COOKING THE GLUTEN SOLUTION WAY WELCOME to the world of healthy and delicious gluten-free cooking, South Beach Diet style. We''ve applied the same proven principles that have helped millions of South Beach dieters lose weight and achieve better health to a flavor-packed cookbook for those concerned about gluten. Yes, you will lose weight if you enjoy our gluten-free recipes as part of an overall healthy eating plan. And by eating gluten free for a few weeks, you''re likely to see common symptoms of gluten sensitivity such as bloating, abdominal pain, headaches, stiff joints, fatigue, sinus problems, brain fog, depression, and skin rashes disappear too. Many people are under the misconception that gluten free is synonymous with inferior taste. That certainly does not have to be the case, as the recipes in this book will prove. What is true, though, is that unless carefully planned, a gluten-free diet can be nutritionally inferior to one that contains wheat, barley, and rye, particularly if a person relies on gluten- free packaged products as staples. While gluten-free foods may not contain the troublesome protein, they''re often packed with saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.
Many also include high-glycemic refined ingredients like white rice flour and potato starch that can cause swings in your blood sugar and trigger cravings. These are concerns you won''t have to worry about when you cook from this book. Each recipe was developed with good nutrition and flavor in mind. In fact, these dishes do more for your health than subtract gluten from your diet. They protect against heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. And they have been designed to help you lose weight if you want to--something that not every gluten-free diet program or cookbook can deliver. In other words, they are good for your overall health, even if gluten doesn''t turn out to be a problem for you. And they''re also recipes you''ll want to make time and again for your family and friends (who may or may not be gluten sensitive) because they''re easy to make and they taste so good.
ABOUT THE SOUTH BEACH DIET GLUTEN SOLUTION PROGRAM You certainly don''t have to be gluten free to enjoy the recipes in this book, but having an overview of the South Beach Diet Gluten Solution Program''s basic tenets may help you better understand how gluten could be affecting your life. As with the original South Beach Diet, the Gluten Solution Program has three phases, which are designed to help you lose weight and ultimately achieve better health. Which phase you start on depends on how much weight you have to lose and whether you have cravings for sugary and starchy carbohydrates. You''ll learn whether you are gluten sensitive--and to what degree--by giving up gluten for 4 weeks, then gradually reintroducing foods containing gluten to see if they trigger symptoms. Note: While the Gluten Solution Program itself is not specifically designed for people with celiac disease, who must remain totally gluten free for life, the recipes in this book can be enjoyed by anyone with this condition (be sure to check labels on all ingredients carefully). One important difference between the South Beach Diet Gluten Solution Program and some other gluten-free plans is the inclusion of non-gluten- containing whole grains. We do eliminate all grains on Phase 1 of the Gluten Solution Program, just as we do on Phase 1 of the original South Beach Diet, in order to stabilize your blood sugar and help you get a grip on cravings. But beginning on Gluten Solution Phase 2, we reintroduce healthy whole grains that don''t contain gluten--amaranth and buckwheat and brown rice, to name a few--but do contain fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals that are hard to get in other foods.
In addition, as always, our emphasis is on getting plenty of other good carbohydrates as well, such as vegetables, beans, and whole fruits. Take a look at the glossary of ingredients that are used in this book, which begins on page 270. It will give you an overview of just how many naturally gluten-free foods you can choose from when planning meals from breakfasts to desserts. As you page through the recipes and look at all the taste-tempting photos, you''ll quickly realize that gluten free doesn''t mean giving up the foods you love, or sacrificing flavor or satisfaction. What follows is a description of the Gluten Solution phases in a nutshell. For complete information on the program, you may want to read The South Beach Diet Gluten Solution, which offers complete food lists for each phase as well as additional recipes and meal plan ideas. You can also visit southbeachdiet.com/glutensolution for more information and support.
GLUTEN SOLUTION (GS) PHASE 1 If you have more than 10 £ds to lose and have cravings for sugar and starchy foods as well as symptoms of gluten sensitivity, you should start on GS Phase 1. During the 2 weeks on GS Phase 1, you won''t be eating any wheat, barley, or rye, or products made from these grains, and you''ll do your best to avoid products with gluten additives, such as certain types of soy products, imitation crabmeat, and blue cheese. In fact, as with the original South Beach Diet plan, you won''t be eating any grains at all, or fruits for that matter, because we want you to get the blood sugar swings that cause your cravings under control. If that sounds difficult, don''t worry. We have plenty of tasty, satisfying Phase 1-appropriate recipes in this book. You''ll be losing weight fairly rapidly--up to 10 £ds in 2 weeks--and your gluten-sensitivity symptoms will begin to diminish and perhaps disappear. After 2 weeks you will move on to GS Phase 2 (see "If you are entering GS Phase 2 from GS Phase 1," below). GLUTEN SOLUTION (GS) PHASE 2 If you have fewer than 10 £ds to lose and no cravings but do have gluten- sensitivity symptoms, you can begin the Gluten Solution Program on Phase 2 and stay gluten free--but not grain free--for 4 weeks.
Your weight will drop steadily, although more slowly than if you were to have started on GS Phase 1, about 1 to 2 £ds a week. Since you don''t have a lot of weight to lose, you can have three gluten-free starches and three servings of fruits per day the first week, utilizing the recipes in this book. If you aren''t dropping 1 to 2 £ds a week, cut back on the number of starches and fruit servings. You will experiment with adding gluten back into your diet after being gluten free for 4 weeks, but you''ll remain on GS Phase 2 until you reach a healthy weight. If you are entering GS Phase 2 from GS Phase 1, you''ll continue to stay gluten free for 2 more weeks, but you should gradually introduce gluten- free grains and fruits, working up to three servings of each per day over the 2-week period (if your weight loss stalls, cut back). You will experiment with adding gluten back into your diet after being gluten free for a total of 4 weeks, but you''ll remain on GS Phase 2 until you reach a healthy weight. If you have no weight to lose and no cravings, butn are experiencing gluten- sensitivity symptoms, you can do a modified GS Phase 2.This means you won''t have to limit yourself to three gluten-free starches and three fruits a day, as is required for those with cravings or those who want to drop £ds.
After 4 weeks of being gluten free, you move on to GS Phase 3. No matter where you begin the Gluten Solution Program, at the end of 4 weeks on the program, gradually reintroduce some healthy, gluten-containing starches, swapping them for the gluten-free starches. (If you have been diagnosed with celiac disease, do not reintroduce gluten into your diet.) We recommend adding one gluten-containing food to your diet each day during the first week and carefully monitoring your reaction to it. If you''re fine with one serving of gluten each day, you can add a second daily serving of a gluten-containing food the second week, working up to a maximum of three a day as the week progresses. You will know quickly if a food triggers symptoms (and/or cravings); if so, stop eating it. It may take a few weeks of trial and error to find your level of gluten tolerance, and you may discover that you aren''t gluten sensitive at all. GLUTEN SOLUTION (GS) PHASE 3 This is the maintenance phase of the Gluten Solution Program.
You have achieved your healthy goal weight on GS Phase 2, you know what triggers your cravings and/ or your gluten-sensitivity symptoms, and you know how to make the right food choices for you. You have become gluten aware, not gluten phobic, and you know that no food is absolutely off-limits, unless you say it is. All of the recipes in this book have been marked with the appropriate phase, depending on the ingredients a recipe contains. Remember, Phase 1 recipes can be included on Phase 2, and all can be enjoyed on Phase 3, whether you are on the Gluten Solution Program or the traditional South Beach Diet. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK For ease of use, we''ve organized this book the way most people like to cook, beginning with a variety of breakfast dishes, moving on to appetizers and snacks, then main dishes, and finally tantalizing desserts. For those who like lighter meals, there are chapters on soups and sandwiches, as well as salads, and for those who prefer not to eat meat, a chapter of meatless main dishes. The chapter on side dishes will prove very useful as you plan meals for the week. As you look at the specific recipes, do so with an eye to what phase of the diet you''re on.
If you''re on Gluten Solution Phase 1, for example, you''ll be avoiding starches (bread, pasta, rice) and sugars (including fruits and fruit juice), just as you would on the traditional South Beach Diet p.