Gluten: Friend or Foe

Gluten free has been a booming trend lately, but what is this “gluten” that is making its way out of every American’s diet?

I found myself asking that same question when my sister discovered she had a thyroid disease. Due to the complications of the disease, she had to avoid eating foods that contained gluten. The months leading up to the removal of her thyroid, my family and I had to become more aware of what foods contained gluten and learn more about this key ingredient of wheat.

Webster Dictionary states that gluten is a “substance present in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough.” Basically my sister could not eat any grain or wheat products, unless they were gluten free. After her thyroid was removed, she was free to go back to her normal diet and she could once again eat all her favorite cereals.

My sister’s illness made me more aware of what was happening in the gluten free trend. While stocking shelves in the grocery store where I worked, I noticed things that had “gluten free” labels. What confused me the most was that some of these foods wouldn’t have gluten in them in the first place, such as strawberries. And later, I came to college, where I lived with many girls who ate gluten free diets; some girls have Celiac disease, others are very allergic to gluten, and some just choose to eat gluten free foods. I found myself wondering what was so harmful about gluten, so I did some research.

I found that choosing to eat a gluten free diet can actually be dangerous if not done carefully. Foods that contain gluten are a huge source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This is when I decided that gluten isn’t a terrifying entity that is ruining the health of Americans, as some articles will lead you to believe. While it’s okay to choose to eat gluten free, for whatever reason, it’s important to be knowledgeable. The Scientific American tells us that before we go gluten free, we should be checked out by a physician and make sure to replace gluten-containing foods with other foods that are naturally gluten free and contain the nutrients that your body needs.

However, gluten isn’t detrimental to your health if you don’t have a gluten intolerance. In fact, gluten-rich foods are a fantastic source of nutrients that keep you healthy. So before you go gluten free, make sure that you’re informed and stay healthy!  

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/most-people-shouldnt-eat-gluten-free/

Your bread-loving friend, Danielle.

Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Worse Than Sugar?!



High fructose corn syrup is a major ingredient in soda

High fructose corn syrup. It’s pretty much everywhere – breakfast cereal, soda, Spaghettios. It’s become the go-to substitute for sugar and as such, gets a lot of criticism. But, what exactly is HFCS and is it really worse for our bodies than sugar?

A video by the American Chemical Society set out to explore that question in-depth and the results will surprise you.

The process by which HFCS is developed seems pretty straightforward, however there is chemistry involved so don’t try this at home! Corn, the starting product, is broken down into corn starch and then further broken down to corn syrup. This syrup is finally sweetened by tweaking the proportions of fructose and glucose to yield the end product of high-fructose corn syrup.  

Corn à Corn Starch à Corn Syrup + glucose + fructose = High Fructose Corn Syrup

In reality, real sugar is very similar in composition to HFCS because both are made up of fructose and glucose. The video explains, “High fructose corn syrup comes in different concentrations for different products, but it’s remarkably similar to sugar.” And, most importantly, “the scientific consensus is that there’s almost no nutritional difference between the two."

To be clear, I’m not saying that you should now go out and consume soda by the gallons and candy by the pound but only that you should be just as concerned about HFCS as you are about sugar. Basically, consume sweets in moderation and try to fill your diet with lean meats, veggies, fruits, whole grains and dairy. The big takeaway is to put a cap on your overall sweets intake and substitute healthier choices like fruit or yogurt for a bag of Twizzlers or a soda.

Happy Friday!

Buzzard

Incredible, Versatile, Healthy

I'm talking about eggs of course!

What other food can you eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Also, did you know that eggs contain almost every essential vitamin and nutrient needed by humans? True story.

One large egg contains over 6 grams of protein, and only 70 calories, - that's quite a powerful punch! Two eggs for breakfast is almost 25% of your daily requirement for protein and less than 10% of your daily caloric intake. I call that a bargain.

Incorporating eggs into every meal may be difficult for some - creativity runs short in my household. That's why I'm glad I found this infograph that is also quite fun. Created by Mark Bittman, food columnist for the NY Times, it shows a plethora of ways to make eggs the center of attention.

picture courtesy here

Check it out - tons of cool ways to eat eggs with salads, breads, veggies, meat - you name it! Try them all out. 

Until next time (happy egg-ing),
~ Buzzard ~