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Going GF – Here We Go!

I am elated to have so many people joining us this week and am excited to share this experience with you all.

So why gluten-free and what is all this gluten-free hype about anyways??

Truth is that gluten is a protein that naturally occurs in the wheat, barley and rye plants. If you are eating gluten-free then you need to avoid all wheat-based flours and ingredients. This include but is not limited to: 

• White Flour
• Whole Wheat Flour
• Durum Wheat
• Graham Flour
• Triticale
• Kamut
• Semolina
• Spelt
• Wheat Germ
• Wheat Bran

Gluten isn’t necessarily bad for you. However, over the last 25+ years we have seen a dramatic increase in people with significant health issues that can be traced back to gluten (wheat)  intake. Anyone with  gluten sensitivity or allergy produces an abnormal immune response when breaking down gluten from wheat and related grains during digestion. Gas, excessive bloating, diarrhea, skin rashes, itching, brain fog and forgetfulness, headaches, muscle spasms, joint pain and much more can come from a reaction to gluten.

The wheat plant that we ingest today has been altered  in such a way from what the human body recognizes HOW to digest that our bodies are rebelling; and we see this through Celiac disease and gluten intolerance symptoms.  We will go more in-depth into these topics this week; as well as discussing where gluten is hiding in our foods and why. I will also touch on why this has been a personal journey for me, my passion behind it, some fabulous new recipes for you to try and how going gluten-free has completely changed my life.

For tomorrow, let’s start to become aware!!  Aware of ingredients on labels and what is in the food we are eating. Remember that you will only notice a significant difference in overall health if you remove gluten 100%!  Saying “I will only eat 2 crackers and not 10” won’t work. For this week, cut out gluten 100%!

Let’s also focus on what we CAN eat!! Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:

• All fruits & veggies
• nuts and nut butters
• oatmeal (Celiacs need certified gluten-free oats to avoid cross contamination)
• brown rice or quinoa (there are pastas made with these grains as well)
• all lean meats : fish, chicken, turkey
• beans & lentils
• chick peas
• breakfast cereals : chex makes corn and rice chex which are gluten-free
• health fats & oils: olive oil, coconuts oil, avocados
• yogurt and low-fat dairy products
• good quality protein shakes (ie – shakeology)

I am saying it again – read your labels!  If you are eating something out of a package look for 5 ingredients or less and:

Share your thoughts, post a comment or contact Lindsey with any questions 🙂