Here are six steps I recommend taking if you want to phase out the gluten in your life.
1) Do your research. Gluten is rarely just “gluten.” It’s a part of other foods (wheat, barley, & rye), so figure out what those foods look like and where the turn up. It’s also important to arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible before making a big change, and for most people, giving up gluten is a pretty huge change!
2) Start reading labels. This sounds obvious and simple, but it’s pretty surprising how many people ignore the list of ingredients on their food. Look out for anything that says wheat, barley, malt, or rye. It’s easy to think of wheat having gluten, but a lot of people forget the other culprits. Take notice of the ingredients in the food you eat and do more research about the best gluten free alternatives to those foods.
3) Try, try, try. Seriously, you have to try a bunch of new things. Remember that silly saying about kissing a lot of toads before you meet your Prince Charming? Well, gluten free cooking/shopping/eating is the same darn thing. There are a lot of icky things out there, but there are just as many delicious ones! Try a lot of new things and try things more than once and more than one way. That bread didn’t turn out right? Make a couple changes and try it again. That pasta cooked wrong? Try it a different way a few weeks later. Taste buds and the things you’re accustomed to eating change quickly when you change your diet around. Just because something was gross the first week you went gluten free doesn’t mean it won’t become a staple in your diet after a month (I am totally speaking from experience here!)
4) Figure out when to make substitutions and when not to. There are a lot of foods that have GF substitutes that you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Those are really easy to just start using right away. Then, there are things that are not so easily substituted. Keep trying new things or omit them all together. In many cases, you are actually going to naturally be making healthier decisions, like if you stop eating bread and pick up a quinoa habit instead.
5) Go out. Almost all the main sit down chain restaurants have gluten free menus (and if they don’t, cooks know about gluten well enough now to be able to offer you plenty of good options). Olive Garden has a great GF menu, as does Macaroni Grille and most other places. Call ahead or google your favorite restaurants—you may be surprised at what they have to offer!
6) Commit. I firmly believe that anyone is capable of almost anything if you just put your mind to it. Know that most people need to be GF for at least three weeks to notice a difference in their health, so commit to a month and go from there. Take it day by day and be empowered knowing that you’re taking your health into your own hands.* Please note that replacing gluten-containing foods with gluten free foods is not a way to lose weight. Some GF foods are much denser in calories and can be lower in things like fiber. This goes with step 2—read those labels!
** Also note, I’m not a nutritionist or doctor. This advice is based off of my years of trial and error, experience, research, & meetings with my doctors. All health decisions you make are your own. Consult a doctor/nutritionist/dietician before making changes to your diet.
