Gluten Free Grains

Dr. Adam Weinstein – Plant Strong Doc 
Dr. Adam Weinstein is a Board Certified Internist taking care of patients and teaching medical students in Houston, Texas. He will be contributing regularly to the Snap Kitchen newsletter and sharing his expert advice on a plant strong diet. Visit him at PlantStrongDoc.com or Facebook

 

May is Celiac Awareness Month, so let’s take a look at the health benefits of some delicious and nutrient-packed gluten-free grains. As you saw in my last article regarding plant-based proteins, quinoa, oats and brown rice provide four or more grams of protein per serving, with oats and quinoa leading the way at six to seven grams per serving–that’s as much protein as an egg! When combined with beans or legumes, these grains pack an amazing protein punch and provide all the essential amino acids your body needs.

Next up is dietary fiber. Again, oats and quinoa lead the way with five to six grams of fiber per serving. Fiber is important as it aids digestion and lowers blood sugar and insulin release. 

There’s no shortage of protein or fiber in any of these gluten-free alternatives, so let’s focus on what makes each one special:

Quinoa is actually a seed, not a grain, and is a “complete protein” with all nine of the essential amino acids the body needs to survive. This is unusual in plants, and why it should be a staple of any plant-based diet. Quinoa is also rich in the amino acid lysine, which is important in tissue growth and repair.

Oatmeal/Oats are famous for lowering LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol). Oats provide special fiber containing beta-glucan, which minimizes the amount of LDL absorbed in our bloodstream. Oats are also rich in antioxidants called avenanthramides, which prevent free radicals from oxidizing LDL, thus reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Brown Rice trails the pack in fiber and protein content, but leads the way in the antioxidant manganese, which helps the body synthesize fatty acids (thus protecting the nervous system) and also protects the body against damaging free radicals. Brown rice is also high in selenium (one serving has over 80 percent of your daily requirements), which has been shown to have anti-cancer benefits, especially against colon cancer.

If you are eating a plant-based diet for better health, you need to make diverse, nutrient-rich choices. All three of these grains are unique in their nutritious benefits and should have a place on your plate every day.

Snap Kitchen: Snap Clean Start

The Thread Austin By Beth

2012 April 19th

Yesterday I completed the Snap Clean Start program, a one-day juice menu consisting of six cold-pressed juices to help eliminate toxins. Snap’s Clean Start prepackaged juices are designed to meet all of your nutritional needs while giving you enough energy – and calories to get you through your busy day. Snap Kitchen utilizes the cold-pressed method to make their juices, which includes blending the entire fruit or vegetable at the lowest possible temperature without any further processing. The juice is “pressed” rather than blended, which results in the maximum retention of vitamins and minerals. The juices are designed to be sipped in a specific order to achieve the best balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat. These $8 juices are raw, non-dairy, vegan, lower sodium, gluten-free, and Paleo-friendly. Here are my notes from yesterday:

I’ve never done a juice fast before so I’m a little scared, but it’s just one day and it’s not like I’m going go to Bikram after (or ever), so it’ll be fiiiine. I absolutely love Snap Kitchen food (omg the pancakes, the bison hash, the green curry… so good), so I have faith that this will be delish!

9:11am: Juice One

Opened my first juice, the Super Green Juice (cold pressed spinach, romaine, kale, cucumber, celery, lemon juice, parsley). It’s really not too bad and tastes really similar to the Love Cleanse juice at Daily Juice or Juiceland. I could drink this every morning, no problem.

12:15pm: Juice Two

Opened my second juice, the Energy Boost (papaya, watermelon, limes, mint leaves, coconut water). It’s delicious! I wasn’t necessarily hungry when I opened the drink but I do miss chewing things already. Maybe it’s the fact that I CAN’T have food that’s making me want it so badly, but it’s definitely not hunger. This drink is really refreshing.

3:05pm: I cheated a little.

I had a pretzel. It was tiny. I just needed to crunch something. Let’s pretend I didn’t.

3:07pm: Juice Three

Opened my third juice, the Antioxidant Juice (apple, carrots, cilantro, garlic, jalapeno, red beets, lemon, cayenne pepper). I’m so glad it’s not sweet! It’s really tasty, and it’s already making my headache go away. Phew.

5:05pm: Juice Four

Just cracked open the Carrot Ginger Elixir (carrots, apples, ginger, lime juice). This one is a struggle for me because it’s so ginger-y. I can only drink half then it’s getting tossed (into the recycling bin- all of the bottles are recyclable). I’m still not feeling hungry, just dying to crunch things.

7:15pm: Juice Five

MmMMmMmMMmmm Spicy Basil Lemonade (water, lemon juice, palm sugar, basil, cayenne pepper)! Really refreshing. Seriously just a little bit of vodka in this and it’s the perfect boat drink. I felt a little hungry before the drink but feeling full again now.

9:30pm: Juice Six

Ok- time for dessert. The Cashew Protein Shake (raw cashews, water, agave nectar, salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon) is so much like Horchata. My boyfriend keeps trying to take it but I am more than happy to chug this.

Overall, this program is really doable. I don’t know how people do the Master Cleanse or a juice-only cleanse longer than one day, but I could never. I woke up today, a day later, feeling really energized (took my puppy for his first jog this morning!), awake, and a little skinnier. If you’re not ready to do the cleanse but you’re still interested, just stop into Snap- all of the juices are for sale separately if you’d like to try one but not all. I highly recommend this to everyone in Austin- it’s a great kick start for curbing cravings. I haven’t even been super hungry so far this morning- just a banana for breakfast and planning to go to Leaf for a fresh lunch.