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FIRST FOR WOMEN, February 8, 2010

Could the obstacle between you and a flat belly be a single ingredient?

Yes-and odds are, you're exposed to it every day. The culprit is gluten, a class of proteins found in foods containing wheat. Before you turn the page thinking, I'm not gluten sensitive, know that growing evidence suggests we're all gluten sensitive to some degree. And if you're undergoing perimenopause, sensitivity is almost a given.  How is it possible that a food we've happily consumed for most of our lives suddenly causes headaches, brain fog, fatigue and creeping weight gain? "The trigger for most women is stress,” says Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., author of The Gut Flush Plan (Avery, 2008). The stress most women are under makes the immune system "jumpy”- it overreacts to proteins like gluten that normally wouldn't be identified as a threat, resulting in an inflammatory response that hinders nutrient absorption, energy and metabolism. It also triggers a spike in insulin, prompting the formation of belly fat intramuscular adipose tissue – the fat that infiltrates lean muscle and hinders calorie burn.

Complicating matters: Excess insulin leads to insatiable cravings for sugar, which most of us get from foods with gluten. This starts the inflammation weight gain cycle all over again.  

Fortunately, even a minor reduction in gluten can lead to speedy weight loss, assures Gittleman.  “I've seen women shed 5 pounds in the first 48 hours - and 25 pounds in a month - by cutting back;' she says. And thanks in large part to reduced inflammation,  women also enjoy increased energy, brighter moods, clearer thinking, relief from pain, fewer sinus problems, less severe PMS and freedom from constipation or irritable bowel syndrome.  Even beauty concerns like acne, facial redness, thinning hair and under-eye circles disappear.

Cut back – or cut it out?

“About 8 out of 10 women will benefit from reducing gluten,” says Gittleman. “The rest get the most impressive weight loss by avoiding it completely.” Find your best solution below.

IF YOUR MOST TROUBLING SYMPTROMNS ARE:

Tiredness, headaches or joint pain, moderate mood swings or crankiness, some weight gain – but no major GI complaints:

YOU NEED TO CUT BACK - Gluten is causing mild to moderate inflammation in your body. Limit gluten intake to two days a week.  "You need at least three days in between consumption of gluten to allow the inflammation to die down so your body effortlessly sheds fat," Gittleman explains.  Once you've reached your happy weight, you may increase gluten intake to about once a day.

Exhaustion (especially after eating), yo-yoing weight, depression or anxiety-with chronic bloat, constipation, nausea or diarrhea:

YOU NEED TO CUT OUT - Gluten may be causing moderate to severe problems. Go gluten-free for seven days to see if avoiding it entirely is your key to great health.  If gluten is a major problem, you'll notice a rapidly shrinking waistline and better health within two days,” says Gittleman. (For a more definitive "diagnosis," eat a gluten containing food at the week's end to see if symptoms return.)

"I got my pre-baby body back!"

Not now, thought Rebecca Bent, rolling away from her husband as he dropped romantic hints. Sex was the last thing on her mind as long as she was carrying those 65 post-pregnancy pounds. Finally, she snapped at him, "No-because I feel like a cow in this bed!" Rebecca felt heavy in every sense of the word: gloomy, sluggish, foggy ... Not even daily cardio workouts had managed to get her back on her game. So naturally her ears perked up when she overheard someone talking about the gluten-weight gain connection. "It never occurred to me that gluten could be behind my problem.  I'm part Sicilian-all we eat is pasta and bread." But after a little research, Rebecca decided to sidestep the carbs she'd "overindulged" in during her pregnancy.   Within the first month of eating gluten-free pasta and baking with almond flour instead of wheat flour, this new mom was down 20 pounds. But the bigger change was how much lighter she felt.  "My attitude turned around immediately," says Rebecca. "I didn't feel bloated and grouchy. I woke up one day and, wow, I had spunk!"

Rebecca felt so energized that she never gave regular pasta or anything with gluten in it another glance.  "Even my saddlebags disappeared," she gushes. The best part: Things heated up in the romance department.  "Feeling healthy permeates my life!"

Surprisingly Tasty Options

When women hear 'gluten-free,' they think they have to swap their favorite dishes for unappetizing pricey letdowns-but that's not the case, II says Stephen Wangen, N.D., author of Healthier Without Wheat (Innate Health Publishing, 2009).  Yummy gluten-free picks are already in our diet, including produce, rice, corn, nuts, eggs, most dairy and
legumes. Here, some options that prove gluten-free doesn't mean boring and expensive.

Puffed rice cereal
Replacing wheat cereal with puffed brown rice cuts out gluten while delivering a satisfying crunch. It also contains tryptophan, an amino acid that the body converts into appetite controlling serotonin.

Polenta
When mixed with sweetener, fruit and nuts, polenta makes a creamy nongluten alternative to hot cereals. Plus, its ferulic acid exhibits powerful anti inflammatory action.

Corn tortilla wrap
Loading your favorite sandwich ingredients into this gluten-free option instead of bread cuts calories by up to 88 percent.

Spaghetti squash
When strands of this veggie are topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, it's a delicious replacement for wheat pasta. Plus, the gourd contains craving-curbing fiber and fat-burning omega-3 fatty acids.

Popcorn
This high-satiety snack contains magnesium and folate, a nutrient combo that slows sugar absorption and helps stabilize fat-storing insulin.

Lose 12 pounds every week!

Thousands of women have shed fat by cutting back on gluten, but they admit there have been some pitfalls expensive flavorless foods, for one. To the rescue: FIRST rounded up the smartest and tastiest tips from diet pros so you can pare pounds without the struggle.

SHOP THE "U." Sticking to the perimeter of the grocery store exposes you to mostly gluten-free items such as produce, meats and dairy, says Danna Korn, author of Living Gluten-Free for Dummies (Wiley, 2006) and founder of GlutenFreedom.net. (Some exceptions: certain processed meats and processed dairy like flavored milk drinks.) Plus,
a study at the University of Arizona in Tucson revealed that shopping the "U" slashes grocery bills by 53 percent.

WATCH FOR FAKES. Some manufacturers cash in by tacking a gluten free label on naturally gluten-free items. These include most vinegars, vanilla extract, baking soda, molasses and cheese. Case in point: FIRST found”gluten-free" vinegar that costs 33 percent more than one without the label.

BUY IN BULK. Save on gluten-free grains, flours and baking mixes by purchasing in bulk, advises Rebecca Bent, who lost 65 pounds in eight months by eliminating gluten from her diet. Consider a popular item like Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Baking Flour: A 22 oz. package sells for $5, but a four pack is $14 (at Amazon.com)-a 30 percent savings. One caution: Gluten-free flour becomes rancid faster than regular flour, so store it in the freezer, where it can keep for up to 12 months.

FRIDGE IT. "It's best to stash any store-bought gluten-free foods like bread, crackers and cookies in the refrigerator to maintain their freshness; says KellyE. Keough, a chef who shed 50 pounds by going gluten-free. Many items can last six months this way.
 
GO GLOBAL. Several cultures use inherently gluten-free items rather than typical American wheat containing foods, says Bent. Mexican cuisine offers corn tortillas and cornmeal.  Italian cuisine includes polenta. Asian cuisine features noodles made from rice, bean, tapioca or yam flours. Indian and Middle Eastern dishes focus on lentil- chickpea or millet based crackers and breads.

ADD A SPLASH OF THIS. Bragg Liquid Aminos ($3.50 for a 6 oz. spray bottle, or $7 for a regular 32 oz. bottle, at Bragg.com) is made from soybeans, but it doesn't contain gluten like some brands of regular soy sauce. "I add it to any savory recipe, including soups, stews and pasta sauce;' says Keough.  She also suggests incorporating it into
salad dressings.

USE CHEAPER COATINGS.  Almond flour is a commonly recommended switch from regular flour for coating fish and poultry, but it can be expensive (about $9 a pound). For lower-cost alternatives, try brown rice flour or dry cornmeal polenta mix (around $2 to $3 per pound). All can be seasoned to your liking. For crunchier texture, Keough recommends crushed up corn chips or gluten-free cornflakes.

SPIRALIZE. A spiral slicer can turn any firm raw veggie (such as zucchini, yellow squash, carrots or beets and other root vegetables) into spaghetti like strands. "Simply sauté the strands for a few minutes in olive oil until they're tender, then toss the 'spaghetti' with your favorite pasta sauce;' advises Keough. One to try: the Joyce Chen Saladacco Spiral Slicer ($24, at Amazon. com and cookware stores).

REACH FOR NUTRIENT POWERHOUSES. In addition to rice and corn, consider buckwheat (not a true wheat, this nutty grain is ideal for replacing bread crumbs or croutons in stuffing); millet (great for using in soups because it doesn't get mushy or gritty) and quinoa (can be used to make a delicious hot cereal in place of Cream of Wheat). Other options include sorghum (high in iron), teff (loaded with protein) and root and seed flours such as taro, soy, chickpea and tapioca. "Get creative by adding dried fruit, nuts or spices to gluten free cookie, cake or brownie recipes;  Bent suggests.”And try jams, jellies, shredded coconut, olives, cheese or herbs in bread dough. You won't care that it's gluten-free."

Vitamin D cuts gluten induced inflammation

An estimated 86 percent of women are deficient in vitamin D, which helps train immune-system cells to understand which proteins are harmless and which aren't.  When D levels run low, immune cells misread friendly proteins like gluten as threatening invaders and trigger an attack. To prevent this, many experts advise supplementing with 2,000 to 6,000 IU of vitamin D. Try: Carlson Labs D drops with Vitamin D3 2,000 IU.

"I transformed my body in two weeks!"

Kelly E. Keough painstakingly fiddled with her hair, trying to hide her bald patches. She'd spend the day wondering, Can people see? Can they tell/I'm going bald in my thirties?

Kelly's self-esteem had been under attack her entire life. "1 was a carb addict since childhood," she says. "1 tried Weight Watchers, Overeaters Anonymous ... you name it." Kelly also battled constipation, achy joints and painful PMS. Then came the last straw: My hair is the only good thing I have!

Willing to try anything, Kelly adopted a gluten-free diet at the recommendation of a naturopath.  After just two weeks, she dropped 6 pounds and her hair was growing back. Her joint aches and perimenopausal symptoms lifted, too.

 "Going gluten-free was an opportunity for me to be who I really am," says Kelly, now a chef and author of Sugar-Free Gluten-Free Baking and Desserts (Ulysses Press, 2009). "1 have a freedom I didn't even know was possible: being friends with my body and food."

Kelly went from a size 14 to a size 4. Having gorgeous hair is a nice perk, too. When Kelly recently ran into a hunk from high school, she didn't have to wonder what he was thinking.  "He told me I looked better than I did 27 years ago!"
Kelly E. Keough, 45, Los Angeles