Gluten Free Diet: Eat Well and Stay Healthy

What’s the deal with “gluten” and “gluten-free”? It’s a more common buzzword these days, isn’t it? We seldom hear about it in the past, but as societies change, different issues surface. To do who have a gluten sensitivity, having a gluten-free diet is of utmost importance. As such, we have nutrition expert and health enthusiast Angela Berry from from Ripped.Me who has kindly offered to share her thoughts on this topic. Enjoy:

For people with Celiac disease or gluten allergies, a diet containing gluten can be life-threatening, but even people without such serious conditions find the gluten-free diet to be very beneficial for them. Today, this type of diet has become more popular than ever and more and more people choose to go gluten-free. Here’s a little guide on how to be gluten-free and stay healthy and strong.

Complications caused by gluten

The gluten-free diet has proven to be very beneficial for people with inflammatory diseases and different autoimmune disorders. The reason behind this is that the immune system is unable to recognize gluten from grains and your intestines get caught in the crossfire which causes severe damage. Also, people who don’t know that they are intolerant to gluten can cause damage to their body and suffer nutrient loss because of their digestive tract’s inability to absorb nutrients from gluten-rich foods.

If you experience frequent bloating and gas, then maybe you are allergic or sensitive to gluten. Additionally, people who have been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or lupus often get advised to stay away from gluten because of the increased risk of inflammation, arthritis and fibromyalgia. After they start their gluten-free diet, those patients often report the reduction in these symptoms and an overall healthier and easier life.

People who have no diseases or allergies also report many benefits of the gluten-free diet. They say they feel more energized and healthy. And of course, eating more vegetables, fruits, and cutting carbs can help you lose weight and maintain your ideal figure. Thanks to all of those benefits listed above, the gluten-free diet has now become a part of a healthy lifestyle.

Which are gluten-free foods?

There’s a huge list of foods you can eat. You can enjoy all sorts of veggies, fruits and legumes without any worry. You can also find different types of gluten-free bread, cereals and oats in stores. Aside from that, you can have flax seeds, beans, corn, nuts, rice and quinoa. You can have all different kinds of meat and fish, but make sure not to bread or batter them when preparing. You can also feast on dairy (except for blue cheese, unfortunately) and use all kinds of spices and herbs to spice up your meals.

How to live without gluten?

Today, leading a gluten-free life is easier than ever before. You must have noticed a huge number of groceries in supermarkets that are marked as gluten-free, so all you need to do is read the label. Nowadays, there is gluten-free bread, flour, pasta, pastries, sweets, snacks and even cosmetics. Even if you’re hosting a party and want to have some gluten-free foods, you can easily achieve that thanks to many catering services that can prepare gluten-free menus. So, as you can see, there’s nothing to be afraid of if you decide to try out this lifestyle. Unlike before, now you have everything you need at your local supermarket or farmers market which makes being gluten-free a piece of cake.

Cooks, don’t fret!

If you’re big on cooking, don’t worry. There are numerous blogs and forums dedicated to gluten-free cooking and recipes that are easy and quick to prepare. If you’re creative with the ingredients, you’ll notice that gluten-free food is as tasty as any gluten meal. If you learn which groceries don’t contain gluten and add some delicious spices, you will be happier with your meals than ever before.

Now that you know that gluten-free diet is healthy and easy to carry out there’s nothing to stop you from trying it out. Once you see all the benefits of this diet, you won’t even think about going back to your old habits.

Once again, thank you Angela for providing the guest post and all the images that come along with it. Catch her on Twitter and don’t forget to check out Ripped.Me by clicking on the image below. Cheers!

 

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Also published on Medium.