The #1 Mistake People Make When Starting A Gluten
Pictured Recipe:Dark Chocolate Trail Mix
If you don’t plan out this new way of eating, it’s easy to default to gluten-free packaged foods. “I see people go on this diet and eat three meals and snacks from these foods,” says Begun. You know-the gluten-free muffins or brownies or cereals or pizza. These are often made with refined grains and heavy in sugar and often contain more calories than their traditional counterparts. The result: you may start to gain weight if this is the main change you make to your diet. So think of these as “on occasion” foods. It’s just like with any diet. A candy bar is just a candy bargluten-free or not.
Don’t Miss: Homemade & Healthy Gluten-Free Snacks
Does Gluten Affect Children Differently
Children and adults with celiac disease often manifest different symptoms. There can be hundreds of unique symptoms of this disease.
Pediatric celiac disease, the condition in children, causes more often intestinal symptoms that may include constipation, diarrhea, bloating and gas, abdominal pain, vomiting or nausea, and pale, smelly stool. It may also cause stunted growth, short stature, failure to thrive in toddlers, late puberty in teens, weight loss, dental problems, mood disorders in adolescents, and irritability.
Celiac adults may also experience intestinal symptoms but they are usually less common and infrequent. About 50 percent of adults with celiac disease are likely to experience non-gastrointestinal symptoms, including joint pain/aches, canker mouth sores, anxiety & depression, iron-deficiency anemia, chronic fatigue, headaches or migraines, infertility, irregular periods, and osteoporosis .
Recognizing and diagnosing celiac disease in adults can be quite tricky because symptoms are numerous, and tend to vary from person to person. Thatâs why ongoing testing is recommended if you have noticed some of the symptoms. Read more about celiac disease symptoms, risks, and how to get tested.
Get Used To Reading Food Labels When You Shop
All packaged food in the UK and the EU is covered by a law on allergen labelling, meaning you can tell whether or not a product is suitable for a gluten-free diet by reading the ingredients list. If a cereal containing gluten has been used as an ingredient in the product, it must be listed in the ingredients list .
The specific grain will be listed, so look out for mentions of wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, Kamut® or any other grain which has been made through breeding these together as these all contain gluten. Often, these ingredients will be highlighted in bold.
Read Also: Jersey Mikes Gluten Free Bread
Why To Go Gluten Free
So let me preface this by saying, I am not a doctor. At all. I don’t even have any aspirations to be a doctor. I am, however, a mom to a 4 year old little girl who started having severe stomach pains, hours of burping, constipation, visible bloating, and nausea just to name a few symptoms around Christmas of 2018 .
She got x-rays, blood work, a physical, and of course a test for just about every food intolerance. BINGO! There it was – severely intolerant to gluten and very sensitive to casein . I started a food journal and everything for her just to figure all of this out. Every time this poor girl would eat a single bite of toast all of the sudden she was groaning about stomach pain, she couldn’t stop burping, her stomach was visibly distended, and I was trying to comfort her while not imagining the worst.
What does this all mean? Well, we went gluten free the very day the test was done and we got the results. I think you should always talk to a doctor before starting a drastic diet like this one. But if you are having any of these symptoms, start a food journal. Bring it with you to the doctor and explain, with evidence, why you think you need to go on a diet like this one or at least get some tests done.
Remember That Youre Not Alone
Staying connected with others going through the same thing makes it easier. Just ask around youll be amazed how many people are gluten-free, or know someone who is, advises Sampish. My best resources and brands of food have come by word of mouth.
Use Google to find support groups GlutenFreeIndy, for one, provides support in the Indianapolis area. Or search gluten free on Facebook more than 500 groups pop up.
Most of all, do whatever it takes to stick with it. When I was first diagnosed, says Sampish, I was a little bitter that I couldnt enjoy that great cookie, donut or breadstick. But if gluten ever slipped in, and I had to go through the painful repercussions, I never craved them again. And now, I have no bitterness and no desire to eat those foods ever again.
I do still miss cinnamon rolls and Cheez-Its the most, she adds, though I have found some really good gluten-free substitutes, even for these. Just keep at it.
You May Like: Cascadian Farm Cereal Vegan
The Top 6 Tips On How To Go Gluten Free
Thirdly Check For Non
These include unfamiliar ingredients like Fu , Farina, Emmer, Einkorn, and Atta.
Furthermore, make sure to read carefully through the allergen listing. If part of the food label, it includes potential allergens like dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, fish, and wheat. If the allergen list doesnât contain wheat, donât rule out gluten. After all, rye, oats, triticale, and barley are not among the top 8 allergens supposed to be listed. Find out more information on how to read food labels for gluten.
Read Also: Bud Light Platinum Gluten Free
There Are 3 Major Institutions That Offer Gf Certification
Currently, there are 3 major institutions that offer GF certification for restaurants, manufacturers and other key players who cater to the gluten-free market. These are the NSF International, the Allergen Control Group/Canadian Celiac Association , and the Gluten Intolerance Groupâs Gluten-Free Certification Organization .
Going Gluten Free: 7 First Steps
When youve decided youre going gluten free, you start in your kitchen. Its Food Central, right? Whether its large or galley, stocked or empty, your new gluten free kitchen will be your safe zone.
Your gluten free kitchen will become the place where you can always find and make yummy and safe gluten free foods. When your kitchen is going gluten free too, then you wont be tempted to cheat by eating glutenbecause there wont be other options.
To create this safe zone, you need to set it up right from the beginning. Below are 7 tips to get you on the gluten free road quickly and easily.
Each step is crucial when youre going gluten free. Take the time to do it correctly, thoroughly, from the start. A solid foundation will make everything else fall into place with much less stress.
Also Check: Gluten Free Freeze Dried Meals
A Guide To The Gluten
If your child has been diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, theyll need to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Always talk to a doctor before cutting gluten out of your childs diet.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and the derivatives of these grains, including malt and brewers yeast.
A gluten-free diet excludes all products containing these ingredients. Those who are gluten-free can still enjoy a healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, beans, legumes and most dairy products. Such ingredients are naturally gluten-free, and safe for individuals who do not have allergies to these respective food groups.
Eating gluten-free is the only way kids with celiac disease can stay healthy. Theres no medicine or shot you can take to make it go away.
Avoiding Health Risks Of A Gluten
Going gluten-free on a hunch or by choice means that you are voluntarily locking out many potential sources of vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
A growing number of people ask how to go gluten-free, but never ask why they should do that in the first place. This can be troublesome because gluten is an important part of a balanced diet and can therefore cause malnourishment if it’s eliminated from your diet. Most fortified wheat products like cereals, bread, and sandwiches are usually loaded with B vitamins . When you cut them out from your diet, this can be a big problem for you, especially if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. Folic acid is needed during pregnancy to prevent birth defects. Whole grains are also rich in dietary fiber, which the digestive system requires to do its job properly.
The diet of an average person in the US is already deficient in fiber, and this can become much worse when you eliminate whole grains. Fiber also plays a key role in gut microbiome health and has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. A gluten-free diet may lack essential vitamins and nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium, riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, zinc, iron, and folic acid. People on a gluten-free diet are choosy and are more likely to suffer from nutritional deficiencies, making them susceptible to type-2 diabetes, weight gain, and other health ills.
Read Also: Ricola Cough Drops Gluten Free
Gluten Free Travel My Top 10 Tips
Traveling can be one of the greatest pleasures in life and for the gluten intolerant it can also be one the most challenging. I have traveled a lot in my life, sometime with great gluten-free success and sometimes with fairly poor results. I like to think we learn more from our failures than our successes so here are my top ten tips for traveling gluten-free.
1. Take food with you Airports, train stations and roadside snack shops are not the best places to find gluten-free options. Delays at the airport can leave you famished, frustrated and more susceptible to poor decisions. Take enough gluten-free snacks to keep you well fed. Gluten-free pretzels or crackers, Sunbutter On-The-Go Snack Packs pieces of fruit and vegetables, cheese cubes, gluten-free sandwiches and gluten-free nutrition bars are great items to have on hand.
If you take food which needs to be kept cold, put it inside a small insulated soft sided lunch box and tuck in a few heavy weight Ziploc bags. After you go through security go to a restaurant or fast food place and ask for some ice to fill the Ziplocs. This will keep everything chilled while on the plane. That little lunch box will come in handy on your trip and can easily be put in your suitcase when you dont need it.
These are my favorite gluten-free travel tips what are yours? Leave a comment below so others can benefit from your experience.
What Laws Govern Gluten Free Food Labeling In The United States
> 10 BEST tips for Beginners” alt=”How to go Gluten Free >> 10 BEST tips for Beginners”> - Top 8 Allergen Labeling: The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act applies to most packaged food products sold in the United States. It requires that covered packaged food products that include an ingredient that contains a protein from any of the top eight allergens be either named clearly in the ingredient list, or in a separate contains statement near the ingredient list on the package.
- Meaning of Gluten Free: Food bearing a claim of gluten free that was labeled after August 5, 2014 must be inherently gluten free, or does not contain an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain that has not been processed to remove gluten to less than 20 parts per million . Since the use by manufacturers is entirely optional, many non-labeled products are gluten free. The difference now is that no foods that bear the term gluten free may have more than 20 ppm gluten. See FDA Guidance and an FDA Consumer Update on the subject.
Read Also: Sabatassos Gluten-free Four-cheese Pizza
Take Your Diet Seriously
Some people may not follow this diet religiously, especially if they are not forced by health conditions like a celiac disease to follow a gluten-free diet. This diet may come as a choice for such people, so they may not adhere to it strictly.
You will find them consuming gluten-free foods one minute, and the next, they are enjoying gluten-containing foods. You need to know that for people who need to be on them, gluten-free diets do not cut corners, and neither do they have cheat days .
You will only reap the benefits of following this diet plan by sticking to it religiously. So no matter how restricting it may seem, envision the result and stay dedicated because it will help you find relief from your symptoms.
However, if you consume gluten-containing foods by mistake, cut yourself the slack and continue with the meal plan. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done because some people fall and end up giving in entirely to their temptations. So do not lose all your hard work over one slip-up. Instead, brush it off, forgive yourself, and keep pushing.
