A Focus on Nutrition

No one would argue that starting a new gluten free diet is hard. The first days following a diagnoses can be filled with tears, panic, quiet moments of thought and plenty of questions. Luckily, if you are reading this then you have already found one of the best resources for answers by finding Gling.

One of the things that may fall by the wayside while planning your new eating adventures is remembering to replace the nutrients that you lose out on by not eating wheat. So, here’s the reminder :)

It is more important now than ever before to focus on what you are eating. Your body is healing from gluten damage and needs all the help it can get! I’ve compiled this short list of tips to help you get on track to a healthier new you.

Look Beyond Gluten on Labels

Welcome to the wonderful world of the Label Detectives! From now on, you should look over every label with a critical eye. It is great to check those labels for gluten contaminants, but since you’re there, why not go a step further? When scouring each new item, keep your eyes peeled for extra sugars, chemicals and fillers as well. Some labels can list 5 or 6 different kinds of sugar that are cleverly disguised. A helpful hint here is that anything ending in -ose is sugar. (i.e. dextrose, sucrose, fructose, lactose)

Be Selective About Your Grains

Building on the label reading, train yourself to seek out the best grains for your body. Unfortunately, wheat is one of the most nutritious things out there. Those of us that are going without that advantage have to work a bit harder to make up that shortage.

The thing is, most pre-packaged gluten free goodies are made with white rice flour and have plenty of added sugar to improve the taste. White rice flour has very little nutrition of it’s own and is almost immediately converted into sugar in your body.

To avoid eating a big block of sugar for every meal, look for foods made with gluten free whole grains. Buckwheat, millet, brown rice, quinoa and sorghum are great ingredients to look for.

Resist Replacement Temptation

After the initial shock of going gluten free wears off, our first instinct is usually to run out and find every replacement we can to eat like we used to. STOP!!

As previously mentioned, this gets you into a major sugar and empty carbs fix. Take this opportunity to do what your body has been begging for and make some changes. Replace one or two favorite foods, but let the others go for awhile. Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. Eat lean meats and pay attention to the nutrients you ingest. It is critical to allow your body to heal, and the right foods are really the best medicine.

Cook and Bake More

If you are a regular reader of my articles, you know that I don’t bake much. I should, though, and you should too! I do cook, though. Eating at restaurants is a rare occasion in my house. I do this so that I can monitor the portions, nutrients and, well, everything! It is important to know what you are eating, and restaurants are just plain sneaky when it comes to adding ingredients to food (as anyone who as ever been contaminated in a “safe” restaurant can tell you).

Baking from scratch is better. The fact is that buying mixes is not only more expensive, but also lacking in nutrition (there are some glowing exceptions here). Many of you have noticed that a lot of the recipes here on Gling use several different flours. This is a good thing! Using a variety of flours in your baking will increase the likelihood that you are taking care of more of your nutritional needs.

Okay, I don’t want you to leave this page thinking that all packaged and convenient gluten free foods are bad. Some of them are great! (Hint, I’ll have some suggestions for you next Thursday). I’m just saying that with such a huge overhaul to your diet happening already, it is a great time to make a couple other changes as well.

Happy reading and happy eating to all the new Glingsters out there!