Archive for January, 2010
Supplements for the Gluten Free Athlete-Glutamine Edition
Posted by: | CommentsHere’s a shocker-I have a fitness background. In the fitness world, there is something that is affectionately referred to as “bro-science.”
Interestingly enough, there is actually a definition for “bro-science” at urbandictionary.com. “Broscience is the predominant brand of reasoning in bodybuilding circles where the anecdotal reports of jacked dudes are considered more credible than scientific research.”
There has been much debate surrounding glutamine in the weight training world. It was touted as a recovery booster/fat mobilizer/muscle sparing/ all that and a bag o’ chips for many moons, and turns out that the research doesn’t support that position.
( Gleeson M, Dosing and efficacy of glutamine supplementation in human exercise and sport training J Nutr. 2008 Oct;138(10):2045S-2049S among others.)
photo credit www.willsunphoto.com
There are many good bros and female bros (bras?) out there fighting the good fight and protecting the world against the proliferation of bro-science. A few are Alan Aragon, Lyle McDonald, Leigh Peele, and Cassandra Forsythe, as well as my buddy JC Deen. There are many others of course-but these are a few I reference regularly and have in my Google Reader.
Ok, so what does this have to do with celiac disease, living gluten free, or glutamine supplementation?
Although glutamine may have limited benefit from a sports performance/physique enhancement perspective, it may be much more useful for gut health.
First of all, what is glutamine? Glutamine is an amino acid. It is considered conditionally essential (meaning there may be times when the body cannot produce enough, and it must be ingested through the diet.) The gut tissue has been found to absorb up to 65-76% of ingested glutamine. Also, glutamine is used for fuel by the cells in your body that fight disease and infection. When plasma glutamine levels are lowered, this can contribute to suppresion of the immune system. In short, glutamine helps reduce inflammation, improve immunity, promote repair, and assist in production of other important factors in the gut.
I have to note that in looking through the scientific research, I have found studies that support these statements, and other studies where no significant difference has been shown. As always, this is a case of buyer beware-educate yourself, discuss it with your doctor or health care practitioner, and make an informed decision. It will not hurt you, but it may not help either. There has been quite a bit of supporting evidence that it is beneficial for gut health.
Some of you may be thinking-”But glutamine is an amino acid found in gliadin-and a reaction to gliadin is what is examined when gluten intolerance is being tested.” Dr. Stephen Wangen in his book “Healthier Without Wheat: A New Understanding of Wheat Allergies, Celiac Disease, and Non-Celiac Gluten Intolerance.
Note: Glutamine can be found in two forms, and this is particulary important to note if you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. There is L-glutamine, which is the free form amino acid, and glutamine peptides. Glutamine peptides are often sourced from wheat, and can cause a reaction in those with sensitivity. Avoid glutamine peptides, and if you choose to supplement look for L-glutamine.
Dr. Wangen states that due to the fact that the small intestine uses glutamine as a primary energy source, providing extra L-glutamine can assist in speeding the healing of the digestive tract. He recommends a dose of 3 grams (3,000 mg) split into 3 doses throughout the day.
Shari Lieberman also discussed L-glutamine supplementation in her book “The Gluten Connection: How Gluten Sensitivity May Be Sabotaging Your Health–And What You Can Do to Take Control Now
There also have been studies of non-celiac endurance athletes which have shown protective immune system qualities when the training load is high. (L. Castell, The effects of oral glutamine supplementation on athletes after prolonged, exhaustive exercise. Nutrition Volume 13, Issues 7-8, July-August 1997, Pages 738-742 )
So what does this mean to the celiac or gluten intolerant athlete?
It means that supplementing with L-glutamine may be a worthwhile expense. If you are training hard, your immune system and gut can use all the help it can get with recovery. It can help with antioxidant control of free radicals produced in exercise. By maximizing your gut health, you are maximizing absorption and therefore fuel.
What’s your opinion? Have you taken L-glutamine? Leave your feedback in the comments!
For more sensible information on setting up a healthy gluten free nutrition plan, click here or submit your info below this post.
Share your thoughts!
Resources:
McDonald, Lyle. The Protein Book. Salt Lake City: Lyle McDonald Publishing 2007.
McArdle, Katch and Katch.Sports and Exercise Nutrition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins 2005.
Lieberman, Shari. The Gluten Connection. How Gluten Sensitivity may be Sabotaging your Health-and what you can do to take control now.New York: Rodale 2007
Wangen, Dr. Stephen. Healthier Without Wheat. A New understanding of wheat allergies, celiac disease, and non-celiac gluten intolerance. Seattle: Innate Health Publishing
van Der Hulst et al. “Glutamine and the preservation of gut integrity” The Lancet, Volume 341, Issue 8857, Pages 1363-1365
Texas De Brazil-Gluten Free Restaurant Review at the Gluten Free Post
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The parade of meat...
I have a guest post restaurant review up over at the Gluten Free Post. Thanks Jay! Click here to read the review of Texas De Brazil-gluten free style.
Gluten Free Fitness and Wellness Podcast-Episode 1. Ready to Rock it –Celiac Style
Posted by: | Comments
Today I’m going to give you a bit of information about me, and what we’re going to be covering in the podcast. I’d love to hear your feedback about what you would like to hear about, so things will be flexible according to the feedback you give me!
-My history-my education, my fitness background, and my celiac diagnosis
-My philosophy –celiac disease as a gift, not a burden. Eating well to live well-importance of good food and the impact on our health, outlook and life quality.
-My goal for the podcast-to bring science based information and put it into a very fun and easy to understand format. To interview experts in the field and get their take on what they feel is important to know. To compile and explain information as it becomes known relating to gluten intolerance and celiac disease. To share my ideas of what can help you live a healthier live-and do it more easily. To answer questions and provide resources.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Gluten Free Snack Product Review-Boomi and Prana Bars
Posted by: | CommentsLiving gluten free can sometimes prove challenging to having “grab and go” type snacks. I did go over a few of my favorites in my “top 10 portable gluten free snack” article. However, I know sometimes the urge to snatch a prepackaged treat off the shelf can hit. For those occasions, the folks at Divine Foods present the Boomi and Prana bars.
Jessica at Divine Foods very kindly sent me 2 complimentary bars to review: the Prana Bar in coconut Acai flavor, and the Boomi Bar in Cashew Almond.
The bars claim to fame is that they are 100% natural, and both are gluten free.
They are slightly different in composition, texture and ingredient.
Boomi Bar: per the label: Gluten Free “Energy Bar”
Ingredients: Almonds, Cashews, Honey, Dates, crisped Rice, puffed amaranth, and salt.
Nutrition facts: 260 calories, 14 grams of fat, 23 grams of carbs (1 fiber) and 8 grams of protein.
The Boomi bar has a chunky nutty flavor which I like. Akin to the Kind bar in the sense of big chunks. It is VERY sweet. And I like sweet. This was almost too sweet for me, and that’s hard to do. I like the ingredients, and I really wanted to like these bars. I think the theory is great. But in practice, I see this more of a treat kind of bar. “Energy” bar-yes, in the sense that you’re getting calories, and being as there is no actual definition for “energy bar” I see no problem with that. It contains healthful ingredients, but don’t think this is like having an apple. This is very calorie dense for the size-eating one goes very quickly. I can see having this as a treat with a cup of coffee, or maybe for kids before/after sports to get some quick and easy calories in.
The Prana bar : per the label: Organic “Energy” bar
Ingredients: organic almond butter, organic agave nectar, organic date paste, organic dried coconut, organic almonds, organic raisins, organic puffed amaranth, organic acai dry powder, sea salt.
Nutrition facts: 220 calories, 13 grams of fat, 26 grams of carbs (3 fiber) and 4 grams of protein.
The Prana bar has a much more smooth and chewy texture, no big chunks. It did have some coconut texture. Again, very, very sweet. I was a little turned off right away by the fact that they were jumping on the ACAI SUPERFOOD ZOMG! bandwagon, especially seeing as it is the second to last ingredient. Call me skeptical. As far as the agave goes, again this seems to be a “hot” ingredient right now, and almost as controversial as it is popular. Check out this great article by Tamara Duker on the agave dust-up.
Overall, I think these have their place as a TREAT. I would not consider them a meal replacement by any stretch of the imagination. Think of them as a slightly healthier version of a candy bar.
For more free information on how something like this may fit into your overall nutrition plan, click here.
Have you tried these bars? What was your opinion?
Todays’s Cage Match-Gluten Free-”Diet” vs. Lifestyle
Posted by: | CommentsLiving gluten free has received quite a bit of mainstream press lately. The Dr. Oz feature of course comes to mind, and there was a 12 page special report in USA today in November, and numerous other articles in publications including the NY Times.
Diet versus lifestyle
With the rising awareness of a gluten free “diet” comes increased numbers of people trying the “diet.” Here’s the reason I am adding quotations every time I use the word diet here. There’s a method to the madness, I promise.
“Diet” as per Dictionary.com has several different meanings and uses. It can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adjective:
1-food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health
2-a particular selection of food, esp. as designed or prescribed to improve a person’s physical condition or to prevent or
treat a disease
3-such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight
4-to select or limit the food one eats to improve one’s physical condition or to lose weight
This is only a small selection of the 10 potential meanings.
You can see how this one little word has multiple conotations associated with it. Most people associate the word “diet” with the 3rd definition, from my experience. A lifestyle approach to diet would be definition #1. With the media exposure of the gluten free diet, there are some who are associating the gluten free diet with a weight loss diet.
Not so fast, buttercup. This is not necessarily the case. Any method of eating can be a weight/fat loss diet. It depends on activity level, what you eat, but most importantly how much you eat. Can you gain weight on a gluten free diet? Hells yeah. You can lose it too. You can gain/lose weight eating anything. The laws of thermodynamics do not change.
Let’s take a very quick and admittedly non-complete look at some popular “diets.”
Atkins-taken in it’s purest form, the idea of eating meats and vegetables, and fats only. Excludes a complete food group.
South Beach-a balanced diet including all food groups eventually, but in their whole forms.
At their inception people by and large did quite well using these methods of eating, provided their daily caloric intake was less than their daily expenditure. Then, there was the advent of the Atkins bars, and pancakes, and the South Beach cereal, and more bars, etc and so on. These foods made it easier for people to consume more calories. It’s much easier and quicker to eat several to many hundred calories worth of a nutrition bar than of chicken and broccoli. The satiety (fullness) factor is less, so more is eaten. And guess what? No more fat/weight loss.
The gluten free “diet” in it’s purest form is a very healthful diet, and can certainly aid in controlling calorie intake.
Peter Bronski just did a blog post (here is his Gluten Free Athlete profile) on a brochure he found at his local market.
Check this out : (Excerpt from Pete’s post, click here for the full article)
* Eat more non-processed foods.
* Eat an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruit.
* Eat a serving of beans or legumes and nuts daily.
* Eat fish twice a week, especially wild salmon.
* Pay attention to your calcium and vitamin D intake to maintain healthy bones.
* Choose lean poultry and meats as well as low-fat dairy products.
* Balance the food that you eat with daily physical activity.
This was the brochure on “Living a Gluten Free Life.”
Sounds like an awfully nutritious way to live to me.
Where we can get into trouble is just like in any other “diet.” The gluten free cookies, candies, cereals-these are items
where it is very easy to overeat calorie wise.
So when people ask me if they can lose weight on a gluten free diet, the answer is yes. It’s not rocket surgery. You can lose weight eating Burger King if you keep your calories where they need to be. (I DO NOT recommend that-it’s just an illustration.)
Does this mean that everyone should go on a gluten free diet? Heck no. For those with celiac disease and gluten
intolerance, living gluten free is not an option, it’s a necessity. And you can choose to eat gluten free in whatever
manner you wish. For those with celiac disease and gluten intolerance, this is not just a “diet.” It’s a lifestyle, and a
medical necessity. It’s a way of life and a way of living. It’s extremely important that manufacturers and restaurants
understand the medical implications of the gluten free distinction and follow good practices, not just jump on the gluten
free bandwagon.
There are those have not been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or celiac disease who choose to live gluten free. They may be part of the many who are undiagnosed. It may be a personal decision. Honestly, the description provided by the brochure above would be a beneficial way for most people to eat.
Bottom line-there is no “magic” in a gluten free diet. If by going gluten free you cut out processed carbs, then by default your calorie intake may drop, which will cause weight loss if your activity stays the same. It’s not magic. It’s math.
For more free information on living a healthy gluten free nutritional lifestyle, click here.
What are your thoughts? Have you experienced people asking you about a gluten free diet? Speak your mind in the comments below!
Excuse me sir, there’s sugar in my…..
Posted by: | CommentsIn the past two days, two things happened that really lit a fire under my butt.
The first-well, let me set the stage for you. I love vegetables. Really and truly, I’m a freak that way. I don’t like okra. Too slimy. Aside from that, I love me some veggies. I eat a lot of frozen vegetables in addition to a metric ton of salad greenery. The other day I pulled out a box of Sugar Snap peas from the freezer. For my frozen veggies I buy whatever is on sale/cheapest. Usually I buy the store brand, but Publix doesn’t have their own snap peas. (Why is that, Publix? Enlighten me.) So, I get whatever is on sale. This past week the Green Giant boxed veggies were on sale for $1 each.
Score!
I grabbed a bunch of the Sugar Snaps that I love so, after checking out the boxes and finding the “Simply Steam” snap peas.
Looks fairly harmless...
It states on the box: “Picked at the peak of perfection. Simply Steam in the bag! No sauce, just enough liquid to cook.”
Sounds good, and off I go.
The time comes, and I toss a bag into the microwave. As it’s cooking I am reading the label as I always do. These are simply steam, no sauce, right? Right. But guess what is in the ingredients. There’s 2 ingredients. The first is, thankfully, sugar snap peas. Guess what the second is?
No, it’s not gluten, thank heavens.
SUGAR!!!!
What the *$(*#^@!!!
They went and added sugar to sugar snap peas!
Now I’m ticked. If I’m going to eat sugar, I want to be in control of when, and how much. And quite frankly, it’s going to be some sort of chocolate. It’s sure as anything not going to be in my SIMPLY STEAM veggies!! I ranted about this to my fiance, who smiled and nodded. He’s seen this enough over the past 7 years to know not to say anything when I get going.
I can’t for the life of me imagine why adding sugar would be necessary. I checked the bag of sugar snap peas that I had bought previously (the 365 brand from Whole Foods) and there was 1 ingredient. Sugar Snap Peas. So apparently adding sugar is not necessary for the freezing process, and I can’t imagine why it would be.
So there was that.
Then, yesterday I stop at the store to pick up some spaghetti. Jeff had asked for spaghetti for dinner, and I don’t keep it in the house, so I stop to pick some up. (On the rare occasions when he asks for spaghetti I make spaghetti squash for myself) I’m feeling a bit strapped for time, so I start looking at the jarred marinara. Guess what’s in them-SUGAR!! A lot of sugar. Seriously.
I didn’t look at every single one, (although I was so ticked off I almost did) but for the ones I did check out, sugar was usually the third ingredient. A serving of spaghetti sauce contained about 13-14 grams of sugar. For reference, that’s approximately equivalent to 4 ounces of Coke. Regular, full on sugar Coke. How crazy is that?
I realize that a small amount of sweetness may be needed to cut the acidity of tomatoes. I learned from my Mom how to make tomato sauce from scratch, and I was taught to add a spoonful of sugar. Not several cups of sugar.
Here’s what I learned from these experiences. Always, always read your ingredients and labels. Not just for gluten, but everything. Cook from scratch whenever possible to control quality as well as quantity of ingredients. And if you must use jarred sauce, read the label. I’m sure that there are sauces that exist that are lower in sugar, we just have to look for them.
You read about the obesity epidemic, about soaring health care costs, about the evils of high fructose corn syrup, about this generation of kids dying before their parents. I like to think with a little awareness and education we can make a difference in these sobering statistics.
Is it the HFCS? Or is it simply the large portions of all sweeteners-in items where they are neither needed or expected?
Be aware. Read your labels. Be an educated consumer. If you feel so inclined, patronize manufacturers that do not practice random adding of sugar or various forms of sugar.
OK, stepping off my soapbox. For the moment.
For slightly less ranting, but more free information on setting up a healthy gluten free diet, click here.
What are your thoughts? Have you run into this before? Where have you seen sugar unexpectedly? Share ‘em, peeps-shoot up a comment below!
Gluten Free Dairy Free Protein Bar-”Kind of a Recipe”-Trail Mix bars!
Posted by: | CommentsIt was time. Time to attempt a protein bar with one of the non-dairy proteins. I was a little scared, to be honest. Whey protein is very friendly when it comes to baking gluten free, and I wasn’t sure how the rice protein would react. (I decided to use the rice protein instead of gemma since some people may already have rice protein on hand. Gemma protein is a bit newer on the scene.) Check out my dairy free gluten free protein powder 101 if you missed it for more info on these powders.
I saw a recipe in Eating Well that sounded good, but it was a refrigerate only bar, and for whatever reason I never have good luck with these. Probably because I live in the sub tropics of South Florida and they melt. Immediately. Upon removing from the fridge. Anyhow-I like to bake my protein treats. So I decided to improvise.
As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to treat recipes as a guideline more than a set-in-stone idea. Hence the “kind of a recipe” title. So please do the same with this-these are all experiments and works-in-progress.
I thought the rice protein may produce a bit of a crumbly texture, so I tried to compensate with a bit more moisture. After cooking, I think I could have added a little more, so keep that in mind and let me know how you make out. Next time I’d add another mashed banana, more applesauce, or more eggs or egg whites. Something for just a bit more moisture. I would have reached for greek yogurt or ricotta cheese ordinarily, reminded myself-”no silly-these are dairy free!”
Mmmmm.....yummy
OK onto the good stuff:
Ingredients:
First thing I did was spread 30 grams of slivered almonds and 1 cup of gluten free oats on a jelly roll pan and toast them at 350 for about 10 minutes until fragrant and awesome smelling. While that is in the oven combine:
the Wet ingredients:
-1 mashed medium banana
-4 oz unsweetened applesauce
-80 grams of diced dried fruit (I had cranberries, apricots, and cherries)-I let this sit in the wet ingredients to plump a bit
-1 tsp vanilla
-.5 cup egg white
-1 TBSP coconut oil (you may need to melt this a little first if it’s in solid form)
Combine all of the above wet ingredients. To that add:
-.5 tsp stevia (I use the spoonable kind-you can use whatever sweetener you want here)
-3 scoops of rice protein powder (measures to approximately 1 cup-mine was chocolate flavor and sweetened, so you may need to add sweetener or additional spices (cinnamon etc) if yours in unflavored.) I used True Protein rice protein that I reviewed here
-2 tsp cinnamon
-2 TBSP cacao powder
-The toasted oats and almonds that by now have come out of the oven, either that or they’re burnt by now 
Add the dry to wet. Actually, add the protein powder first because that takes a bit more mixing. Then add everything else.
Spread into a 8×8 pan sprayed with non stick spray.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Definitely not longer or they will get too dry.
Here’s the nutritional breakdown based on my protein powder:
6 servings (this is 6 good-sized squares)
per serving:
225 calories
6 grams of fat
27 grams of carbohydrate, 4 of which are fiber
18 grams of protein
These were very tasty. The slivered almonds gave a nice crunch, and the dried fruit is a nice chewiness. They kept their shape well, and can be wrapped up in saran wrap and stuck into a lunch bag. (I know some you are thinking snacks for the gluten free dairy free kiddos 
You can add some chocolate chips on the top prior to cooking to make them more attractive to the kidlets. They would also make a good grab and go breakfast snack, since time can be an issue in the morning. To make a bit more substantial meal you can add a few hard boiled eggs or egg whites and off you go. I do think the rice protein made them a bit more crumbly, and I’m curious to see how the gemma protein cooks. But that’s next time
For ideas and guidance on setting up a healthy eating plan you can get my free outline below, or click here for more information.
Let me know how they turn out for you and any modifications you make! Share in the comments below!
Ah, protein powder. The words that polarize, the food product that can be a sweet treat, or a necessary evil. I have used many different brands and flavors of protein powder over the years, with varying results. Some have been great, others have had me struggling to reach the bottom of the canister. (Yet I refuse to throw it away. The stuff can be expensive!)
Personally, I am a celiac without dairy issues. So I have used whey and casein protein powders. Whey is generally considered the standard as far as peri-workout nutrition. It is quickly digested and has a high level of amino acids which assist in the recovery process. Casein is used as a slower digesting protein that can be used in conjunction with whey, or by itself, many times prior to bed (think cottage cheese.)
However, I know many of you cannot tolerate dairy, or choose to follow a vegan diet. And off I went in an attempt to find some protein powders that fit the bill.
There are 5 main types of non-dairy protein powder options that I am aware of. Egg/egg white, soy, hemp, rice, and gemma (pea.) In my previous post Gluten Free Dairy Free Protein Powders 101, I covered some of the characteristics of each of these.
When I last ordered from True Protein, I ordered tubs of rice protein and gemma to try. There are several companies that produce these protein powders. Jay Robb seems to be a popular maker of rice and egg protein, Sunwarrior makes a sprouted rice protein powder, Nutribiotics, Olympian Labs makes a pea protein, and Nutiva a hemp. This is just a sampling, I am sure there are more-if you are aware or have a favorite, shoot a comment below.
True Protein
True Protein is a company that allows you to create custom protein mixes, and they also sell pre-made protein mixes,and various vitamins and supplements. From their website “Our Goal… To create a following and customer base in the athletic, fitness, bodybuilding and health world not on fancy marketing schemes but purely on a reputation as the company to go to, to find the highest quality nutritional supplements known to the public.” I have ordered from True Protein for several years and have been very pleased with their products and services in the past. They do not have fancy labels or packaging, everything is very simply marked with black and white labels, and minimally packaged. In fact you can have your powders sent in a food grade bag if you already have a canister to put it in. (Although transferring the powder can be a bit of a nightmare-but that’s another story for another day.) When it came time to try these new proteins (new to me) I chose to purchase them from True Protein. They also do carry the egg white, soy, and hemp protein powder. The rice and gemma powders that I tried are non-GMO.
From the True Protein FAQ:
“I am allergic to Wheat Gluten. Which of your products contain Wheat or Wheat Gluten?
None of our protein, carbohydrate, or flavoring materials will contain any form of wheat or wheat gluten. The only product that contains wheat gluten will be our Glutamine Peptides, which is maintained in an isolated storage unit within our clean oom facility to remove any risk of cross-contamination. Wheat gluten products are manufactured within our facility.”
Just to be certain, I contacted Carl at True Protein. This was his response (within 24 hours of when the email was sent): “The only item we carry that will contain even trace elements of Gluten will be the Glutamine Peptides and any custom product selected using that ingredient. We follow strict GMPs that have been designed using ISO9001 guidelines, with 0% chance for cross contamination within our facility. Thanks again and please dont hesitate to contact us with any additional questions or requests.” (Erin’s note-GMP=good manufacturing practices)
OK, on to the taste review!
I bought the premium dutch chocolate fudge flavor in both the rice and gemma, as I have had this flavor in whey isolate and thus a baseline for comparison. I mixed just with cold water in a shaker bottle. Keeping in mind that everyone’s tastes a bit different-here are my thoughts:
Gemma
-Mixes easily
-Thicker in consistency-you may need to use a bit more water. I liked it, because making protein powder into a pudding” is a favorite way of mine to combat the sweet tooth. Especially at night time. Blending half a scoop of this with some cottage cheese, stevia and cacao powder gives me my “chocolate pudding” fix
-Slight nutty flavor, not unpleasant at all
Rice
-Slightly tougher to mix, takes some vigorous shaking
-A bit chalky in texture-feels like it coats your teeth a bit
-Thinner consistency, more like whey isolate
One comment about the appearance of both-the brown is kind of a light brownish, not terrible visually appealing. Don’t let that fool you though, the chocolate flavor is definitely there.
Overall, both of these are very pleasant and will be in my protein powder rotation.
If you would like to order from True Protein, feel free to get 5% off using coupon code ENE038. If you buy using this code, it also adds points to my account and eventually I can earn free protein. Of course you can also order without using that code.
For more specific information on setting up a healthy gluten free nutrition plan, sign up below for my free guideline.
Have you tried any of these proteins? What has been your experience, good or bad? Specific brands and/or flavors you like? Share ‘em!! Leave a comment below!
Gluten Free and Dairy Free Protein Powder 101-Sports Nutrition for Celiacs
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve heard this question several (OK, many) times in the past year.
What gluten and dairy free protein supplement do you recommend?
And quite honestly, I was flummoxed.
Although I have celiac disease, I have not had to contend with dairy sensitivity. I have always used whey or casein proteins, which are milk-based. Whey protein isolate has had the lactose removed, and so many with a lactose intolerance can tolerate a straight whey isolate. However, some with a dairy sensitivity cannot tolerate even a whey isolate.
I am the first to tell you when there is something I am unfamiliar with. In these cases, I usually run around in a fairly obsessive state of learning until I have found an answer. My friends, I am here to share my new found knowledge of the dairy and gluten free protein powder world.
There are 5 basic types of gluten and dairy free protein powders. (This is what I am aware of as being fairly common and easy to find. I believe there may be more (spirulina?), so if you know of some please share in the comments!
The five I will be addressing here are egg white protein, gemma (pea) protein, rice protein, soy protein, and hemp protein.
Egg White Protein
Egg white protein is created by seperating the yolk and converting the white to powder. It tends to be a bit high when it comes to creating sulfur with digestion. (The polite way of saying it can give you WAY smelly gas.) Upon mixing it is a thinner consistency. In my opinion best when mixed with other types of protein, for both the taste, texture, and certainly for the gas factor.
Gemma (Pea) Protein
This is fairly new to the scene, becoming more popular when whey protein prices went up a couple years back. It is, just as it sounds, derived from peas, making it a vegan-friendly option. Gemma mixes into a thick consistency and has a slightly nutty flavor. The Gemma that I have tested is also non-GMO. Gemma can be used on its own or mixed with another type of protein such as…..
Rice Protein
Also a vegan friendly option. The rice protein I tested is also non GMO and derived from brown rice. Rice protein mixes
to a thinner consistency and has a gritty texture, but a “cleaner” flavor.
Soy Protein
Soy protein is derived from defatted soybean flakes. There has been much media controversy and conflicting research about the use of soy supplements in the diet, as well as the GMO situation (GMO=genetically modified organism.) That discussion could fill several books, and is far too much for the scope of this article, but be aware that it exists. You can find research and articles to back up both sides of the story, from the “soy is evil!” camp to the “soy is the best food ever!” camp. Make an educated and independent decision, whatever your decision may be. It is a vegan friendly option.
Hemp Protein
Despite some individuals wishing otherwise, this hemp does not make you high. Sorry, folks, it would be a lot more expensive if it did. Hemp protein does have a couple of unique characteristics though. Hemp protein contains essential fatty acids and fiber! In a 30 gram serving you would get 4 grams of fiber and 6 grams of fat along with your 15 grams of protein. The others contain a bit more protein per serving, averaging 24-25 grams, and little to no fat and fiber. I have not tasted hemp yet. (And I know some of you have, so pipe up in the comments!) Hemp is a vegan friendly option.
As always, check your labels and with the manufacturer if needed to verify gluten free status. I have used rice and gemma from True Protein, and I will be posting my review next week. Stay tuned!
Check out the Gluten Free and Fit 101 page if you’re looking for a place to start here in the gluten free and fit community.
If you are looking for sensible information on setting up a healthy gluten free diet, click here.
Have you used a gluten free and dairy free protein powder? What did you use and what did you think? Let me know in the comments!
References:
True Protein Website
Jay Robb Website
Lyle McDonald’s Bodyrecomposition Website, and his Protein Book
Birthdays and Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes-Heaven on Earth (Kind of a Recipe)
Posted by: | CommentsSome of you may have already heard that yesterday was my birthday. Life is good-I received many birthday wishes on Facebook, Twitter, and my friend Kim at Gluten Free is Life, gave me a birthday shout out on her blog. Yesterday was Kim’s (and her mom’s!) birthday as well. I had a wonderful day, and I thank everyone for all their good wishes. It means so much to me that you took the time to wish me well. Here’s to another year!
Earlier this week Heidi at Adventures of a Gluten Free Mom (my brussel sprout buddy) had posted an amazing recipe for Sour Cream Chocolate Cupcakes. When I saaw it, I thought to myself “Self-you should make these for your birthday!” And so I did. And they were good. Really good.
Please check out Heidi’s blog for the original recipe, as I did make some changes according to what I had on hand. A definite part of my cooking philosophy is that if I want to make something and I don’t quite have the ingredients as listed-do I have something I can substitute? I am a firm believer that you need to make your cooking work for you, and not have to run out every time you don’t have something. Hence my affection for the “method” way of cooking instead of strict recipes. That is why now I’m titling my “recipes” as “not really a recipe” or “kind of a recipe.” Consider it a guideline as opposed to-written in stone you must do this or you will explode!
On to the good stuff!
Gluten Free Chocolate Cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 2 TBSP Butter
-.5 cup water
-.25 cup cocoa/cacao powder
-1 cup sugar or sugar substitute (I used .5 cups Splenda Brown Sugar and .5 cup Splenda granular)
-.75 cups oat flour and .75 cup coconut flour (the original recipe called for 1.25 c quinoa flour, which I didn’t have. I had coconut flour, and I had my Creamhill gluten free oatmeal which I love, so I threw some oatmeal into the Magic Bullet and processed it into flour. Viola! Multi-functional ingredients. I chose the oat flour to give a little texture and nutrition.)
-.5 tsp baking powder
-.5 tsp baking soda
-2 eggs separated
-1 tsp vanilla
-1/2 cup greek yogurt
-1 container of baby food puree apples/prunes (I like to use this to add moisture without fat, and also because in chocolate items it’s brown and doesn’t disturb the rich chocolate color.)
Directions:
Here’s the cupcake sans icing.
But a cupcake without icing isn’t so “treat”-like. So-I used Elena’s at Elena’s Pantry Vegan Chocolate Icing recipe for inspiration. Again, I didn’t have exactly what the recipe called for so I improvised! Check out her blog for the original recipe. Here’s my riff on it.
Chocolate Icing
-3/4 cup of coarsely chopped whatever chocolate you have in the house (I had a little bit of 70% cacao, a couple squares of 88% cacao, and made up the remainder with Baker’s semisweet at 54% cacao. Worked great.)
-1 TBSP agave nectar (I dropped the amount of agave since the semi-sweet chocolate had a bit more sugar.)
-1/4 c Enova oil. (I didn’t have grapeseed.)
-pinch sea salt
From Elena’s directions:
1-In a small saucepan over very low heat, melt chocolate and oil
2- Stir in agave, vanilla and salt
3- Place frosting in freezer for 15 minutes to chill and thicken (This seemed too long for me-the frosting was frozen when I took it out, and I had to re-melt a little bit to be able to blend it.)
4- Remove from freezer and whip frosting with a hand blender until it is thick and fluffy
Here is the finished product!
The cupcakes were a HUGE hit! They tasted fantastic, were nice and moist, and received rave reviews from Jeff. Being a non-celiac he has a very recent memory of glutinous cakes, and he said that they were really good. I have to admit that I made these midday yesterday, and by midnight we had each eaten 6-and they were gone. Birthday splurge!
My tweaks did make these a bit more “diet-friendly” but I would consider them a treat nonetheless.
Enjoy-let me know if you try them and what you think in the comments!
