You may be wondering how you can eat a healthy and nutritious gluten-free diet. For those of us who are Gluten-Sensitive or Celiac, we must eat gluten-free for health reasons. Here are some ways to eat well and not feel deprived.
Many times, I have heard people say that a gluten-free diet is “not healthy!” This may very well be true if you eat primarily pre-packaged foods. Pre-packaged gluten-free foods are a quick fix in a pinch. Indeed, better than going hungry, but you need to pay attention to a healthy Food Guide. It helps to learn how to shop, cook and bake gluten-free. You can get most of the nutrition from foods you eat and supplement with vitamins your health professional recommends.
Are you wondering about the differences between Celiac and Gluten-Sensitivity?
Should you eat a Gluten-Free Diet?
- A Gluten-Free Diet is healthier for those who are Celiac or Gluten Sensitive.
- A Healthy Gluten-Free Diet, like any other, should be high in nutritional content. Try to make nutrient-dense food choices most often.
- Whether gluten-free or not, Junk Foods are not healthy food choices. Sure, having some in a pinch is okay, but your diet should consist mostly of good nutritious foods.
- Those on a Gluten-Free Diet need to have a health professional monitor blood work to see that they are getting enough vitamins and minerals.
- A Gluten-Free Diet should be undertaken only when a person’s health condition warrants it, and a health professional advises you to go gluten-free.
I hope some of my personal experiences will help you find the choices you are looking for. My family’s gluten-free diet has been honed over quite a few years of eating, cooking, and baking gluten-free. It was difficult initially, especially since so few options were available. We felt somewhat limited in our choices for the first couple of years.
Fad diets come and go, and there is always another version of what is termed healthy out there. To me, healthy means a balanced diet that can be maintained over the long term. A good deal of variety is also healthier than eating the same things all of the time. We need a diversity of foods in order to have a broader range of nutritious options. Of course, we all must examine our food preferences and what makes us feel the best.
A Life Time Diet
The ten weeks ‘Twinkies Diet that Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, embarked on would probably kill me. He did fine, but the key here is that it was a ‘ten-week diet’ and not a ‘for the rest of your life’ diet!
Before being advised to have a gluten-free diet, I went on many temporary diets trying to lose weight. You see, sometimes being gluten-sensitive means you have a hard time losing weight and can feel “puffy” much of the time. This was not recognized until just a few years ago, as it was thought that Celiac meant skinny.
None of the diets I embarked on lasted because sooner or later, I either got really hungry, had no energy, actually didn’t lose weight, and or experienced other unmentionable effects. The biggest reason is that I could not go into a cave and hibernate. I needed the energy to keep working and functioning every day.
I am not one to go to a doctor often, but every time I went for a check-up, I would begin by apologizing for my weight. Not that I was obese, I just always felt fat and puffy. Later, when I developed other symptoms, I found out one of the symptoms of Celiac-Gluten-Sensitivity is sometimes not being able to lose weight.
This brings up another point. Some people go on a gluten-free diet to lose weight. However, just going gluten-free and still eating too much or the wrong foods does not mean you will lose weight. The reason to go gluten-free is not just to lose weight. It is because of a health issue.
I am really grateful to the doctor who I went to see, that upon hearing my apologetic proclamation, interrupted me with, “You probably look very much like your mother and grandmother?” To which I replied, was the case. He then said, “Well, looking at you tells me you probably won’t ever have trouble with your bones. Being skinny is not always a sign of good health.”
Eat the Diet that Feels Right for You!
People come in almost infinite varieties. Diets due to Allergies, Food-Sensitivities, or other health issue can seem very limiting. Dieting for weight loss seems to take up most of the dietary talk.
New diets come out all the time, and as someone once said, “It is a wonder anyone can find anything to eat that agrees with them.” There are people that thrive on absolutely no carbs or low carbs. Some enjoy good health as purely red meat eaters. Vegan diets are popular now, and Vegetarianism has also been a healthy choice for many people. Some are Fruitarian and eat only fruit. Yes, I tried that one for a while too. There are diets called Keto, Alternate Fasting, Full Water Only Fasting, and the dietary practice of eating miniature portions Twenty Times a Day, to name just a few.
The Gluten-Free Diet is not by choice but due to being Celiac or Gluten-Sensitive. Sometimes there are other dietary restrictions added by food allergies or sensitivities also. The important thing is to learn how to manage your diet in a way that you maintain your good health and feel good.
Salads are always a healthy choice. Be creative. Add some edible flowers for color and nutrition.
A Good Diet is both Balanced and one you can stick to!
Balance IS… Vegetables, Salads, and Greens. Good quality proteins, beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. Grass-Fed or Free-Range if possible. Fish and Seafood, including oysters and sardines. Dairy, a variety of cheeses, and eggs. Naturally gluten-free grains. White Potatoes, Sweet and Purple Potatoes. Brown, white, red, or black rice. Lentils and Beans. All kinds of Fruits, Good Fats, and Oils. Tasty additions like garlic, onions, herbs, and spices.
We all have special Comfort Foods we enjoy. Often, if we are new to this diet, they are not gluten-free. Make a list of such foods that you crave. Learn to make them gluten-free, or find someone who will; then, you won’t feel like cheating. Unfortunately, we can’t cheat on a gluten-free diet, and the consequences are not worth it.
Many different cultures have some naturally gluten-free foods. Often these can be tantalizing additions to your diet. Take your taste buds on a joy ride and find new foods to tingle your fancy. Corn tacos are naturally gluten-free and easy to make. If you are buying ready-made, make sure you read the ingredients, as some have wheat flour added.
Often Desserts are associated with holidays and good times. Birthdays, weddings, and family dinners are usually accompanied by a dessert of some kind. Even just going out to a cafe with a friend involves a treat. You need a strategy to deal with all these tempting times. For me, delayed satisfaction in knowing I can make a satisfying substitute later works for me. Plus, I realize that eating something with gluten in it will cost me dearly. Now that I know how good it feels to be free of gluten, the memory of the painful times I had previously keeps me on the straight and narrow.
This reminds me of my days as a photographer, and sometimes a flower girl or ring bearer in the wedding party would be out of sorts. Of course, the pictures needed faces with smiles, so I would go up to the little one and ask if they like to eat cake. The reply was usually a shy nod. To which I said, “There is going to be cake at the reception, and if you smile for the picture, I will make sure you get some. It always worked!
Desserts can be one of our most difficult challenges. But then, if you don’t have a sweet tooth, it doesn’t matter. A sneaky little sweet treat that you can carry with you is Majoul Dates. So very sweet. One will keep you from being tempted by something else. They are guilt-free, too, since they are healthy.
Gluten-Free According to YOU!
Maybe you can eat anything as long as it is certified gluten-free. Maybe you have other food intolerances. I can eat oats sometimes, but not that often, and only if they are gluten-free. My mother used to make wonderful oatmeal cookies all the time. For me, they spell COMFORT FOOD. Well, now I make oatmeal cookies only once in a while since I would have to eat them all. My husband can’t have even a smidgen of oats, gluten-free or not. We both need to eat gluten-free, but both have some other food sensitivities, food likes, and dislikes.
Eating is not just for Nutrition; it is a Social Activity!
Being gluten-free and social can be the most difficult challenge you face, especially in the beginning. Find ways to share food with others. My way was to bring enough of something gluten-free to feed others at the party. Then I would have something to eat and get rave reviews at the same time.
I remember a Pasta Themed Party we were invited to by friends. I knew there would be nothing safe for us to eat. So I made a large casserole of fresh gluten-free pasta Ravioli filled with sweet potato filling and homemade tomato sauce. I didn’t make a big deal out of it being gluten-free, and it went over well. So well, I had wheat eaters asking me for the recipe!
Chocolate Pie, Anyone?
Trina’s Favorite Pie Crust Recipe and Chocolate Pie are in my new book, Gluten-Free, You Can Do It.
Charts for all of the flour mixes are included in the cookbook.
Gluten-Free, You Can Do It -by Trina Astor-Stewart. Contains charts for Trina’s Flour and Bread Mixes. Three Series Of Mixes: Original, Corn, Nightshade, Tapioca, and Rice Free Mixes. Over 300 Recipes. The ebook is available on Amazon.
A Gluten-Free Diet is a Journey
Eating gluten can cause sensitivity to other foods over time. In time your gut heals, and you feel so much better. Some foods you might have been sensitive to before going gluten-free can become okay to eat once your system has healed.
Plan ahead for the Hungries! Being hungry can mean you convince yourself that just a little of the wrong thing will be okay. Always make sure you have something safe you can eat.
It is just going to take a little planning and a little more time in the kitchen. YOU CAN DO IT! You can take advantage of my years as a busy-working yet gluten-sensitive celiac mom. I found that by preparing my own gluten-free flour mixes in 1992, I could save a lot of time in the kitchen. Instead of getting out umpteen different kinds of flour, I could reach for the specific mix I knew would work well in my recipe.
With just a little planning ahead,
yes, gluten-free, you can do it!
you can have something in your fridge, freezer, or cupboard to eat
that is GLUTEN-FREE, delicious and nutritious!
You may even find Cooking and Baking is your new passion
as you enjoy mixing it up in your gluten-free kitchen!
