Eating Gluten Free, It's a Lifestyle Change

Every where I go these days it seems I keep hearing and reading that if I want to get well or simply feel better I need to remove gluten from my diet. This has proved to be a much bigger task than I ever imagined it would be. And to my surprise I had no idea what a complete gluten addict I am. Going gluten-free isn't just a dietary change, it's a complete lifestyle change!

A few years ago my Holistic Health Care Practitioner diagnosed me as having a slight sensitivity to gluten and told me to eat sprouted whole grain breads and pastas. Although I did adjust my diet and ate whole grains, natural sugars, more fruits and vegetables, I really didn't take it all that seriously. But the more I research into my latest diagnosis, Pathologic Detoxifier, I find that a gluten-free diet is part of the protocol in getting better.

So far I have discovered that to truly be gluten-free means no longer eating at my favorite Chinese restaurant, soy sauce is in just about everything. Sushi might be okay but no teriyaki and I'm not sure what they put in the pho soup or the Pad Thai sauce. Then there are the family restaurants, salads without croutons might be great, but what do they put in their dressings? Oil and vinegar would be a good choice but honestly who goes out to eat for a green salad with just that on it? Even the roasted chicken restaurants, what do they put in their seasonings and sauces? Depending on how extreme you need to be, one might think a steak house might be a good choice, but what do they feed the cows? Many are grain fed through out their lives, and what about those advertised as organic grass-fed, they often feed them grains in the winter and the last couple of weeks before they are butchered. I always look for 100% grass-fed meat then I know it is safe and healthier too. Dairy is another subject, what are they feeding the animals?

Fortunately there is a growing interest in gluten-free eating, we have a farmers market food store down the street and they are very good about labeling all their gluten-free products. A week ago they had a store wide sale on all their gluten-free foods, giving me the incentive to try new products! A couple of other stores in our neighborhood have pamphlets listing their gluten-free products. I must admit I hardly ever shop at the large chain grocery stores, however, I was glad to see more products like gluten-free baking mixes on the shelf with the regular baking mixes.

There are also clubs you can join which I'm sure would be very helpful. The online Gluten-Free Club looks very interesting but at $17.95 a month membership fee I'm having to think about it and weigh the value it may have versus the vast amounts of information that is free to access on-line. Future articles will no doubt contain much more in-depth information regarding products, recipes and eating out.

This is just the beginning of my journey, still struggling to find the resolve to be completely gluten-free and not allow that loaf of cracked wheat sour dough bread on the kitchen counter, that my family loves, to conquer me.