Giving Up Gluten and not loose flavor.
Giving Up Gluten
You have tried to go gluten-free before but weren’t aware of the hidden gluten. Going gluten-free initially is totally and completely cutting all aspects of gluten out of your diet. This doesn’t mean you just don’t eat bread – it’s all the hidden gluten too.
If you are going gluten-free due to autoimmune disease management, then I highly encourage you to stick with it. I am going to say something here I’ve heard from countless people who have autoimmune diseases and claim they’ve tried giving up gluten and it doesn’t work. Usually when talking to them they weren’t totally giving up gluten. They gave up “big” obvious choices but refused to really give it up for a month because they didn’t want to give up the food they were eating.
If you tried it once before but weren’t giving up the hidden gluten or didn’t try it for at least 4-6 weeks, then I would recommend trying it again.
Reality of Going Gluten-Free
Here is the reality, if you are giving it up for autoimmune issues, and don’t have an allergy to go with it, then it will take you longer to notice a change or result. Your daily pain didn’t just happen overnight, nor will the effects of giving up gluten clear up overnight.
If you are giving it up for an allergy – what are you waiting for?! If you continue to put something into your body, you are allergic too it will start to destroy things within your body.
For gluten-free to truly work you need to be willing to commit to 4-6 weeks of changing your diet and lifestyle. Some people see results in the first five days and others don’t see results until week five. EVERYONE’S BODY IS DIFFERENT. So, for you to try it for five days and not have the same result as me or someone else is not really giving it a shot.
Giving Up Gluten: Get Started
So, let’s get started!
Personal Check List to Get Started:
- You have consulted with your doctor, or another medical professional and they believe you have an allergy or potential celiac. Please do NOT go gluten free because you are self-diagnosed.
- You have an autoimmune disease where your doctor or medical research has recommended diet changes (specifically gluten free) to help manage the symptoms.
- You know you have celiac, wheat/gluten allergy, or are intolerant but keep getting sick.
If you have not been tested for celiac or wheat allergies BEFORE you start eating gluten free you won’t be able to be tested until you eat gluten for at least 6 weeks. So, I highly recommend getting this done BEFORE you start!!!
You will need to get rid of gluten and hidden gluten. Processed foods use preservatives to give them shelf life. Most preservatives have hidden gluten in them. This doesn’t mean you can’t have foods in your pantry or freezer. It just means you must read the labels.
Giving Up Gluten
Your Pantry
First step is to clean out your pantry. If you have items with gluten or hidden gluten in there you won’t break the cycle. You should have three categories (gluten free, not sure, and has gluten).
- Go into your pantry and look at the labels of EVERYTHING on the shelf.
- Read the labels.
- If you know for sure it does not have gluten, put it back on your shelf.
- If you are unsure, put it in a box to check the hidden gluten list.
- If it has gluten, put it in a Food Donation Box. You can either give it to friends or donate it to your local food closet.
Your Freezer
Next step is to clean out your freezer. You are going to sort your freezer items into three categories like your pantry (gluten free, not sure, and has gluten).
- Go into your freezer and look at the labels of EVERYTHING in the freezer.
- Read the labels.
- If you know for sure it does not have gluten, put it back in your freezer.
- If you are unsure, put it in a box to check the hidden gluten list.
- If it has gluten, put it in a Food Donation Box. You can either give it to friends, family or donate it to your local food closet.
Your Refrigerator
Next step is to clean out your refrigerator. You are going to sort your refrigerator items into three categories like your pantry (gluten free, not sure, and has gluten).
- Go into your refrigerator and look at the labels of EVERYTHING in the refrigerator.
- Read the labels.
- If you know for sure it does not have gluten, put it back in your refrigerator.
- If you are unsure, put it in a box to check the hidden gluten list.
- If it has gluten, put it in a Food Donation Box. You can either give it to friends, family or donate it to your local food closet.
You need to make sure you include things like soda in this. Dark colored soda’s use caramel coloring and that contains hidden gluten. You need to cut those out for the trial period.
You will need to plan your meals and snacks. When I went gluten free, I became hungry more often but filled up faster. My recommendation would be to plan for smaller meals and snacks in between.