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A Step-By-Step Gluten-Free Diet You Can Follow

Starting any new diet can be challenging. However, by taking several small steps at the beginning, and by making sure you have a plan you know you will be able to stick with, getting the ball rolling on a new diet doesn’t have to be impossible by any means. We aren’t saying it will be challenging, but a little research is definitely going to go a long way.

That thought can definitely be applied to a gluten-free diet. The more you learn about the basics of a gluten-free diet, the easier it will be to make necessary changes to how you shop for, prepare, and eat food.

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Getting Started On Your Gluten-Free Diet

One of the great misconceptions with a gluten-free diet is that it’s terribly limiting. This isn’t really true. Yes, you have to cut a few things out, but the list isn’t as substantial as some will have you believe. A gluten-free diet can involve many steps. Here are the basics to guide you in the early stages:

Identify the gluten-free groups

Fruits, veggies, many kinds of meat and poultry, many kinds of fish and seafood, dairy, and beans/legumes/nuts are all safe food groups. Obviously, within this range alone, you can begin to see the possibilities.

Learn about grains

There are many, many grains you can actually eat on a gluten-free diet. This can include rice, tapioca, beans, soy, potatoes, and gluten-free oats are just a few.

Learn about the alternatives

There are numerous gluten-free alternatives available these days. An important step in embracing a gluten-free diet is to learn more about those alternatives, and find the ones that are going to appeal to you. Using alternative flours and grains, you should be able to find some appealing possibilities. However, it is important to make sure you’re reading labels carefully, ensuring that you are actually purchasing something that will be gluten-free.

Learn about the things you can’t have, or the things you need to be very careful about: Read the labels carefully for products like soups, sauces, beverages, vitamins, supplements, and medicines.

Find a good 7-day program to get going

A good 7-day gluten-free diet plan is ideal for getting started on the right foot. You can use one of these plans to establish a clear idea of your meals, drinks, and even snacks.

Consult a nutritionist

If you can afford it, consider seeking out the advice of a professional nutritionist. They can help you to fill in the blanks with your new diet.

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3 Easy Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes

Considering that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, it makes sense to want to start your new gluten-free diet off in the best way possible. Whether you don’t have a huge budget to buy and prepare whatever you please, or if you simply don’t have a ton of time in the morning (most of us have to deal with that problem), keep in mind that there are still tons of great ideas for simple, quick, and extremely healthy gluten-free breakfasts.

Let’s go over a few possibilities that you can keep in mind for breakfast tomorrow.

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Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes That Are Also Really Easy

Studies show that a good breakfast has a number of benefits that are realized throughout the day. You’re giving yourself a needed boost of energy in the morning. You’re also ensuring that you’ll eat a more sensible lunch, while avoiding the need to snack unhealthily throughout the day. A gluten-free breakfast can meet all of those demands. At the same time, it doesn’t have to suck up a huge chunk of your time.

Here are 3 easy gluten-free breakfast recipes to try:

1. Gluten-free waffles: 

The great thing about gluten-free waffles made from yogurt is that you can use these yummy waffles to plan your breakfasts for an entire week. Using yogurt and a little sugar as the primary ingredients, these gluten-free waffles are delicious, and you can keep them in the freezer with ease. This recipe can also be ideal for those who need to make breakfast every morning for the kids! Make sure you have a good waffle maker handy.

2. Gluten-free overnight oats:

This recipe couldn’t be simpler. All you need are some rolled oats, with some chia or flax seeds for thickening. Add just a dollop of milk, and you’re going to have an amazing, easy breakfast prepared in about five minutes. One of the best things about this recipe is how you can suit things to your specific tastes. With an endless array of flavor variations, you can rely on this breakfast choice from one day to the next. The investment is pretty minimal, as well.

3. Breakfast tacos:

This one might take just a little longer, but you can do the prep work ahead of time, if you really want to. Then the only thing you’ll need to do is heat up your taco shell. Use scrambled eggs or scrambled-up tofu (or both!) for your filling.

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How Gluten Free Diet is Crucial in Weight Loss

Gluten is a found mainly found in cereals like wheat, barley, and oats among others food products and majorly help to bind food together. A gluten-free meal is crucial for people with coeliac disease which is a digestive condition whereby the small intestines becomes inflamed rendering them incapable of absorbing nutrients.

However, in the recent past, many people are buying gluten free food not because they have gluten intolerance or suffer from coeliac disease, but because they consider gluten free diet as a sure way of leading a healthy life and also in aiding weight loss. Therefore then, how do gluten free foods help in weight reduction?

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Gluten is found in many types of food since it adds texture and flavor to theses food and going gluten-free is not just achieved by cutting out pasta and bread. Sources have it that ditching gluten and wheat does help one to lose weight quickly than just dieting. According to dietitians, reducing gluten intake in your meals means that you eat less.

Therefore, you consume fewer calories which eventually leads to weight loss. Despite the fact that gluten free diets are mainly bought by people with coeliac most of the research conducted on these products show they are increasingly being purchased by far more people than those with gluten intolerance than those with the disease.

There are several ways one can maximize weight loss. Besides taking gluten free meals, outlined below are other strategies that may help you drop a few pounds.

1. Avoid Processed Gluten Free Foods

A few grain-based food like cookies, pizza, snacks, bread though they may be gluten-free contain high calories and provoke vigorous insulin response than wheat based food. Caution should be taken when taking meals labeled gluten free as eating more calories just because they are found in food labeled gluten free may not help you cut weight.

2. Exercise Regularly

This could be the most important part in weight loss. Reducing wheat and gluten intake may help you lose weight quickly, but to accelerate your efforts, it is important to exercise as exercising helps you lose more fat and build muscle thus burning more calories, and eventually helping you lose more fat. A gluten-free diet should not be viewed as a replacement for going to the gym.

If weight loss is truly your goal, it is important to watch your portion size. For your lunch and dinner, about half of your plate should comprise of salad and vegetables and the other half should be carbohydrates and proteins both divided into equal portions. All this with a gluten free meal is a sure way of leading a healthy life and losing a few pounds

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Who Should Have a Gluten-Free Diet

Gluten-free diets are the modern way people are turning from the regular lifestyle. But it is not just a fashion thing that you can brag with your friends inside the local mall. Many people are diagnosed with a condition called “Coeliac” and the doctors have informed them that they will have to stay away from gluten-containing foods for the rest of their lives.

Sounds scary at first and it could be if you let it run your life but the internet is full of information and more people are writing good books about this topic. What is gluten? Gluten is a special kind of protein. It can be found in wheat, grains, rye. The main purpose is to keep food elasticity intact during the production phase.

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Sounds good so far, right? The problem is that not everyone can digest gluten properly and it could be harmful. Less than 10% of world’s population is not tolerant to gluten and they can be diagnosed with Coeliac. Coeliac symptoms Being diagnosed with a disease is always a game changer. This one is no different. Anemia, diarrhea, bone pain, severe skin rash – some of the symptoms connected to coeliac and if you have any of them, make sure to see your doctor. Sometimes you might have the disease without any of those symptoms as well. Regular appointments with the good doctors are needed.

Gluten-free diets are a must only when you are diagnosed with Coeliac or you are sensitive to foods containing gluten. Everything else is a choice. If you think you might be sensitive, keep eating foods and ask for a blood test. This way you will be certain that the blood test is accurate – if you have not eaten gluten-containing foods, the test will be normal. The good news Gluten-free diets are not all bad, in fact they can be a healthier path to success.

A lot of foods are gluten-free naturally like fruits, vegetables, meat, eggs and cheese, so you would not need to sacrifice a big portion of your diet. You can still enjoy the company of a good wine (or cider, sherry) but beer should be avoided. If you just want to try the gluten-free diet you can – focus on the foods above, check grains like quinoa (gluten-free) and be certain to always check the labels of all the products that you purchase from the local store.

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Top 5 Tips For a Gluten-Free Diet

Coeliac is a serious condition that can change your life completely. It is lifelong and you if you are unfortunate enough to be diagnosed with this disease, you would have to change your whole dieting plan including gluten-free foods. Very often newly diagnosed people are in shock and this is understandable but with a good, strict gluten-free diet you can turn this situation into something quite positive.

Here are some tips how you can become better in your diet.

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Reading food labels when shopping

This tip should be for everyone but in this case we are pointing out the obvious for a gluten-free diet. Most products in the local shop are well written on the back and if a gluten containing substance was used – you will be able to spot it. You should be looking specifically for wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt and any other grain which may contain gluten.

Change your habits

Sounds easy on paper but it could be challenging. You should change all gluten-containing foods with gluten-free. If you are a die hard fan of pasta and bread – you can still enjoy them, you just need to switch to the gluten-free option.

Foods naturally gluten-free

Some of the most important and delicious foods are gluten-free naturally – too good to be true? No, it’s not. Fish, cheese, eggs, fruits, vegetables and even meat – you can safely eat them all.

Money worries

A lot of people are concerned that switching the eating habits from regular to gluten-free can be a hassle for our pockets. It is not necessarily true as more and more information (and books) are coming up online how we can adjust our shopping so that we can spend less and get more with gluten-free foods as well. Do your homework and do not go to the store without a plan how to save money while getting healthier. Education is the best investment, right?

Alcohol changes

Yes, it may affect your drinking nights as well. But you should not be discouraged, you just need to keep yourself informed again. The bad news is that beer is containing gluten but in some supermarkets you could still find gluten-free beer. If you like your alcohol you should start thinking more about wine, cider, sherry and liqueur. Just make sure to read each label when shopping and in time you will have the needed information and habits to have a long and happy gluten-free life.

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The Myths of a Gluten-Free Diet

Before we start with the myths (and some facts) about a gluten-free diet, we would need to stress out that such a diet is a must for celiac diagnosed people and people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.

The first is a condition where gluten causes an adverse reaction damaging cells and can lead to a serious situation. The second is if your body cannot tolerate gluten but the end effect is not as severe as the celiac disease. In both cases though, a gluten-free diet is the solution.

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Weight loss and a healthier lifestyle

Most modern health related magazines will urge you to be gluten-free as you will be losing weight and you will be in better physical shape. Those kind of statements are not proven to anyone who is not sensitive to gluten. If your current diet is revolving around pasta, bread and cookies and you switch to naturally gluten-free foods like vegetables, fruits, eggs and milk – of course you will get healthier and you will lose weight but the reason is not the gluten itself.

Less gluten equals better stomach

Another myth that has been blown out of proportion. According to some studies, if you remove gluten from your diet, your digestive system will improve significantly which will result in a healthier lifestyle. Well yes, but only if you are sensitive to gluten. If you are not, there is absolutely no evidence proving that you and your stomach will be in better shape if you cut down on gluten.

Gluten-free foods are healthier than the rest

The same magazines that are trying to insert the gluten-free fashion in our lives will be putting this information in our brains – gluten-free foods are healthier than their counterparts. Since manufacturers cannot use gluten-containing grains like wheat when producing some foods, they need to substitute them. A great way to make such a substitution is to add fats and sugars – more than they were before. It is a great way to market the products with a “gluten-free” label but that does not mean that all of us have to purchase that food.

No alcohol

If you are gluten sensitive, you would need to cut down on some of the beverages in your life. Beer is probably the biggest enemy of a gluten-free diet and you need to remove it. On the other hand, you can become a bigger wine person, as wine does not contain gluten.

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Gluten-Free Diet – What To Eat In a Day

Gluten is becoming a new sensation in the world of dieting. Especially when we talk about gluten-free eating, people think this is the new revolution. The problem is that when we hear “gluten-free diet” most of us unconsciously relate it to unnecessary starving and removing some of the most delicious foods from our menu.

Such a diet could be not only as delicious as our previous eating habit, but could bring many other, unknown to now benefits like a healthier lifestyle, more energy during the day and cleansed body.

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What to look for in a diet? Most gluten-free foods exclude important substances like Vitamin B12, fiber and niacin. Make sure that when you create your own, personal diet, you include all of those in your menu. Read the labels of the packaged foods carefully. For instance – when buying bread (one of the most common parts of our daily eating), we should be looking for one that has around 70 calories per slice.

Breakfast

For the most important meal of the day you can experiment more than usual. You can include oats cooked in water, 1 cup of raspberries (great supplier of needed vitamins in the morning), almonds and honey. Another recipe you can eat – 1 slice gluten-free bread, 1 1/2 Tbsp peanut butter with one cup unsweetened almond milk. Classics like scrambled eggs (with olive oil of course) should not be overlooked and you can add corn tortilla or avocado.

Lunch

Focus on salads (not only for lunch but mainly here). One of the top salads you can eat is – 2 cups spinach, 2 oz chunk light tuna in water (drained), 1/3 cup canned white beans (rinsed), Half a cup of veggies (cucumber is the obvious choice). Mix them all together and enjoy the healthy life. You can also have – 2 cups mixed greens, 5-6 cherry tomatoes, 4 oz cooked chicken and half a cup of quinoa.

Dinner

Brown rice is a great option here as you can have it with almost everything if it is not enough. You can cooked chicken breast (cooked with olive oil and seasoned with ground cumin, salt and pepper) and again – quinoa.

During the day you might need the feel to recharge the batteries with some snack – boiled eggs are a wonderful option providing you with a lot of protein. Raspberries and almond milk is a combination that you will love as well.

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The Basics of a Gluten-Free Diet

Going gluten-free can be explained with 3 different conditions – you are Coeliac diagnosed, you are gluten sensitive or you just like the new fashion and want to try it. No matter what is the reason behind it, there are strict rules that need to be applied to your gluten-free diet and here is some basic information that can help you. What is forbidden?

If you are certain about your condition and are definitely going gluten-free, most grains should be avoided. That does not mean that you cannot enjoy some of them (quinoa, chia, corn – all naturally gluten-free). What you should avoid when it comes down to grains is wheat, rye, barley. A lot of the delicious everyday foods are naturally gluten-free – you can safely eat eggs, cheese, milk, beans and most importantly fruits and vegetables. If you are not used to some of the gluten-free foods, initially you will experience like your body is missing substantial ingredients but as anything else in life – it is about habits and it takes time to adjust and get used to it.

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Be more careful with your drinking beverages.

You would not need to remove a good glass of wine from your menu nor sports drinks and juices. The downside of a gluten-free diet comes with beer. Most beers sold in our supermarkets are containing the protein called gluten and if you are a die hard fan, you would need to be looking for the “gluten-free” label.

Coeliac and gluten sensitivity

The main reason why would someone change their eating habits is health. Getting diagnosed with coeliac could be a life changing event. It is usually surrounded by symptoms like diarrhea, severe rashes but there are many cases when no symptoms were experienced and yet the disease was there. If you are gluten sensitive a change in the meal plan is necessary as well. The gluten-free diet would have to be for life but if you follow it strictly you would still fully enjoy the rest of your healthy life.

Having to change your diet from regular to gluten-free could be a hassle in the beginning but with all the information online, it could start a life altering chain of events. The most important tip that you will get is to read the labels of the foods carefully. Familiarize yourself with the needed gluten information and how to avoid foods containing gluten.