How To Eat Gluten Free

How to eat gluten free????? Has going gluten free got you cross-eyed? Hold fast – help is on the way! Changing the way we eat can be either an adventure, a chore or a nightmare….the choice is up to us. If we see it as an adventure to be embraced then change will come more easily.

Life throws us enough curveballs that are unavoidable, so when we have the opportunity to embrace change from the start good things happen. The typical American diet is a far cry from gluten free, so going into this trying to eat the same way isn’t really a good plan for success. Below are some tips to help you know how to eat gluten free;

1. You do not need gluten to survive! Despite what our minds may tell us, we do not need tons of carbohydrates from grains that are filled with gluten. These carbohydrates, upon entering our bodies, are quickly converted to sugars. An abundance of these sugars in our bloodstreams causes our bodies to store the surplus as fats. What is absolutely mind-boggling to me is that our chemical make-up defends our “right” to have an abunance of fat, which results in our thinking that “we cannot go without our carbs.” Amazing!
2. When you cut down on gluten products, or eliminate them, you may crave salty or sugary foods. This goes hand in hand with point #1, but did you know that those carbs you feel you cannot go without are also loaded with salt. Be prepared, and armed with some salami (or similar salty meat), or perhaps a bit of honey, to get you through those cravings while your body adjusts.
3. As your body adjusts to less gluten (grains), your energy will have its ups and downs. Make sure you take some snacks, for example apples, dates, nuts, meat sticks, etc. You will need to eat something little every 3 hours or so as your body adjusts. Really, your body will throw temper tantrums which will result in you “bonking” if you don’t feed it every 3 hours! Our chemical mental addictive cravings for sugar and salt will not give up easily. Absolutely amazing, don’t you think!! Who’d a thunk! Our bodies kind of have a mind of their own!!!
4. This rebellious phase of your body will not last forever, just usually for about 21 days. It typically takes about 21 days of cutting out a habit (or eating habit) and adding a healthier habit (eating habit) for our stubborn mind chemistry to comply with the change. I cannot encourage you enough to plan ahead and eat something healthy every 3 hours. If you do not, your thinking will become cloudy and you will actually consider eating your arm to stop it!!!
5. Eat lots of vegetables and fruits. Did you know that vegetables and fruits have varying amounts of carbohydrates? Making these eating changes is actually switching carbohydrate sources, not cutting them out completely. Protein and good healthy fats are also very important. Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or plant-based or not, there are good choices. More to come on that topic in future blogs.

There is a lot of “scienc-y” research to read that will enforce and validate the above concepts. I studied a lot of science on my way to my biology (microbiology) degree. I have tried to use more user-friendly verbiage here. How to eat gluten free doesn’t have to be like reading Greek. These concepts are actually kind of funny in everyday language. If you would rather take it all in in more scientific terms, here are a few articles to get you started;

• Physical Craving and Food Addiction: A Scientific Review
• This Is What Sugar Does To Your Brain
• Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food

In conclusion, YOU CAN DO IT! You are an overcomer! You can take control back from your cravings and live a healthy life! How to eat gluten free? As gfmama4life says, (ok this is me), “Eat yo’ veggies…you are what you eat from your head to yo’ feet!”