimented and well programmed diet, you will need your whole carbs and naturally occuring gluten.

In Conclusion

Whether you are trying to lose weight or gain muscle the game will never change. There are no fads or secrets to get you to your goals. Simply focus on bettering yourself every day of your life in regard to nutrition and fitness and before long you will be the one handing out sought after advise. The gluten free diet is not a terrible idea for the folks eating white bread and butter everyday, but for most of everyone out there simply eating whole grains and matching your carbs to your activity level will get you to your goals.

[ValorPerformanc]

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