Tag Archives: Gluten-Free

What’s The Scoop On Gluten?

Leave a reply
Bread Gluten

Image: Margouillat Photo/Shutterstock

By Maddie Hoeks, BS, CSUN Dietetic Intern

Gluten has become a very popular topic in the past couple of years, and has had quite an impact on diet culture in the United States. As of 2015, gluten free versions of foods have made around $1.6 billion in the market.1 Interestingly, the majority of these consumers were individuals who were not required to be on a gluten free diet for medical reasons.1 A market research study estimated that 30% of Americans either eliminated or reduced gluten from their diet.2 Though it is no question that gluten free products are highly valued and being sought after, what is of question is the consumer’s knowledge of what exactly gluten is, and what the gluten free diet is capable of, even more so, what it is not capable of. Continue reading →

Oodles of Zoodles

Leave a reply

By Stephanie Ng, CSUN Dietetic Intern

Have you tried Zoodles, or also known as zucchini noodles?

Zoodles are made from spiralizing raw zucchini into spaghetti-like strands. Lower in calories, zoodles can be a gluten-free alternative to your traditional spaghetti1. A fresh and lighter version to traditional spaghetti2, zucchini noodles can be different and fun to make. Compared to spaghetti, zucchini noodles contains more vitamin A, C, B, potassium, and fiber3 and it is lower in calories than traditional spaghetti4. Best of all, increasing your vegetable intake may help lower blood pressure and prevent diabetes5, 6.This is also a great choice to increase your vegetable intake, get the most nutrients and vitamins, and maintain a healthy weight. Not ready to try it yet? Try mixing whole-grain spaghetti with zucchini noodles. Continue reading →