Before I went gluten-free, I belittled people who were gluten-free. I looked at it as just the latest fad in a never-ending quest to lose weight the easiest way possible. Two lessons I quickly learned:
1. A gluten-free lifestyle is sometimes necessary
2. Being gluten-free is not easy
I could go into a long, boring spiel about my personal experiences with varying physicians and their opinions on gluten. I could tell you about the countless volumes I've read, the many studies on the pros and cons of gluten in your diet. Instead, I'll sum up what you need to know:
Gluten is Not the Devil
I am allergic to bananas. Does this mean that no one should ever eat bananas ever? Of course not. The same can be said for gluten. Some bodies digest gluten just fine while others cannot. Just because your next door neighbor's best friend's uncle has Celiac Disease doesn't mean that you should never have another bagel. Just because I have an autoimmune disorder that I partially manage through not eating gluten doesn't mean I need to constantly tell everyone they should stop eating bread. Of course, that doesn't stop many of us from doing just that.
1. A gluten-free lifestyle is sometimes necessary
2. Being gluten-free is not easy
I could go into a long, boring spiel about my personal experiences with varying physicians and their opinions on gluten. I could tell you about the countless volumes I've read, the many studies on the pros and cons of gluten in your diet. Instead, I'll sum up what you need to know:
Gluten is Not the Devil
I am allergic to bananas. Does this mean that no one should ever eat bananas ever? Of course not. The same can be said for gluten. Some bodies digest gluten just fine while others cannot. Just because your next door neighbor's best friend's uncle has Celiac Disease doesn't mean that you should never have another bagel. Just because I have an autoimmune disorder that I partially manage through not eating gluten doesn't mean I need to constantly tell everyone they should stop eating bread. Of course, that doesn't stop many of us from doing just that.
Going Gluten-Free Will Not Lead to Automatic Weight Loss
A big misconception about the gluten-free lifestyle is that people will automatically drop pounds. Many do at the beginning, which will always be the case when you cut a significant portion of food from your diet. Let's assume, just for fun, that you eat three sandwiches a day every day. Suddenly, you stop eating the bread and only eat the protein and veg. Guess what? You are going to lose weight. Guess what else? You will probably eventually replace that bread with something equally calorie-laden. In my case it is cheese.
Most People Are Not Gluten-Sensitive
People often ask me for advice about going gluten-free. My first piece of advice to them is always to make sure they need to go gluten-free. Cutting back on preservative-filled foods is always a good idea, but completely cutting out an entire food group can cause more harm than good. Many foods that contain gluten contain other nutrients that are essential to a healthy lifestyle. Unless you are willing to take the time and effort to ensure you have adequate supplements, you could be restricting yourself into even poorer health. Shameless Plug Alert: This is one of the reasons I have grown to love Shakeology. It is gluten-free, yet I get the nutrients I have been missing since I completely cut gluten out of my life.
A big misconception about the gluten-free lifestyle is that people will automatically drop pounds. Many do at the beginning, which will always be the case when you cut a significant portion of food from your diet. Let's assume, just for fun, that you eat three sandwiches a day every day. Suddenly, you stop eating the bread and only eat the protein and veg. Guess what? You are going to lose weight. Guess what else? You will probably eventually replace that bread with something equally calorie-laden. In my case it is cheese.
Most People Are Not Gluten-Sensitive
People often ask me for advice about going gluten-free. My first piece of advice to them is always to make sure they need to go gluten-free. Cutting back on preservative-filled foods is always a good idea, but completely cutting out an entire food group can cause more harm than good. Many foods that contain gluten contain other nutrients that are essential to a healthy lifestyle. Unless you are willing to take the time and effort to ensure you have adequate supplements, you could be restricting yourself into even poorer health. Shameless Plug Alert: This is one of the reasons I have grown to love Shakeology. It is gluten-free, yet I get the nutrients I have been missing since I completely cut gluten out of my life.
A Gluten-Free Lifestyle is Hard, But it Gets Easier
Any person embarking on a gluten-free lifestyle is likely to encounter a lot of difficulty at first. Gluten hides in everything from salad dressing to frozen broccoli, often to bulk up a watery substance. Likewise, some vitamins and medications use gluten as a binding agent. Most canned soups, many condiments, and of course, beer, contain gluten as well. It is daunting, but over time, it becomes much easier. It becomes healthier as well. Gluten-free aficionados often find themselves preparing their own food from fresh fruits, meat, and veg rather than relying on pre-packaged pantry items.
Gluten-Free Does Not Mean More Expensive
You can purchase a five pound bag of decidedly not gluten-free Gold Medal flour for about $2.50 or you can purchase a 1.5 pound bag of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free flour for twice as much. Conversely, you can skip the baked goods and buy neither for nothing. I do the occasional baking, but I have found that my lifestyle change has altered my diet significantly. I no longer feel the need to bake cookies every week. Instead, when the kids want a snack, I offer celery or apples. They are happy and everyone wins. The same is true with pasta. Though you can find gluten-free pasta, I don't care for it and have largely replaced it with healthy and lower-priced rice.
Eating Out is Still Possible
I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. In that time, I have learned not to be too picky when eating out. I spend my time scanning the menu either for a vegetarian option or for something that could be easily made without meat. Pasta used to be a great go to, but these days I spend most of my time looking at salads. Still, many restaurants are willing to accommodate a special diet. Many restaurants now have allergen-free menus, though you do have to ask. Others will often go out of their way to give you a nice meal. However, you do have to be flexible as well.
Boring Personal Anecdote: My family traveled to Mount Rushmore over the summer. Knowing that the American West is not widely recognized as vegetarian country, I packed enough food for each meal of the week-long road trip. I told the family not to worry about my special needs and just enjoy themselves. If there was no food on a menu, I had some waiting for me in the hotel. In the end, I had very few problems. Three of the locally-owned restaurants we visited had allergen-free menus that included dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options.
Now that I have discovered Shakeology, I have an even better option for travel. I get all of the nutrients I need for the day in one meal that I can make on the go. With the discount on the shakes as an Independent Beachbody Coach, the cost is very affordable and fits right in with my grocery budget. I have already portioned out my Shakeology for upcoming Thanksgiving travel. Worries about whether I will find food to eat are gone, and we save money to boot.
No One Wants to Hear About Your New Diet
This is perhaps the most important piece of advice. Unless the person you are speaking with is already considering going gluten-free, or is on a special diet of their own, it's probably wise to shut up about it. People who are not gluten-free tend to have very strong opinions about the trendiest diet choice. Instead, talk about something less polarizing, like child-hood vaccinations or immigration reform.
Any person embarking on a gluten-free lifestyle is likely to encounter a lot of difficulty at first. Gluten hides in everything from salad dressing to frozen broccoli, often to bulk up a watery substance. Likewise, some vitamins and medications use gluten as a binding agent. Most canned soups, many condiments, and of course, beer, contain gluten as well. It is daunting, but over time, it becomes much easier. It becomes healthier as well. Gluten-free aficionados often find themselves preparing their own food from fresh fruits, meat, and veg rather than relying on pre-packaged pantry items.
Gluten-Free Does Not Mean More Expensive
You can purchase a five pound bag of decidedly not gluten-free Gold Medal flour for about $2.50 or you can purchase a 1.5 pound bag of Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten-Free flour for twice as much. Conversely, you can skip the baked goods and buy neither for nothing. I do the occasional baking, but I have found that my lifestyle change has altered my diet significantly. I no longer feel the need to bake cookies every week. Instead, when the kids want a snack, I offer celery or apples. They are happy and everyone wins. The same is true with pasta. Though you can find gluten-free pasta, I don't care for it and have largely replaced it with healthy and lower-priced rice.
Eating Out is Still Possible
I have been a vegetarian for over 20 years. In that time, I have learned not to be too picky when eating out. I spend my time scanning the menu either for a vegetarian option or for something that could be easily made without meat. Pasta used to be a great go to, but these days I spend most of my time looking at salads. Still, many restaurants are willing to accommodate a special diet. Many restaurants now have allergen-free menus, though you do have to ask. Others will often go out of their way to give you a nice meal. However, you do have to be flexible as well.
Boring Personal Anecdote: My family traveled to Mount Rushmore over the summer. Knowing that the American West is not widely recognized as vegetarian country, I packed enough food for each meal of the week-long road trip. I told the family not to worry about my special needs and just enjoy themselves. If there was no food on a menu, I had some waiting for me in the hotel. In the end, I had very few problems. Three of the locally-owned restaurants we visited had allergen-free menus that included dairy-free, gluten-free, and vegetarian options.
Now that I have discovered Shakeology, I have an even better option for travel. I get all of the nutrients I need for the day in one meal that I can make on the go. With the discount on the shakes as an Independent Beachbody Coach, the cost is very affordable and fits right in with my grocery budget. I have already portioned out my Shakeology for upcoming Thanksgiving travel. Worries about whether I will find food to eat are gone, and we save money to boot.
No One Wants to Hear About Your New Diet
This is perhaps the most important piece of advice. Unless the person you are speaking with is already considering going gluten-free, or is on a special diet of their own, it's probably wise to shut up about it. People who are not gluten-free tend to have very strong opinions about the trendiest diet choice. Instead, talk about something less polarizing, like child-hood vaccinations or immigration reform.