Reasons why a gluten free diet is doable

Erin Vanderkooy

50plus Magazine

When gluten showed up on a food sensitivity test I had years ago I was not surprised. Intuitively I felt that gluten was not supporting me, but I also felt grief around letting it go. I loved glutinous foods! Give me all the gluten!

 

Perhaps you also intuitively feel that removing things like bread, crackers and cereals containing gluten could improve your health but — as I did — have a hard time committing. Or maybe your health practitioner recommended going gluten-free but it feels overwhelming, and you can’t imagine what you would eat.

 

In functional nutrition, we always start with small incremental changes that naturally create sustainability and avoid overwhelm. Adding tasty substitutes that you genuinely enjoy rather than focusing on what you are removing is key. Gluten has a dopamine effect, so you may feel
grief or sensations of withdrawal when you reduce or remove it from your diet. The good news? Your taste buds change to support you within a few days or weeks.

 

I recommend creating a list of foods you love that contain gluten in your health journal. Be specific. Then next to these foods create a list of gluten-free substitutes. With pasta, you can use organic brown rice noodles. I bet you won’t even notice the difference! Once you get used to that you might try a whole, nutrient-dense substitute like zucchini or spaghetti squash noodles, which add more vitamins and minerals that support your beautiful body.

 

If you enjoy baked goods,
I recommend looking for a local gluten-free bakery. These often use fewer ingredients and less sugar in their products. You can also find a variety of gluten-free products at health food and grocery stores. Beware of this marketing trap: foods labeled “healthy” when they’re actually loaded with sugar or highly-processed ingredients.

 

How to steer clear? There are only two items you really need to look for on labels. One is sugar content to help increase awareness around your sugar intake. The other is the ingredient list. As a general rule, we want to avoid chemicals and ingredients we don’t recognize or can’t pronounce.

 

When you make choices that support your body, mind and soul, coupled with eating food you can get excited about, you start to shift your decision-making from a place of deprivation to a place of empowerment.

 

I hope these tips empower you on your health journey!

 

Erin welcomes your questions and suggestions for future articles. Contact her at erin@erinvanderkooy.com.