Gluten: Friend or Foe?

Experts debate whether gluten-free diets are a good 

weight-loss strategy

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/384684-gluten-friend-or-foe/#ixzz2ClPkVtmU

Sep 26, 2011 | By Renee Roberson

Imagine a life in which your favorite comfort foods, such as pasta, bread, cereal and cookies, could cause you to become violently ill. This is reality for an estimated 3 million Americans who have been diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that involves a severe reaction to foods containing gluten. Growing awareness of the condition, combined with consumer demand, has brought an increasing number of gluten-free products to store shelves in recent years. While people with celiac disease have little choice but to avoid gluten, others may be avoiding gluten in an effort to trim pounds. That may work -- but it may not be the best way to lose weight.

If someone just substitutes gluten-free versions of typical gluten-heavy foods (such as waffles, cereal, dessert mixes or baked goods), long-term weight loss is unlikely.

Foods Naturally Free of Gluten

You can find many naturally gluten-free foods across the food groups. Eggs, milk, cheese and many yogurts are gluten-free. Among flours and grains, those made from almond, amaranth, rice, corn, legumes, buckwheat, potato, quinoa, soybeans, tapioca and teff are safe. In the meat category, choose from fresh, frozen or canned unprocessed meats without marinades, fillers or flavoring agents. Additionally, most nuts and oils are gluten-free, unless the nuts are coated. Fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruits and vegetables also are gluten-free.

Anytime you're buying something canned or in a packaged form, such as a cheese spread or canned meat, check labels for gluten additives. Wheat and barley often are added to items such as ice cream, hot dogs, deli meat, or frozen or canned soups. Also, avoid beer products, both with and without alcohol, because they usually include barley.

Where Gluten Hides

Gluten is the common name for the proteins found in specific grains, and it is found in all forms of wheat. Ashley Koff, a Los Angeles-based registered dietitian, uses the acronym "BROW" (barley, rye, oat and wheat) to help clients remember where gluten is found.

Examples of gluten-containing foods include breads, cookies, crackers, cake mixes, cereal, ice cream, packaged meats and cold cuts, pasta, and even soup broths and bouillon cubes. Koff says anyone with celiac disease must also be cautious about purchasing products that were manufactured in facilities that also process gluten products. They're often labeled with statements such as "contains wheat ingredients" or "made on shared equipment that also processes wheat."

Oats do not naturally contain gluten, but they're on Koff's "BROW" list for a reason. They're often grown near fields of wheat and rye, and farmers may rotate the fields, said Marlisa Brown, a registered dietitian in New York and author of "Gluten-Free, Hassle Free" and "Easy, Gluten-Free." She recommends that people who need to avoid gluten eat oats only if the oats are from certified gluten-free sources.

A Battle Within the Body

When a person with celiac disease eats foods containing gluten, his immune system attacks the small intestine. The resulting damage to the small intestine impairs the body's ability to absorb certain nutrients. The condition can cause fatigue, weight loss, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation or diarrhea.

In addition to those with full-blown celiac disease, some people have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. "Symptoms can be the same as someone with celiac, with the most typical symptoms being gas, bloating and irritable bowel syndrome," Brown said. "It is estimated that there are more than 20 million [people] with a non-celiac gluten sensitivity."

Other conditions may also involve a gluten reaction, at least in some individuals. "Diseases in the autoimmune class, such as fibromyalgia, Type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and rheumatoid arthritis, have also shown positive results when removing gluten from the diet, so many now follow that protocol," said Koff, adding that anyone suffering from irritable bowel syndrome might also want to consider a gluten-free diet.

No Weight-Loss Magic

With all the talk of gluten's negative aspects, people who aren't particularly sensitive to it but are simply looking to lose weight may give up foods containing gluten in hopes of shedding pounds. But does a gluten-free lifestyle automatically mean a smaller waistline? Experts say it depends on what gluten-free foods you eat.

Brown says that if a person goes on a gluten-free diet, giving up all pasta, packaged foods, cereal, desserts, bread and thickening agents such as gravy, and opts instead to consume more fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish and low-fat dairy products, then, yes, weight loss could result.

But she points out that if someone just substitutes gluten-free versions of typical gluten-heavy foods (such as waffles, cereal, dessert mixes or baked goods), long-term weight loss is unlikely. In addition, many gluten-free foods are lower in vitamins and fiber than the foods they're replacing. When you're looking for gluten-free alternatives, consider adding healthful choices such as amaranth, buckwheat, legumes, teff, quinoa and sorghum.

Koff recommends replacing what she calls resistant-starch content (such as certain types of rice and potatoes) with whole foods for a greater chance of dropping pounds.

It Isn't All Bad

If you don't have a medical condition that requires you to avoid gluten, keeping gluten in your diet while improving the quality of foods you eat will make eating out and shopping for foods a lot easier. Some pros of gluten include being able to eat whole-grain breads and cereals that offer necessary fiber and nutrients such as B vitamins.

Bonnie Modugno, a registered dietitian in private practice in Santa Monica, California, points out the challenges of eating a gluten-free diet if you don't have to.

"You'll spend a lot of time reading food labels," she said. "You might get the same effect by limiting your starches and sugars. Moderation takes a lot of skill and discipline. My recommendation is to stick closer to the earth with beans, legumes, starchy vegetables, nuts and seeds."

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/384684-gluten-friend-or-foe/#ixzz2ClPZv0QV

Competition Winners

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Ultimate Fitness Challenge

#1- Stacie Thrasher

#2- Jennifer Salinas

#3- Laura Blust

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Awards Ceremony

Tomorrow at 10:00AM we will be having an award ceremony for UWLC/UFC winners in the conference room. 

Squatting Tips

Secret Of The Perfect Squat – Widen Your Stance

by Brad Longazel Aug 20, 2012

Squats are a staple of any sound weightlifting program. Whether goblet, front, or back squats, the value of this classic exercise is undoubted, not only in terms of quadriceps growth but also functional capacity in life. That's why what I'm about to say might sound like blasphemy: It's time to rethink the way we squat.

Most squats you see in gyms today are performed with the feet planted at shoulder-width or narrower. These types of squats give a good burn to the quadriceps, and some people use varying narrow stances to target specific areas on the quads. But squats are a movement, not a specific muscle developer. The entire body should be activated in the lift, and especially the posterior chain and core.

Taking a wider stance than shoulder-width has been shown to provide the same level of quad activation as a traditional "narrow" stance, but squatting wide also provides distinct advantages.

A wide stance works a greater number of muscles. Go wide, and you'll feel it in your glutes, your overall strength, and maybe in the back and knee pain you don't feel.

Go Wide, Young Man

Perhaps a better question to ask is "Why go narrow?" It could be argued that the narrow squat better mimics life applications, but the goal with a wide stance is muscular development and strength. There's always room in life for more strength.

If you decide to step out, you will notice the benefits:

1/

Glute Activation

If you want to think of squats as "developing" a certain muscle, it's better to think of the glutes than the quads.

The glutes are a tremendous source of power and strength, and if you can use their strength in a movement, you almost always should.

Take a wider stance when squatting, such as 140-150 percent of shoulder width. This allows for greater posterior displacement of the hips.

This displacement activates the glutes to a greater degree than narrow squats when depth is reached, according to research from the University of Abertay, in Dundee, Scotland.

A study at the University of Padova in Italy took the conclusion a step further, suggesting that "a large width is necessary for a greater activation of the gluteus maximus during back squats."

2/

Quadriceps Activation

Much of the popularity for narrow-stance squats is based on personal opinion and "feel." This is understandable. We train because we enjoy the challenge and the burn. We're taught that pain leads to success. A wider stance might not stimulate the same feeling on your quadriceps, but the activity is there.

The University of Padova study concluded that a wide stance produces the same muscular activation as a narrow stance in the quads, adductor major, vastus medialis and lateralis-everywhere but the glutes.

Make no mistake: Changing the stance changes the movement. Narrow stances require an anterior tracking of the knee, and while this is not inherently a bad movement, it does place a greater stress on the knee. Over time, the recessive forces exerted on the knee could lead to patellar tendon strains or tendonitis.

By comparison, reaching squat depth with a wide stance requires a lifter to maintain a more vertical shin position than a narrow stance. This stance places far less stress on the knee.

3/

Ankle Mobility

The narrow range of motion of the human ankle can be a limiting factor when performing a narrow-stance squat. A wider stance alleviates this issue by maintaining a more vertical shin position, providing an easier trip to reach depth.

Of course you could and should address your tight calves and lower legs with mobility drills andfoam rolling, but there's no reason you should limit your squatting pattern just because you can't reach depth in a narrow stance. Bump those feet out!

4/

Power Production

Power is what we're after, right? It is the heart of athletics, and no matter the activity, powerful players perform well. By activating more muscle fiber, and different muscle groups, wide squats provide a clear advantage for hypertrophic gains which can transfer to competitive athletics.

Wide squats are also more powerful, period. A recent study published in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning found that the squat power produced at 150 percent of shoulder-width was "significantly higher" than at 50 percent width, 100 percent, or at 200 percent.

This raises an important point: Some argue that ultra-wide stances such as 200 percent have value in geared lifting, but they are not generally thought to be best for power development.

It's All in the Hips

Hip strength and function have recently been getting much-needed attention in strength and conditioning programs. More trainers are emphasizing movements rather than muscles in an all-encompassing approach to training.

This is a fantastic way to combat the quad dominance and glute weakness that plague sedentary populations. Wide squats allow for more comprehensive movement that better works the hips than traditional squats.

The hips are multidirectional joints, producing force in three planes of motion. The wide-stance squat provides the best option to train the hips in all three planes. The wide movement exhibits greater hip flexion and smaller plantarflexion angles than narrow-stance squats. It also produces significantly larger hip extension movements.

Wide-stance squats are achieved with a posterior tracking of the hips, which leads to greater hip extension to return the bar to the original position. Wide squats have been shown to produce greater abduction and adduction, with greater internal and external rotation of the femur during the lift than narrow squats.

Spreading movement across all three planes of motion helps to create a stable hip joint that can handle a tremendous amount of stress, not only in the gym but also in life.

Save Your Spine

Some argue that the horizontal positioning of the torso during a wide stance squat creates larger loads on the lumbar, as compared to a narrow stance. This is believed to increase the risk for low-back injuries. Recent studies do not support this conclusion.

When performing a narrow squat, the distance to parallel is greater than in a wide squat. Reaching depth in a narrow squat requires tucking the lumbar under the torso to facilitate hip flexion. The resulting flexion of the spine under a load puts pressure on the L5/S1 area, which could be linked to bulging discs and other spinal complications.

This is not to say that a traditional squat will cause low-back injury, but without consistent development in this squatting pattern, the greater force placed on the spine can take a toll over time. The posterior movement of the hips in a wide stance can contribute to a more neutral back positioning without tucking your lumbar.

A wider stance also recruits more muscles to perform the task, and is a more encompassing movement compared to a narrow stance. The goal of any compound lift should be engaging as many muscles as possible, and it is clear that a wider stance better accomplishes this task.

From: Bodybuilding.com