Shopping and Eating Out Gluten Free

When shopping for gluten free products, you will want to make sure to check the nutrition label and look for the gluten free label which certifies that the product is 100% gluten free.

A lot of grocery stores are becoming more versatile and offering more gluten free products that typically have their own section in the store. I’ve seen gluten free sections/products at Kroger, Publix, Aldi, and even Wal-Mart.

Gluten Free Tried and True Products:

Pasta - Barilla is the best, Jovial pasta is good, and I've also tried Banza pasta which is made with chickpeas and it's pretty good and provides a higher protein option. Some other brands of gluten free pasta tend to just turn into a mushy mess so you may need to just experiment if you find other brands that you would want to try.

Bread - Canyon Bakehouse, Pure Knead, and Schar

 Coconut Aminos (soy sauce replacement) - Coconut Secret and Big Tree Farms

Crackers - Milton's and Simple Mills

                                       

Cookies - Goodie Girl cookies - they even have a 'thin mint' type of cookie, and Simple Mills

Kind bars are gluten free and have a variety of flavors and options. These bars are great for if you're on-the-go a lot or if you like to keep snacks at work.

 Pancake Mix - Birch Bender’s Paleo

 

Frozen Waffles – Van’s

Muffin Mix – Gluten Free Krusteaz

Frozen pizza – Freschetta and Against the Grain

Flour - any brand of almond or coconut flour are usually pretty good. If you need an all-purpose gluten free flour, I like Bob's Red Mill brand and it's a 1-for-1 cup so it measures the same as regular flour. Pillsbury gluten free flour is also good.

Oatmeal - Bob's Red Mill makes a gluten free old-fashioned/rolled oats oatmeal and I've even seen Quaker have it too just be sure to check the label

Lunch meat - almost all of the Boars Head lunchmeat is gluten free, and Aidells brand has different flavors of chicken burgers and meatballs - some are gluten free and some not.

Tips for Eating Out: 

When you go out to restaurants, you’ll want to ask if the restaurant offers a gluten free menu. A lot of restaurants are becoming more accommodating for those with celiac disease or a sensitivity to gluten. I personally love that restaurants are becoming more accommodating because I don’t feel like I need to stray away from eating out and I feel like I have a little more freedom. Oftentimes, when I let my server know that I have a gluten allergy, they’re always really helpful in informing me of what options I have or if substitutions can be made, and if they aren’t familiar, they have even checked with the chef to be sure that what I’m eating/ordering is safe.

Eating gluten free can certainly be overwhelming at first but it does get easier!

Cheers to your health,

Chelsea

Let's Talk about Gluten

What is gluten?

Gluten is a type of protein that is often found in wheat/wheat products, rye, and barley. Gluten is the substance that often acts as a “glue” to hold food together. Gluten can be found in a variety of foods including bread, baked goods, pasta, cereal, soy sauce, soups, beer, and oats.

How does gluten affect the body?

Those with an allergy or sensitivity to gluten will notice the following symptoms when they ingest a gluten-containing food(s)[1]:

•          Bloating
•          Diarrhea/Constipation
•          Abdominal pain
•           Headaches
•          Fatigue
•          Skin problems including psoriasis, alopecia, chronic urticarial
•          Depression/Anxiety
•          Iron-deficiency anemia
•          Autoimmune disorders
•          Joint/muscle pain
•          Leg/arm numbness
•          Brain fog

I initially had heard of the Paleo diet which is a gluten-free, soy-free, and dairy-free diet from my mom who had tried it with success. I remember when she would tell me how much better she felt by eating this way and I figured it couldn’t hurt for me to try it as well, I mean what did I have to lose? Within the first month, I noticed a huge change especially in my face. I noticed that my body didn’t look as “inflamed” and my body was feeling a lot better than it had in years.

Over the years, I’ve noticed during the times that I’ve unknowingly ingested gluten products, I have felt a lot of bloating, horrible abdominal pain, a grayish skin tone on my face, and brain fog where I can’t think or speak clearly/easily. I often think of how during the few times that I’ve unknowingly eaten gluten and the reaction that I’ve had from it, I wonder how my body was reacting when I was eating gluten daily essentially “poisoning” my own body. Over the years that I’ve been gluten free, I’ve learned what questions to ask when eating out and what to look out for when eating any foods or beverages. A lot of the learning is simply trial and error, and of course just taking the time to learn about a gluten free lifestyle.

If you’re interested in starting your own gluten free lifestyle, I suggest the following:

• Use a Gluten free scanner app – I use GF Scanner – it will tell you if something is gluten free, contains gluten, or may potentially contain gluten (should avoid to be on the safe side)

• You may want to check out these websites for gluten free beginners guides, it should answer a lot of your questions about where you can find gluten:

http://www.glutenfreesurvivalguide.org/gluten-free-diet-guide/gluten-free-food/ 

https://canyonglutenfree.com/blog/82/a-beginners-guide-to-gluten-free 



For gluten free recipes, you can find tons on Pinterest but I also follow these bloggers for recipe inspiration:

https://fedandfit.com/  

https://nomnompaleo.com/ 

https://www.glutenfreefollowme.com/recipes/ 

https://againstallgrain.com/ 

https://www.whattheforkfoodblog.com/ 

https://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/  

http://www.melissajoulwan.com/  

Cheers to your health,

Chelsea

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[1] Bjarnadottir, A. (2016). The 14 Most Common Signs of Gluten Intolerance. [online] Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/signs-you-are-gluten-intolerant#section3 [Accessed 14 Feb. 2020].

The Fight for Your Life

Did you ever wonder what would happen if you never stopped fighting for your life?

 

Throughout my life, I've been “fighting” with my weight since elementary school and as I got older, my weight continued to increase to the point that I weighed almost 300 pounds at 20 years old. At this time, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes which lead to my huge wake up call to make a change. I decided the best way to motivate me to lose weight was to create a list of why I wanted to make this change and at the top of my list was that I saw the effect of diabetes from family members and I didn't want that for my life, this life would include needing to constantly check my blood and take medication which just screamed unhealthy to me especially at 20 years old, I wanted to be more confident in my own skin, and not be worried about whether I could shop in certain stores in the mall or if certain chairs would hold me without breaking. With my motivation in hand, I then started on the Weight Watchers plan and ultimately started working out (something completely foreign to my normal “sloth” girl self) to help bring my weight down to 230 pounds. After my weight started to plateau, I began doing research on the Paleo diet which led to my decision to try this diet to continue fueling my body with the proper nutrients and quality ingredients compared to allowing myself to eat McDonald’s for 7 points on Weight Watchers “because I could”. Because of the Paleo diet, I learned that after reintroducing myself to gluten and wheat products that I in fact had a gluten allergy that was never diagnosed. By cutting out gluten/wheat products entirely, I noticed a huge change in my body, even after the weight I had already lost, because my body was so inflamed from the food that I was eating and caused me to bloat especially in my torso. I have now been gluten/wheat free for over 5 years and have continued to lose weight and live my healthiest life which, thankfully, no longer includes a pre-diabetic diagnosis. 

These days, I continue my fight to maintain my health by working out 4-5 times per week, meal prepping healthy and nutrient dense meals, and continue to advocate myself as a resource for those interested in a gluten free lifestyle. I plan to share all of my tips and tricks with you on my personal healthy lifestyle so thank you for stopping by and I hope you stay awhile!  

Cheers to your health,
Chelsea