Gluten Free is Good For… Me?

Interestingly enough, although the ‘gluten-free’ lifestyle, a universally beneficial and comprehensive diet, it is often touted as being incredibly healthy and fulfilling, not too many people are actually aware of what a gluten free lifestyle entails and how it can help them in their daily life.

                 

Whole Grains. Tell me foodies, how often do we hear that whole grains are good for us? You see it everywhere, from children’s cereal boxes to healthy living magazines. Whole grains seem to be the new definition of the food pyramid, but what does that mean? Where does whole wheat fit into this category? Many people think that whole wheat is synonymous to whole grains, but the two are not actually mutually inclusive, whole wheat fits under the umbrella of whole grains, but it can’t substitute for all of the different types of grains out there. How many grains are there really? Well….

   

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When it is recommended that you consume whole grains regularly remember that whole wheat is only one type of grain, and a gluten containing one at that. A variety of grains are available to supplement your diet; whole grain oats, whole grain millet, whole grain amaranth, whole grain teff, whole grain rice, whole grain quinoa, the list goes on and on, and each grain adds more nutrition and variety. People who think that whole wheat is the be all and end all are actually limiting their dietary variety and therefore the range of nutrition they should really be getting. By switching or experiencing a gluten free diet, many people expand their horizons and try new things; this actually allows them to discover many new (and delicious) facets of healthy eating!

                 

Many breads and gluten free cereals are actually created with blends of many types of whole grain flours, creating a rich variety of flavors, textures, and nutritional values.

                 

So we get that gluten free foods can have more varieties of whole grains in them, but how is eating gluten free healthier for me in the long run? This is the main question, right foodies?

Well, what if I told you that many gluten free products are made with organic ingredients, and that many don’t contain artificial or harsh chemical preservatives? Just glancing at any regular packaged gluten containing food item or snack box will likely show a disturbing litany of chemical additives, and even more worryingly a large amount of preservatives (like nitrites and sulfites) although these preservatives seem harmless, or perhaps necessary, many people actually suffer adverse reactions to them, and in overly large quantities they can cause health problems such as asthma like symptoms and potentially cancer.

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Tell me truly, do you read labels? Do you know what’s in your food? I won’t lie, I never used to. Label reading is a habit that is essential for a healthy gluten free lifestyle. People go around putting mono-chemical--what’s-a-who’s-it into their bodies, and they have no idea what it is, what it’s made out of, and what it might do once it’s in them. Worse, most people don’t care. Now I’m not trying to harp on non-label readers foodies (yes, I fit into the category myself sometimes) but not knowing what’s going in can have serious consequences. As it turns out, things like ‘modified food starch’, ‘maltodextrin’, and even ‘dinkel’ (yes I’m serious) are pseudonyms for gluten. If gluten, a naturally occurring protein can be labeled in so many ways, what about so many of the chemical additives we see in food?

             

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Yes my dear foodies, eating gluten free can be very healthy in and of itself, but it also instills wonderfully healthy habits in you as well (obsessively reading labels) and believe it or not, just through that even just trying a gluten free diet can help you (yes you!) be a healthier and happier person!

                 

Do you try to regularly read labels? How do you feel about what you see if you do, and if you don’t will you start to now? Have you ever heard of BHT or of BHA? (Have you seen it listed on your cereal boxes for example? Or maybe your Quaker Oat bars?) Do you know what else contains it? If you don’t know, I invite you to look it up and put your reactions below!

  NaOmi’s random gluten free cooking/baking tip:

Did you know that processed white cane or beet sugar actually have extremely high glycemic indexes? That means that after you eat them your blood sugar spikes incredibly high very fast; leading you to actually go into a bit of a low energy depressive state once the sugar is metabolized (this also causes fat storage due to insulin spikes and increased hunger). Since these sugars are extremely easy to break down your body goes through them fast, and sadly that means that you…crash. To avoid crashing but still add some delicious sweetness to your foods and sauces try adding raw honey, or palm sugar. These sugars are natural and actually have a far lower glycemic index! This means that your blood sugar stays far more stable and (BONUS)  you still get to enjoy keeping your energy levels up with sweet treats! Try making a homemade teriyaki sauce with gluten free soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger!