12 Reasons why Switching to a Gfree Diet Could Be one of the Best Decisions You'll Ever Make

Call it a fad, but gluten free diets are becoming the new "it" thing to try. For celiacs, there is no choice but to live everyday gluten free. However, for those out there looking to be healthier through a different approach than turning to weight loss programs and so called "miracle drugs," going gfree might be something to consider. 
After doing some research and scoping out some sites on what they have to say about the benefits of switching to a gfree diet, here are the highlights of what I found as well as my two cents on it:  

Benefits of Switching to a Gluten Free Diet

1) Relieve symptoms of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity

This is a no brainer to those who battle with celiac's on a everyday basis. I've heard testimonial after testimonial saying that once people switch over to eating gluten free, they find almost immediate relief! I can testify to that too!! Goodbye pain and bloating!  :) 

2) Clear up complexion

When I read this one, I was surprised that I didn't realize it before. After switching to a gluten free diet, I had found that I broke out less and if I did, it would not be as severe as in the past. I'm sure people who suffer from acne problems can find some improvement after eliminating gluten from their diet- if anything, you're taking away much of the world of processed food as well as anything that is deep fried and battered (all things that normally make you break out!) 

3) Ward away depression
Now here's an interesting one. When I think back on my days fighting and trying to endure crippling stomach cramps and being downright uncomfortable, I was seriously a depressed person. I mean, everyone suffers from or has experienced some form and level of depression due to life's many stresses, but I never realized that gluten, the very thing I was ingesting on a day to day basis, caused me to be in a constant state of depression. Now that I'm on the gfree diet, I found that I can cope with things better and find alternative ways to release stress. Being healthy really DOES make a difference in how you perceive life!

4) Improve digestion
Once your body detoxes from all the gluten and the nastyness, your stomach and intestines will pay you back handsomely. They'll return the love and help digestion to go much smoother-aka your bathroom trips will be quick and easy, if you know what I mean! ;)

5) Decrease symptoms of autism, Type 1 and 2 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's, rheumatoid arthritis, Down's syndrome, and osteoporosis
It has been found that gfree diets can provide relief for all these terrible diseases. Who'd have thought?

6) Healthy Weight loss/ Healthy Weight gain
For those who suffer from celiacs or wheat sensitivity, you may be like me and be incredibly skinny for no apparent reason even though you eat like a horse at every meal. If you're like me, it is so so hard to gain even a pound of weight. When you suffer from celiac disease, and you don't know it and continue to eat gluten, the gluten does terrible things to your intestine. In your intestine, you have millions of villi which are tiny, microscopic appendages that absorb the nutrients from food that pass through your intestine. However, in celiacs, the gluten is the foreign invader and the body sends out signals to attack it, causing our poor villi to die off and be flattened, thus being unable to absorb proper nutrients like normal folk. This is why many people who have celiacs are so skinny that we look anorexic. But, I assure you, that is not the case. Going to a gfree diet allows our intestine to take the time to heal (healing can take up to a year and longer depending on how severe the damage is!) and so that after some time has passed, we can finally start to absorb a good amount of nutrients like everyone else and hopefully gain some healthy weight! For those who are overweight, switching to a gfree diet can help with that goal. However, a word of caution: going gfree does not necessarily mean it is always healthy. A gfree diet can be very healthy or extremely unhealthy. There's two ends to the spectrum. There are a plethora of gfree snack foods out on the market now that are not healthy to eat, trust me. A gfree diet is high in carbs (mostly from rice and corn derivatives) and protein since wheat is completely cut off. Choosing to eat fresh fruits and vegetables is always the best way to go instead of processed gfree food! If you're trying to lose weight through a gluten free diet, always stick to fresh, unprocessed food. You might want to throw in some exercise too!

7) Lower cholesterol
If you have high cholesterol, switching to a gfree diet might help to slow down the accumulation of fatty deposits on arteries and vital organs. A diet of fresh vegetables, fruits and healthy grains should help you lower your cholesterol back to the normal range for your body through consuming less of the unhealthy saturated fats. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!!

8) Boost energy
Ever feel just plain lazy or lethargic all the time? It could very well be caused by what you're putting in your body! In fact, I know that it is. After switching to a gfree diet and eliminating the very thing that was causing me pain, BAM, I instantly had more energy to do things and was just happier. You know the saying, "you are what you eat?" It's the truth!!

9) Reduced joint pain
I've actually had a lot of joint pain growing up since I had to grow these long legs of mine. (FYI, I'm pretty tall for an Asian-I'm 5'8!) Anyway, besides the growing pains of childhood, much of my joint pain could have been due to eating all that gluten! I'm not sure the exact reason as to why a healthy gfree diet can reduce joint pain, but if I hear any info about it, I'll be sure to let you guys know!

10) Enhance/improve sleep
I have a conjecture about this: I think that gfree diets help people sleep better since the food that you eat is mostly unprocessed and fresh so when you sleep, your body has less work to do, in terms of detoxing all that nasty stuff. You feel less congested and lighter (granted that you didn't go to sleep with a steak in your tummy!)

11)Most gluten free snack foods are also organic and sustainable, dairy-free, vegan, casein-free, etc
Have you ever stopped to look at a gfree snack box? You may be surprised (or perhaps not surprised) to find that many gfree snacks are also organic and sustainable as well as vegan and dairy and casein-free! The boxes/containers that they put the snacks in are usually recyclable too so it's good for Mother Earth. It's about time we treated our planet better!

12) Spreading the word about gluten free diets (even if its a fad, it's good promotion- looking at it in a positive light!)
This is one I came up with myself! As you all know, celiacs must live the rest of their lives eating gluten free. For us, it's not a choice, but a way of living we must learn to adapt to and live by. So for those who don't suffer from gluten sensitivity at all and choose to go on a gfree diet for personal reasons, I sincerely applaud you. Going gfree is a challenge; just ask anyone who is on the diet! Whether you're going on the diet for health reasons or because you just want to try a different approach to live a healthier lifestyle, I encourage you to spread the word to everyone you know. The celiac disease and gluten circle is smaller than you might think and is limited to a small community. If you want to go on a gfree diet because it's the fad diet right now, go for it! It's always cool to see other people purposefully trying it out and inadvertently learning about the disease as well as the obstacles. But, despite the obstacles, the end result is always satisfying and incredibly rewarding for those who stick it all the way through and put in a honest effort. If there are any of you out there that try a gfree diet just for fun or to challenge yourself, I would love to hear about your experience! I think that "Try Going on a Gfree Diet for a Week" should be on the list of 100 Things to Do Before you Die, don't you?

Best wishes to all and hope to hear from you guys soon!
Kris 

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Sticky Situations #3: What to do when you crave gluten

If you're a steadfast gfreer like me, you'll have no doubt come across the all encompassing temptation of the gluten goodies.

Yep, you know what I'm talking about.

Imagine a scene of you with a dish of fresh baked cookies sitting on the table. The aromatic scent of the cookies rises up into your nose causing your mouth to immediately start watering. You glance longingly at the cookies. The deliciously round disks of sugary flour are a perfect golden brown tinge and the ridges and cracks on its buttery surface make it look all the more appetizing. You imagine the taste in your mouth, the feel of the dough across your tongue and the crunching sound you hear as you chew slowly and deliberately, savoring the golden flavor. The cookie beckons for you to come closer. Soon, the urge to satisfy your craving are becoming too much to handle.

Probably not gfree choco chip cookies... but they do look oh so good

Before you know it, your hand has already reached out and that gluten filled cookie is heading closer and closer towards your mouth. You know its wrong and you try to reason with yourself in your head. But all reason flies out the window when the cookie hits your tongue and the familiar flavors that you enjoyed in the past come rushing back to you. Before you know it, the cookie is gone. The craving is satisfied... but at what price?

Okay, so I know the scene above is highly dramatized, but seriously, there's a pretty intense battle going on in my head every time I see ANY delicious, great smelling gluten filled dessert or bread. Sometimes when I see my own family members eating it in front of me, it's really hard to say no. There have even been times when my mom has jokingly told me that I can eat it and then spit it out or lick it just to taste the flavor.  I can't tell you how many times I've been tempted by the offer!


So what's the big deal? Why not eat a little bit just to satisfy a craving? Just a little bit shouldn't hurt, right? 


This is absolutely, positively wrong!  


No matter HOW much you are tempted by the gluten, you have to learn and accept that gluten isn't a friend. Gluten will cause damage to your intestine and hurt your body. No matter how great the craving, the pain in the end isn't worth it, my friend. I guarantee this. 

I know by word of mouth some people who have celiacs but still eat an occasional pizza or cake just to satisfy the craving. Plus, I'm sure it doesn't help when you see a bunch of people around you enjoying what you can't have. It's a drag, really.

But, I'm telling you now to do yourself and your body a favor and just don't eat it. You're doing much more than just satisfying a little craving. A little now can become just a little bit more the next time, and slightly larger the next time, and the next time after that, and the next time after that, and..... you get what I mean. Reintroducing gluten after you've gone on the diet is simply counterproductive. Going on the gfree diet isn't something to be taken lightly, although many people who don't have to eat gfree sometimes don't understand this very important fact. With celiacs, "cheating" by eating some occasional gluten should not be allowed if you want your body to heal from all the damage.

Of course, cross contamination is the hardest aspect of the gfree diet to avoid, but I'm talking about the premeditation of choosing to eat gluten and executing that action by your own will just for the sake of satisfying a momentary craving.

So with all that said, what can you do to fight the urge? Here are some tips I've found useful in avoiding those nasty little gluten buggers!

1) Pain before gain. This common phrase can be put to good use in terms of avoiding gluten in a gluten-filled world. Every time you ingest some gluten, just know that you're gonna reap the consequences of your actions. Even though you gain the pleasure of eating that gluten snack to satisfy the momentary craving, just remember that the pain will follow very closely behind.

2) Just imagine it! I literally imagine whatever I'm eating go down and wreak havoc on my poor intestine. Just think about the poor villi being singed to death by the gluten and you'll never want to eat another gluten- filled crumb again.

3) Find a gfree buddy (or at least a friend, loved one, or family who you can trust to restrain you). Thank goodness my bestie T and I keep each other in check to prevent the temptation from taking over. Often times having someone next to you who supports you in your diet does wonders to help you avoid the very thing causing you pain.

4) Fill your tummy with safe, gfree food before tackling any situation where gluten may be present. If you find yourself heading out to eat with friends or if you're in any type of social situation where you believe gluten will be present (probably every time!) then make sure to eat beforehand if you're not sure if there will be gfree food. I've mentioned this in several posts before, but always bring a gfree snack in your bag or on your person just in case there's no food for you to eat wherever you happen to go. If you're full, chances are you'll be less likely to eat something that you'll regret later.

5) Challenge a non-gfree eater to eat gluten free with you for a week.  You'll have to scout someone exceptionally special for this task. Why? Because eating gfree for a non-gfree eater might be one of the hardest things they'll ever do. But, I promise you, this option is actually pretty fun and you might get it a kick out of it. Not only will you and your friend challenge each other to eat completely gfree and keep each other in check, but your non-gfree friend will also learn more about going gfree. Spreading awareness about celiac disease and gfree diets will not only raise awareness but also you'll have lots of great memories from the experience!

These are just some of many ideas to avoid gluten. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you avoid gluten or fight the temptation in your daily lives!

Live fully and healthily,
Kris

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