Starting a Gluten Free Diet

There are a lot of questions when it comes to starting a gluten free diet, especially if you are used to eating a lot of wheat, grains, and starches. It can seem pretty intimidating to choose a gluten free diet that is wheat free, rye free, and a few other grains free, especially when you consider how common these are in many of the foods we eat – and that they even are present in many foods we wouldn’t even suspect! But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom – I remember thinking “I’ll never be able to eat a cookie again!” – but actually there are quite a lot of neat things you can make that don’t have a speck of wheat in them!

But, before we jump into what we should and shouldn’t eat, I think it’s important for everyone to understand what a gluten sensitivity means and to realize exactly what a gluten free diet consists of.

Gluten is basically a protein which is found in many common grains such as wheat, barely, and rye. We often associate it with bread, but also items made with these grains and the flour milled from these grains. So, a lot of common foods one with a gluten sensitivity would need to avoid usually have some form of flour or gluten in them. These include things like cereal, pasta, bread, flour, cakes, cookies, pastries, all of our favorite desserts, and much more. Many foods have gluten hiding in them, such as salad dressings or even processed frozen foods. It might seem like you can’t escape a gluten free diet, but it’s not impossible!

Who Should Start a Gluten Free Diet?

There are a lot of questions as to who should start a gluten free diet and whether it would be beneficial or not. Most people can safely switch to a gluten free diet, but it’s important to understand why some people can do much better on a gluten free diet than most traditional menus out there.

Those who are sensitive to gluten often have a lot of side effects and allergy symptoms that occur when they eat anything containing products with it. Most of these symptoms are stomach and bowel related – and if left undiagnosed and untreated, these problems can cause quite a lot of long term damage to your body, making you very sick. Other symptoms can be present as well – such as the usual allergy symptoms of rashes, skin disorders, itchy watery eyes – and even in some it can have emotional and behavioral side effects from it. When you have an allergy to gluten, your body can’t process it like it should, resulting in a lot of problems such as malnutrition, imbalance of nutrients, yeast overgrowth, and it can even have an effect on the receptors in your brain and how it processes signals.

Most people who are intolerant of gluten can often be diagnosed as having Celiac’s disease. However, not everyone who chooses a gluten free diet will be diagnosed or labeled as a Celiac – many suspect other disorders such as ADHD, Autism, IBS, and others are actually a result of Gluten Intolerance. Testing can also be difficult to do to exactly be certain of whether a person is intolerant or not – though many tests exist that can help someone pinpoint it.

If you suspect you have a sensitivity to gluten, the best thing you can do is talk to your doctor. Unfortunately, a lot of doctors are not well versed on gluten allergies, and so they may fight with you or even refuse to test you! You may need to find a naturopathic doctor or make an appointment with a specialist before you can find one who agrees to check you for food allergies. Many people who are sensitive to gluten may also have allergies to other foods, such as dairy or eggs. A blood test is typically the only way to be certain of whether or not you have problems digesting and processing products that contain gluten.

I Need a Gluten Free Diet, Where Do I Start?

Probably the most difficult thing about starting a gluten free diet is trying to decide what to eat – and what not to eat. Unfortunately, most grocery stores make it awfully difficult to find foods which do not contain wheat or wheat based products in them, and so your entire way of life may change because instead of conveniently grabbing a package off the shelves you may actually need to make everything from scratch. Fortunately, this isn’t something that is too difficult to adjust to, and it can actually be quite a lot of fun to start learning how to cook.

There are also a number of resources to turn to that can help you plan meals and what foods to eat. A registered dietician who is experienced in creating gluten free diets should be a great place to start in finding out what foods you should eat. There are also a number of great resources available online and here at Gluten Free ToolBox.