Sourdough bread, buns, pastries, cakes, pancakes, muffins ......... Is your mouth watering yet?
If you have been newly introduced to the gluten-free lifestyle, you may be wondering if you will ever be able to eat some of your favorite bakery items again. Well....no worries! I have been avoiding gluten for many, many years and I am still learning how to cook and bake gluten-free.
The truth is there is such a huge variety of options at your disposal such as gluten-free grains like rice, sorghum and teff, nut, seed and legume flours. Most of these flours cannot be used alone as a substitute for wheat. However, by combining different flours you can get a texture closer to what wheat provides. Here is a good gluten-free all-purpose flour recipe:
Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
3 C Almond Flour (or seed flour for nut-free)
1 1/2 C Arrowroot
3/4 C Coconut Flour
3/4 C Tapioca Starch
There are several non-grain flours that are commonly used as substitutes in recipes.
Non-Grain Flours
Almond Flour - substitute for regular all-purpose flour 1:1
Coconut Flour - soaks up moisture due to high fiber; substitute 1/4-1/3 C per 1 C regular flour
Cassava Flour - cookies, cakes, breads substitute 1:1 for wheat
Alternative flours made from seeds (sunflower, millet, quinoa, buckwheat) and beans (fava, garbanzo) can add their own unique nutritional benefits including protein.
Resistant Starch Flours
There are certain flours that contain resistant starch. We want resistant starch. It is very beneficial for our digestion. Resistant starch means that the fiber is resistant to digestion or break down in the stomach. It then continues to pass through the small intestine and on to the colon where this fermentable fiber feeds the "friendly" gut bacteria.
When the "friendly" gut bacteria feeds on this resistant starch, a short-chain fatty acid called "butyrate" is produced. Butyrate is the preferred fuel for cells that line the colon. Interestingly, fermentable fibers and resistant starches feed approximately 90% of our cells. Most foods feed only 10%.
Besides providing fuel for our cells .... what are some other benefits of resistant starch?
1) Lowers pH level - high pH values mean acidic conditions which contribute to inflammatory digestive disorders:
- IBD
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Crohn's
- Constipation
- Diverticulitis
- Diarrhea
2) Lowers inflammation - lower pH contributes to reduced inflammation
- Decreased risk of colorectal cancer
- Increased absorption of minerals
These 3 flours contain high amounts of "resistant starch":
- Tigernut Flour - safe for those with nut allergies; this is a tuber not a nut; use with a 1:1 ratio for wheat substitute
- Green Banana Flour - No worries....does not taste like banana!!! Use about 1/3 C less than wheat flour as a substitute
- Chestnut Flour - only use if no tree nut allergy; use a 1:1 ratio for wheat substitute
Our digestion can be greatly improved simply by substituting a "resistant starch", gluten-free flour in recipes. Which one are you most excited to try first?
Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room. We ALL have body odor in one way, shape or form. There is just no getting around that. The question is what is the best way to manage and reduce it?
High Fiber Foods
Fiber is something we need but it is something that just does not break down easily, if at all, in the digestive system. So, it goes without saying that high fiber foods are even worse. Once fiber enters the colon it reacts with bacteria to form gas, and, well, you know the rest of THAT story!
Cruciferous foods like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage are good examples of high fiber foods and what happens after we eat them.
These foods contain high sulfur-containing compounds that break down into hydrogen sulfite. This is that rotten egg smell you may remember from your high school chemistry days.
"What Can Help" - Portion Control
Now these foods have lots of health benefits so just because they can cause our body to emit odors does not mean they should not be eaten. The key is to figure out how much your body can handle at one sitting. For some people 1/4 cup is more than enough versus a whole bowl for example.
Toxins
Another reason we may have odor emanating from our bodies could be built-up toxins. This may be due to an inefficient liver.
The liver works hard to remove toxins from our blood. If the liver becomes sluggish and inefficient, these toxins can build up in other areas of the body and cause the colon and kidney to become overloaded. When the colon and kidneys are overloaded then toxin elimination through the normal process gets backed up. Our body’s next option is to secrete these toxins through our skin, the largest eliminatory organ.
"What Can Help" - Increase Greens
Greens contain high amounts of an antioxidant called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll helps reduce body odor in several ways:
- Neutralizes odor-causing compounds
- Cleanses the liver of toxins allowing it to function more efficiently
- Lightens the burden of the colon and digestive tract by supporting the liver allowing elimination to take place through the normal route instead of through the skin
Chlorophyll may also reduce harmful cholesterol levels, increase energy, promote hormone balance, provide arthritis & fibromyalgia relief and even help with weight loss.
There are many chlorophyll-rich “green” foods such as spinach, watercress, kale, chard, spirulina, alfalfa, chlorella. Try adding some of these to your next smoothie or sandwich. You can even add them to your soups and stove-top dishes.
If adding greens to your food doesn't thrill you or a quick, easy, on-the-go route is preferred then try a supplement like this one. Any way you introduce them it all adds up to clean air from the inside out.
If you like these tips, check out 3 other ways to reduce toxins using my free guide.
