Can Going Gluten Free Be The Answer? Maybe!!

No. I don't feel everyone has to be gluten free. However, I do certainly feel that the over consumption of gluten could potentially be a contributing factor to inflammation in the body and digestive distress. Now obviously those of us who have celiac must steer clear of gluten 100%.

Celiac is an autoimmune condition where if gluten is consumed, damage to the intestines occurs by destroying the lining and absorption ability of the GI tract. Celiac is not to be confused with gluten intolerance......where you may experience many of the symptoms of celiac, but there is nothing pathologically going on. In other words, there is no damage to the intestinal lining.  That said, both groups of people should avoid consumption of gluten products.

Going gluten free is really a rather simple process. You basically want to eliminate any foods in the
BROW category:

• Barley
• Rye
• Oats (that are not certified gluten free--high risk of cross contamination)
• Wheat

There are many other foods that contain gluten. Grains including: triticale (hard wheat), farina, spelt, kamut, duram, couscous, & bulgar are all commonly found in gluten containing breads and products.  Also, grain based side dishes that come with seasoning packs in them. Be cautious of sauces and condiments as well.  Soy sauce as well as Tamari and Nama Shoyu common in Asian cooking are loaded with gluten. Be careful with prepared condiments that may have thickeners containing gluten. 

Seitan, a common vegetarian meat replacer, is 100% wheat gluten. 

Many coffee substitutes and tea blends have gluten in them such as barley and malt.  There is a Celestial Tea Winter Tea line that comes out each year. Every year for about 5 years I was drinking their Sugar Cookie Blend and had no idea there was gluten in it.  Who would think that a cup of tea could set you back??

The question comes to mind with my clients: "Well, what am I going to eat?" Well, for starters, I highly recommend cutting all processed foods from your diet, regardless of whether you need to be GF or not. If you have digestive health issues or are just looking to be healthy, those foods have no place, or should have a very small spot, in your diet anyway. However, there are many gluten free breads, cereals, and grains out there. 

• Bob's Gluten Free Oatmeal  (one of my favorites)
• Gluten Freeda and Bakery On Main make great instant oats as well
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Whole Grain Rice/White Rice as well
• Amaranth
• Millet
• Teff

Although there are many gluten free breads, cereals, and food products out there, I implore you to try the whole grain based foods before adding the products labeled as GF as a replacement. They may be missing out on the gluten, but they add a lot of other products to sweeten it and make it palatable. A lot of people make the mistake of going gluten free and just substituting one food for another processed food not really seeing or feeling any difference in their digestive health.  Weed out the junk, and then you will have a greater surface area to figure out what you can and cannot tolerate.
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Going gluten free has changed my life. I was never able to truly keep enough weight on.  After having an endoscopy last year and learning about the damage to my system, I went 100% gluten free....not even a single cheat meal involved gluten. I am very committed to that investment in my health. Two of my favorite foods I eat almost daily are sweet potatoes and sprouted rice. They fill me up, give me energy, and support my health and fitness goals.​

Going gluten free doesn't mean you need to cut out all the carbs and nutritious whole foods from your diet. Quite the opposite. Eliminating gluten opens you up to so many other foods that have even more nutritional value.  Think produce like sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and winter squashes like kabocha, butternut, and spaghetti squash  <-- fabulous pasta substitute.

Need more information on how to go gluten free? Just ask? I'm here to help.

To your health!!

Tracy Lynn