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Gluten Intolerance Doesn’t Have to Affect Your Lifestyle

By Jenny

Gluten intolerance is a hereditary condition, which causes severe physical reaction when triggered. People that are gluten intolerant experience reactions when they eat food that contains gluten, such as barley, wheat, rye and other grains. Symptoms include diarrhea, malnutrition, and weight loss, mild weakness, bloating on the abdomen, bone pain, fatigue, and nutritional deficiencies.

Gluten intolerance may trigger more serious diseases such as osteoporosis, asthma, neurological problems, thyroid disease and over 200 other health conditions. At present, there is no cure for this condition. However, if you have this particular type of health condition, you can still have a normal life without compromising your health. How to do it? Simple. Just eat only the gluten-free stuff. You can still live a normal life, but first, you have to make some sacrifices. And these generally involve food.

Tips to a Near-Normal, Gluten-Free Life:

1. Have a major kitchen clean-up. Throw away all things that contain gluten. These include wheat, rye, barley, triticale, spelt, couscous, kamut, and oats; any foodstuff containing modified starch; malt and soy sauce. Check the labels to make sure. Donate these to homeless shelter and you are ready to stock your kitchen with gluten-free alternatives.

2. Read Labels. Always read labels before purchasing any food item. If you see one ingredient that looks more likely to contain gluten, it is better to ask your nutritionist first. Better safe than sorry.

3. Get familiar with gluten-free substitutes. Breads are the most widely-available gluten-rich items, and unfortunately, they are not easy to ignore. To keep your normal supply of bread (pies and cakes), you must know what kind of bread to buy. Or better yet, learn how to bake bread and pastries using gluten-free flour. Buckwheat, rice, corn, sorghum, millet and tapioca flours are great for baking.

4. Eat whole, unrefined foods. Unprocessed fruits and veggies are naturally free of gluten. Stock on sweet potatoes, broccoli and beans, red peppers, carrots, berries, melons, and citruses. Wild-caught seafood and organic meats make great gluten-free as well.

5. Be smart when eating out. Who says being gluten intolerant stops you from eating out? Simply stick to grilled fish or meat, steamed veggies (without sauce), and avoid fried foods. Do not dare order breads or cake, even if they claim it is gluten-free, unless you are in a gluten-free restaurant. Cross-contamination is always possible in kitchens that do not have a strict gluten-free rule.

6. Bring your own bread. When holiday gatherings and potlucks, it is ideal to bring your own bread or any other gluten-free food item for that matter. Prepare gluten-free stir-fry, casserole or lasagna; or bring crackers, chips, brownies and other gluten-free baked goods. If you are invited to a dinner party, and are familiar with the hosts, inform them about your condition and offer to bring something.

Keep in mind that having gluten intolerance will not make your life devastating. You can lead a normal, healthy life by simply following your doctor’s orders, following the above tips, and using your common sense. Learn to balance yourself between being too cautious and too daring and soon you’ll have a normal, healthier life.

About the Author

After finding out that several of her relatives were in some form affected by gluten, Jenny created gluten free diet, a website where she looks into the work of celiac disease and tries to make life a little easier by providing food information and recipes.

Disclaimer:

The above guest post is published based on the premise that it will be helpful and informative. The opinions made within it are those of the author and not of sunnyray.org. The links you may find within this post do not necessarily imply our recommendation or endorsement of the views expressed within them.

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