I recently went out to dinner with my friends and got on the topic of gluten-free. I decided I don’t really know a ton about it so before making any generalizations and plopping it next to Atkins or Long Beach Diet in my head I thought I would further educate myself around the buzz words and what it actually means to be gluten-free, the health benefits of investing in that lifestyle, and how it alters your diet.
What really is gluten free? Well, the term “gluten free” means it contains no traces of the protein gluten. By gluten we’re referring to wheat, barley, and rye which are contained in all sorts of items you’d find in a grocery store or restaurants like breads and pastas. The main reason the gluten-free diet is medically pushed is to help calm down symptoms and flare ups of celiac disease. Eating gluten gradually causes damage to the small intestines which leads to problems with the body’s absorption of some essential vitamins and minerals.
So if I’m going to invest my willpower into this what can I eat? Below are a list of some of the items you can and cannot eat when living a gluten-free lifestyle:
Not Allowed:
* Wheat
* Rye
* Barley
* Breaded or marinated meats
* Farina
* Bulgar
* Beers, pies/cakes, french fries, pastas (unless listed as gluten-free)
Allowed:
* Vegetables and Grains
* Nuts
* Quinoa
* Corn and cornmeal
* Free meats
* Most dairy products
* Flax
* Soy
Ultimately the choice is yours, whether you are just looking to give your digestive system some tlc, have certain allergies to wheat products or have other health issues requiring a change to a gluten free lifestyle. If you would like additional information here are a few reliable sources around the gluten-free lifestyle:
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