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What Can I Eat and What Can’t I Eat If I’m Gluten Sensitive?

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The above question can be answered in just line. You can eat foods that don’t contain any traces of gluten. That’s it. All you need to do is eat non-gluten foods. Isn’t that easy? Of course it is. Conceptually easy. In reality, it’s extremely difficult to execute in practice.

We live in a world where most commercially produced food contains gluten or gluten based additives and ingredients. A bottle of tomato sauce may have gluten based starches in it. A sausage may have gluten based fillers in it. Gluten is everywhere. How do you avoid it?

gluten

Very carefully. That’s how. You will need to check and re-check your food. You’ll need to see if there was any cross-contamination from manufacture down to retail. To make matters worse, major food companies lie on their food labels too. This is well within the laws since the FDA rules are a little lax.

Your best bet will be to cook your own food and use healthy wholesome ingredients. The healthiest and natural foods such as meat, eggs, poultry, vegetables, and fruit and many grains and legumes do not contain gluten. You do have a wide variety of choices.

The problem occurs when people wish to eat foods such as cakes, breads, etc. Foods that usually contain gluten. These are the normal comfort foods that they are accustomed too. In order to eat such foods, you will need to find gluten-free substitutes.

All this is troublesome to say the least, but that’s how the cookie crumbles. There is no other way to say it… and the cookie needs to be gluten-free too.
Below is a general list of foods you should and should not eat. Use it as a general guideline.

Foods with Gluten

• Breads, cookies, pizzas, pies, pastas, croutons, cereals, crackers
• Sauces such as soy sauce, ketchup, mustard, teriyaki sauce, marinades, BBQ sauce, salad dressings
• Curry powder, mustard powder, food flavoring
• Brewer’s yeast
• Canned vegetables may contain traces of gluten additives
• Yoghurts, puddings, processed cheese
• Most processed meats such as meatballs, sausages, meat jerky
• Beer that is produced with wheat or barley

Foods without Gluten

• Seafood, poultry, meat
• Eggs
• Vegetables and fruit
• Dairy products and unsweetened yoghurt
• Rice, oats, legumes, gluten-free grains
• Wine
• Corn
• Natural spices

These are just some of the foods. The list is by no means exhaustive and only serves as a general guideline. You will need to do more research so that you are better informed and can make wise food choices. If you’re gluten intolerant, do switch to a gluten-free lifestyle.

Many people know what they need to do but they don’t do it because it takes too much effort. If you’re gluten sensitive, unfortunately you don’t have much choice in the matter. You really do need to switch to a gluten-free lifestyle.

It will keep you healthy and prevent many ailments and health issues from taking root. It will require sacrifice on your part. Just remember that nothing worthwhile was ever achieved easily. You can do it if you take it one day at a time.

How To Stay Motivated With Running

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As one ignorant non-runner said, running is boring, exhausting, and sometimes painful. Yet today, running is one of the most popular individual sports in the world, counting millions and millions of followers.

This number does not even include yet those who are engaged into serious competitive running. How do they keep themselves motivated and stay at that?

running

Loss of motivation

Because it is a solitary performance at most, running sometimes CAN be boring, exhausting and painful. Some runners (newcomers and veterans alike) declare that it can be difficult sometimes to stay motivated on a regular basis.

Loss of motivation is triggered by many things, including boredom, muscle pains, and most of all, lack of time. Some other times in your running years you were probably attacked by lack of motivation.

It starts out slow (skipping a run or two) and without your knowing it, gradually moves to a point where you notice you are not running regularly anymore.

Goals

One of the better ways to fight loss of motivation is to set realistic goals. One of the more common goals to stay motivated is simply to complete a race.

Choosing your race, training for it, and finally competing in it is another good source of motivation. Your selection should depend on your personal goals. If motivation is your only goal, perhaps choosing to compete in those periodic short races is the best option.

Setting realistic goals is the easiest way for a runner’s motivation to stay up and intense enough.

Of course, you can always choose your favorite distance (5K or 10K or a marathon). The choice itself, the thought, and the actual preparations and the competition proper are enough factors to keep you busy (training) and motivated (prestige and awards) enough.

Other runners are motivated by setting bigger goals to their training (if competing) or in just plain running. They set up faster times, or longer distances as their next goals.

Naturally, they will not get it right the first time. The attempts of bettering them are very good motivators.

Variations

Runners can also stay motivated by adding some variety into their program. They can vary the courses (and terrain) they are running (jogging across the woods or the tracks), distance, speed and intensity (doing sprints in straight tracks and jogging in curves) among other things.

Running with a friend (in twos or threes) can sometimes perk up an otherwise monotonous activity. Thinking of someone going with you on a run can sometimes be a very good motivation to do it. Working alone makes staying in bed in a cold morning seems extremely tempting.

Off times

Occasionally, runners have to take some time off from running. This may look counter-intuitive but it is effective.

One way is doing some cross-training which can also help you stay in shape other than running. (This is aside from the fact that you DID take some time off from running.)

Add to your workout schedule a week for every two months perhaps of not running at all but doing another physical activity of your choice. The break from running makes you feel recharged and raring to go back running.

 

Organic Black Tea

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All tea leaves are green when harvested. High in the Himalayas, tea pickers are hard at work, plucking only young and the most flavorful leaves from the plant, called Camellia sinensis. Although tea plants flourish in tropical climate, the best organic black teas are those grown in high altitudes where the clouds and cool mountain air comfort the tea plant and moisturize its leaves.

After the tea leaves are picked, they are inspected and sorted and withered. All of this is done by hand. As water from the leaves evaporates, the natural process of fermentation begins to take place. Fermentation, also known as oxidation, is the reason why organic black tea is black.

tea

Unlike the fermentation done with wines, tea fermentation does not produce alcohol. Instead, enzymes naturally contained in the leaves are released, oxidizing the leaf in the process and turning it brown just like a tea leaf in the fall when it changes color from green to brown.

By increasing heat and high humidity in a process called firing (the leaves are exposed to high temperature over fire or commercial ovens), the fermentation of organic black tea accelerates. As a result of these conditions, it is only a matter of hours before green tea is turned to what is known as organic black tea.

There are several different types of organic black tea. They are called ‘organic’ because they were purely grown organically, without the use of chemical fertilizers or commercial pesticides. The types of organic black tea depend on the name of the region where the Camellia sinensis plant is grown. Below are the top three organic black tea, valued for their rich taste and color.

Keemun

Considered by most to be the finest of Chinese black teas, Keemun organic black tea is actually a style of tea rather than the name of a region. Keemun is grown in many regions of China and Taiwan. Because of its smooth taste and aromatic flavor, Keemun organic black tea is often referred to as the “Burgundy” of teas. Chinese Keemuns are especially rich and flavorful. Higher grades of Keemun are also sweet, fruity, and pleasantly full-bodied with a delicate smoky nuance.

Keemun is great by itself. But if you want a slightly different taste, the tea also goes well with a bit of milk and sugar.

Darjeeling

Named for the Darjeeling province in northeast India, this fine drink is another organic black tea worth trying. Often referred to as the “Champagne of teas,” Darjeeling is praised for its aroma and delicate flavor. Incidentally, the Darjeeling region also produces excellent green and oolong teas – both known for their delicate tastes. The organic black teas are delicately flavorful but still full-bodied and succulent with a wide range of flavors from floral to nutty and sometimes with subtle muscatel notes.

Lapsang Souchong

Another organic black tea from China and Taiwan, Lapsang Souchong is also a style of tea with an intensely strong smoky flavor that many find, if not particularly delicious, then intriguing. The flavor is produced by drying the leaves over a smoldering pine fire. This organic black tea is made from larger leaves that contain lower amounts of caffeine, making it a popular evening drink.

Lapsang Souchong is not for everyone’s palate. If you want to experiment a little with your organic black tea, try some and decide for yourself.

How Can I Tell If I’m Gluten Intolerant?

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About 1 in every 133 Americans is gluten intolerant. The majority of people who are gluten intolerant do not even know that they are. The reason for this is that the symptoms are so commonplace that it is easy to assume that you’re just feeling a little “off”.

Over time, people get used to feeling these symptoms and just assume that they have poor health or they are getting old. In reality, they are gluten intolerant and they’re consuming foods that is just not agreeing with their body’s constitution.

gluten

This article will highlight a few common symptoms that many gluten intolerant people experience. If you see these signs recurring in your daily life, you might want to see a doctor and check things out.

If you feel bloated, have gas all the time and suffer from constipation, you might be gluten intolerant. Your intestines are having issues with the food you’re consuming. Diarrhea is also a common symptom.

Your energy level is another indicator. Are you always feeling lethargic? You’re 28 but feel like you’re 208? Gluten intolerant people feel totally drained after a meal because of the effects in the digestive tract. The larger the meals, the more exhausted you feel. This is something that you can easily monitor.

How do you feel after you eat? Do you get irritated or angry easily? This is another sign of gluten intolerance.

Swollen glands are another indicator of gluten intolerance. In fact, this is one of the best indicators. If your glands are swollen, there is definitely an issue in your body that requires attention. If this happens frequently, you shouldn’t just brush it aside as “just one of those things that will go away”. You may be gluten intolerant.

Migraines, cluster headaches, tension headaches, etc. that occur frequently after your meals could be symptoms of gluten intolerance. Many people seek treatment for the headaches by using aspirin or other methods. The relief while temporary, does nothing to solve the problem. Only a gluten-free lifestyle can put an end to your headaches.

Inflammation in the body is one of those signs of gluten intolerance that is often misdiagnosed. People think they are having muscular aches or poor blood circulation. Everything is blamed except gluten and that’s because most people aren’t even aware of what gluten intolerance is.

If your body constantly aches or if the joints feel swollen and painful all the time, you’re suffering from inflammation. Either that or you’re learning kung-fu. Since it will most probably be the former, you’re just gluten intolerant. You need to change your diet.

There is an old adage that goes, “It’s not what you eat. It’s what is eating you that causes ill health.” Sorry… if you’re gluten intolerant, it’s totally what you eat. We’ll save the adage for later. For now, you need to avoid gluten.

Even the way you feel is affected. Feeling down? Feeling depressed? Just not feeling good? It could be gluten.

Suddenly developing rashes? Eczema? Keratosis pilaris? It could be gluten.

As you can see, if you’re gluten intolerant, there are so many ways you can be affected. The best thing to do would be to keep a journal to record the food you eat and how you feel. Over time, you will notice a pattern and realize what is triggering the problems. From there it’s just a matter of tweaking your diet to end the symptoms.

Take an active interest in the way you feel and what you eat. If you planning on living a long, healthy life, you have to start today.

Running For Weight Loss: Six Facts You Should Know

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Because of the intense physical demands, running is proven to be an effective way to lose weight. And to some people, losing weight is their primary reason for sticking to a running program.

But to effectively shed pounds, it is important to know a few facts about running for weight loss.

running

  1. Running replaces body fats with muscle tissues. The latter, however, are denser and heavier than fats. Therefore, a few weeks into your running workout, you will discover that you don’t drop pounds, you actually gain weight. It’s okay. This only means that your running is working effectively. With continuous efforts, you will eventually lose the excess pounds.

  2. Running is an efficient calorie-burner. In a study, it is reported that people who underwent a planned exercise burned 2,800 calories a week and dropped 30 pounds. On average, a 150-pound individual burns 100 calories per mile, and if a runner is committed to running five miles per day, he can lose more or less 500 calories daily, and 2,500 after five workouts a week. And that would mean a significant loss. But take note that caloric expenditure varies depending on body weight. A 110-pound runner may lose 80 calories per mile; a 200-pound may burn 150. Also it is important to remember that as the weight drops, the amount of calories to burn likewise drops.

  3. Losing weight is all about burning more calories than you consume. Therefore, there is something to be said about watching what you eat. Remember that to lose a pound, you need to burn 3,600 calories, so stay away from foods that would give you higher calories than that. While you are on your running regimen, cut down on coffee, alcohol, chocolates, fast foods, and junk foods. You should instead consume more carbohydrates.

  4. Running is effective if done regularly. If you are serious about losing weight, you need to commit to a regular running schedule and stick to it. One thing you need to keep in mind: running several days a week is more effective than one-day running, regardless of the length of time. Though daily running is ideal for losing weight, three or four days can meet the goal.

  5. Intense running, or running at a fast pace, is effective in weight reduction. It has always been believed that slow running ushers you in the fat-burning zone. That, however, is negated by recent researches. According to studies, intense running in fact burns more calories. But because it is likely to be more injurious, intense running is best done for shorter periods and should be scheduled, at the most, twice a week.

  6. Running program needs to be modified to achieve the desired weight. You have to understand that the body gets used to the hard work overtime, becomes efficient, and therefore burns fewer calories. The body, in effect, stops losing weight. To achieve your desired weight, you need to incorporate changes in your regimen from time to time. Three things you can do: run at a higher speed, increase the distance, or run for longer periods. Remember, running for weight loss can be a little tricky, but if you stay attuned to your body, it becomes fairly manageable.

 

Black Tea Health

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For thousands of years, the Chinese people have been drinking tea because of its refreshing and soothing effects. Like all three of the major Asian teas in the market, black tea comes from the plant called Camellia sinensis. But the difference between the tea types lies in how the leaves are processed, not on where they come from.

In the case of black tea, the leaves are first dried and then fermented. Black tea undergoes full oxidation, which actually accounts for its aromatic and rich taste. Compared to green tea and oolong or black dragon tea, black tea has a fuller taste and tastes better with age.

black tea

However, black tea is not only known for its intriguing flavor (comparable to wine!). New research suggests that it may be a major contributor of health-promoting nutrients in the U.S. diet.

Black tea health benefits lies in the presence of flavonoids in tea. Before, scientists believed that the process of fermentation changed the beneficial flavonoid polyphenol in black tea into another form, which is not thought to have any beneficial effects at all. However, newer studies showed that polyphenol or not, black tea health benefits can certainly do you a lot of good.

Below are the top five black tea health benefits enjoyed by those who love their cup of tea every morning:

Antioxidants

This is actually the one black tea health benefit you can get from drinking tea. Antioxidants are substances commonly found in vegetables, fruits, and beverages such as tea. Because of their disease-fighting abilities, antioxidants have been the subject of various scientific studies investigating their many benefits, from heart disease to cancer prevention.

Think of antioxidants as the rust-oleum paint that you put on your outdoor furniture to keep it from rusting. Just as oxygen in the air around us cause iron to rust, the oxygen particles in our blood can sometimes be destructive. In scientific circles, they call these highly reactive oxygen-containing substances as free radicals, and they are the reason why our body undergo massive cellular damage as we age or undergo degenerative diseases like cancer and heart illness.

The function of black tea health benefit antioxidants is to seek out these free radicals and destroy them. In so doing, these black tea health benefit antioxidants help protect your body from the ravages of aging and the effects of pollution.

Caffeine

Unless you consider yourself a coffee connoisseur, one black tea health benefit that you would surely appreciate is its caffeine content. Black tea does the job that your coffee does – that is, to give you a little push as you wake up in the morning after pulling up an all-nighter. But while coffee has the unfortunate reputation of causing heart palpitations because of too much drinking (and hence, too much caffeine), your chance of suffering the same with drinking black tea is nil. That’s because black tea has two to three times less caffeine than coffee. An eight-ounce cup of coffee contains around 135 mg. caffeine, while black tea contains only 30 to 40 mg. per cup.

 

Discover Why the Gluten-free Diet Can Be Very Tricky

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Yes, you read that right. The gluten-free diet can be very tricky for the simple fact that gluten can be hiding in many foods and you may not know which foods contain gluten. Following a gluten-free lifestyle is tough enough as it is without gluten playing hide and seek with you.

This article will highlight place where gluten may be hiding so that you can spot it a mile away. Of course, before even going into foods that may contain gluten, you need to be aware of foods that you can and cannot eat.

gluten-free diet

A general rule of thumb is that most natural foods do not contain gluten. Eggs, meat, poultry, vegetables, seafood, dairy, beans, nuts, legume and fruit do not contain gluten. Feel free to eat these to your heart’s content.

While there are grains that contain gluten, there are many that don’t and are perfectly safe to consume even if you’re gluten intolerant. Rice, soy, yucca, teff, millet, quinoa, tapioca, millet, potato, yucca, cassava, maize and oats (gluten-free) are all safe foods to eat. You do have choices.

Now, let’s look at why you may inadvertently end up getting gluten in your diet. In many cases, it may not even be your fault. Gluten may creep into your diet because of cross-contamination or even deceptive or poor labeling.

For example, in stores that package their gluten-free food, they often use the same preparation area for non-gluten free foods. Some crumbs from the bakery section may find their way into the cut fruit packages if a common preparation is used.

Even at home, one family member might use a knife on the whole-wheat bread and leave crumbs in the butter. The gluten intolerant person may get these crumbs into their body without even realizing it. So, separate containers will be required.

Another matter that you may totally have no control over is for processed foods. Even with products such as canned fruit or vegetables, the manufacturing line may be processing gluten containing foods too. There is a very real possibility of cross-contamination despite what the labels say.

In cases like these, you may have to contact the manufacturer and get reassurance that their product line is solely dedicated to gluten-free products. This is a hassle but it is a necessary inconvenience, especially for those who have celiac disease.

Living on a gluten-free diet is a lifelong challenge. There is no easier way to say it.

You need to be aware of foods that contain gluten. Like mentioned earlier, natural foods such as meat do not contain gluten. However, processed meats such as sausages, meatballs and ground meats may use wheat-based filler. Now you have a meat that contains gluten.

Sauces, gravies and marinades may contain gluten too. That dollop of tomato sauce you just added to your plate may have gluten flour in it. That bag of potato chips may be seasoned with ingredients that contain wheat starch.

So, you need to be alert all the time. You need to research and exercise due diligence in getting as well-informed as you can. Ultimately, this will help you make the best choices when deciding if the food you plan to eat is something you should be eating. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

Running And Hydration

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Running in the good old days used to be uncomplicated and simple. Some people remember runners before going out running with nothing with them. After a time, they come back and drink their water.

Drinking (or hydration) was not such a big deal before. Today, there are some runners who carry their own water and enough gadgets to monitor their exact intake during a run or a race.

running

Hydration and dehydration

Of course, we all now know how important water is when it comes to strenuous exercises like running. One thing about water is that it is not ideal either to get very little or too much of the fluid.

Severe dehydration (loss of water) and over-hydration both cause serious consequences on the body, including death. Knowing the difference is sometimes hard because the symptoms are the same.

Similar symptoms

In dehydration, the symptoms include weight loss, lethargy, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion and dry mouth or lips. Over-hydration includes weight gain or swelling, headache, nausea, lethargy and confusion or disorientation.

What is terrible is that nobody knows about the problem until the symptoms are already in the advanced state. Even medical personnel can be hard put in figuring out what exactly is happening. (This usually happens after a hard race.)

Fluid needs

Knowing how much fluid you need can prevent either dehydration or over-hydration. One way of knowing is that your performance will decrease significantly if you are dehydrated by as little as 1%.

Your running slows down by about 2% if you are dehydrated by only 1%. Another point to consider is that hydration is important not just for your performance but also for your health. As a runner, you need to know how much you need to hydrate yourself daily, and in the critical times of before, during and after running or a race.

One formula given by experts to calculate your daily fluid needs is as follows: multiply your weight (in pounds) by 0.55 to know how many ounces of fluid you need every day.

Hydrating fluids

The hydrating beverages include water , sports drinks, tea, decaf coffee, low fat milk, yogurt drinks, juices, soda and soups or other foods with water.

Water, of course, is the best source for body hydration. Intake of beverages with sugar and other additives should be limited, especially if you are trying to lose body fat.

Alcohol is one drink that significantly dehydrates the body. It is a total no-no to drink before races, or even the night before any race.

Your needs

After your daily fluid intake, you need to know how much you need before, during and after exercise (like running) to achieve optimum performance. Most people need 8 to 16 ounces of fluid one or two hours before any exercise.

During exercise, your fluid needs depend on the rate you perspire which is different from person to person or the weather.

The best estimate is to take 4 to 8 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes and weighing yourself before and after exercise. This is to check if you are losing or gaining weight, and adjusting your intake the next time.

Depending on its intensity, running is considered strenuous enough for your body to need more fluid than ordinary. Listen to what it says.

 

 

Black Tea Nutrition

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The basis of black tea nutrition is simple but true: Antioxidants promote well-being. The more antioxidants you consume, the better to boost your body’s natural disease prevention processes.

The Camellia sinensis plant where black tea and all other “real” teas come from has leaves rich with antioxidant-acting phytochemicals called polyphenols. This means that black tea nutrition beverages are good sources of antioxidants for your body.

black tea

History records tea as long as four, nearly five, thousand years ago. According to one Chinese legend, the Emperor Shen Nung was boiling water one day when the leaves of a nearby plant fell into the pot. This created the first pot of tea.

In the new millennium, scientific evidence is supporting the link between black tea nutrition and health benefits. Besides polyphenols, black tea nutrition is also a source of several major antioxidants, including flavonoids, which could neutralize the free radicals in the body, helping to maintain healthy cells and tissues. Flavonoids are special phytochemicals found not only in tea leaves, but in apples, onions, and other fruits and vegetables as well.

The majority of flavonoids are released from the tea leaves after 2 minutes of steeping. But the amounts and potency of flavonoids you get from black tea nutrition may depend on the variety, the manufacturing process, and the brewing conditions. Other antioxidants in black tea nutrition include tannins, catechins, theaflavins, and theaburigins. All these antioxidants add to the health benefits in black tea nutrition.

In processing black tea, the leaves of the tea plant undergo four different steps. First, the leaves are harvested and allowed to wither. Afterwards, they are crushed or rolled in order to release the essential oils, polyphenols, and beneficial compounds to coat the surface of the leaves. Then, they are exposed to the air, heat, and humidity in a process called “fermentation” or oxidation, after which, they are allowed to dry.

The oxidation process causes the polyphenols in black tea nutrition to change into the chemical theaflavin, which is the reason why black tea has that brown, reddish color and brisk flavor. When theaflavins bind with other chemicals in black tea, they are transformed into theaburigins which give black tea its characteristic black or dark brown color. But more than lending black tea nutrition its color and flavor, these chemicals are also great antioxidants that help protect the arteries, thus reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

A recent study at the American Heart Association showed just how black tea nutrition could help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Scientists have observed earlier that abnormal dilation of the arteries (a condition associated with stroke and heart failure) is caused by the lessening of nitric oxide production. Black tea apparently has an effect on nitric oxide, maintaining its normal production so the arteries begin to dilate normally.

Black tea is also said to contain fluoride, a compound that helps reduce plaque and prevents tooth decay. In addition, flavonoids in black tea nutrition partially inhibit the absorption of non-heme iron from plant food.

 

5 Gluten-free Diet Mistakes You MUST Avoid

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The gluten-free diet  is an extremely strict diet. Unlike most other diets which have a certain degree of laxity, the gluten-free diet does not have that luxury. Most of the people on the gluten-free diet are gluten intolerant.

Even a small amount of gluten in their diet will cause symptoms such as headaches, lethargy, rashes, mood swings, inflammation, etc. None of these are worth writing home about and should be avoided.

gluten-free diet

They can be avoided if gluten is avoided. Yet, many people make mistakes and let gluten creep into their diet, either through ignorance or a lack of will-power. This article will highlight 5 of the most common mistakes that are made and how you should avoid them.

  1. The first mistake that most people make is to think that products that do not list gluten as an ingredient are automatically gluten-free. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Gluten creeps into many products indirectly and you can never be 100 percent sure unless you check.

Gluten is used as a stabilizing agent in many commercial food products. Yet, since it is an agent and not a “food ingredient”, in many cases, it is not mentioned on the label.

Even healthy foods such as vitamins and supplements have been found to contain gluten.

To make matters worse, gluten need to not necessarily come in the form of food. Soaps, creams, shampoos, lipsticks, deodorants, hair sprays and other beauty products may contain gluten because of the wheat germ oil that is often used in the manufacture of these products.

  1. Cross-contamination can happen at any time. Toasting gluten-free bread in a toaster that was used to toast normal bread will cause cross-contamination. You need to be watchful of the way your food is being handled and prepared. Cross-contamination often occurs in a household where one person is gluten intolerant and the rest are not.

Even the most well-meaning family members may make a mistake because it’s always the small things that matter. The devil is in the details. By double dipping a bread knife in butter, they may have inadvertently left tiny gluten containing crumbs in the butter. This is a very common example.

  1. It always goes down first before it comes up. You must remember this. What does this mean? It means that when you first start the gluten-free diet, your body will react negatively. You will not feel good. You may feel sick. You may even suffer withdrawal symptoms and cravings.

You will be very tempted to throw in the towel and give up on the diet. Don’t do that. You will recover from these negative effects. Your body needs to adapt and re-adjust to the new diet.

You should recover in a few days and will come out feeling stronger, healthier and a whole brand new you. You will also notice many pre-existing conditions slowly dissipate and disappear.

  1. Another mistake that many people make is going gluten-free but not adopting a healthy, well-rounded diet. Remember, the gluten-free diet only has one rule. Avoid gluten. It doesn’t concern itself with micro and macro nutrients. You however, need to watch your diet.

You want to ensure that you are getting sufficient protein, fats, carbs, vitamins and minerals… while remaining gluten-free.

  1. Don’t believe everything you read, especially food labels. There are major food companies that proudly display the words “Gluten-free” on their product. In reality, due to legal loopholes, products containing 20 parts per million gluten are referred to as gluten-free. This is the harsh reality of the world today where the dollar is more important than the consumer’s health.

Therefore, the onus is on you to make sure the food you eat really is gluten-free. Keep a food journal and record down how you are feeling that day. Over time, you will notice patterns emerging and it will be easy to see what is affecting you. Then, you just need to tweak your diet.

It will take time to achieve a completely gluten-free life. This will be a challenge but rest assured that it is achievable and worth the struggle.