I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease over ten years ago and have been following a strict gluten-free diet ever since. While it was a shock, I was delighted that no medication was required. My health slowly improved and I not only regained my vitality and zest for life, but actually thrived better than ever before. My new diet was so fresh, nutritious and unprocessed and I realised the diagnosis had been a blessing in more ways than one. It not only cured me of several unpleasant conditions and symptoms, it also forced me to change and improve my diet permanently. This newly-found optimal health felt amazing and I have never looked back.
Going gluten-free takes time and patience if you are going to do it properly. It is astonishing, when you start reading food labels, just how many processed foods contain gluten. Here are a few foods you may not know contain it:
bottled sauces such as barbeque sauce, Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce and soy sauce
mayonnaise and oil dressings for salads
mustard powder
stock cubes and gravy granules
most cook-in sauces
marinades
sausages, burgers, breaded and battered fish and chicken
many brands of crisps (unless certified gluten-free)
most chips (due to the cooking oil which is generally contaminated with gluten from other foods and frozen chips are often dusted with flour containing gluten)
roast potatoes (from frozen) and onion rings
tinned and packet soups
cold cuts of processed meat like ham, turkey and chicken
cooked chicken and other meats with coatings, marinades or sauces
most Chinese carry-out foods and other fast-foods
some bottled juices
some brands of humous
some grains that carry a risk contamination such as quinoa
some pulses that carry a risk of contamination
chocolate
sweets
Ice cream
blue cheese and some processed cheeses
oats (unless certified gluten-free)
hot chocolate powders and instant coffee
Tea bags (some have gluten in the bags)
baking powder
As you can see, it is not just a case of avoiding bread, pasta, cakes and biscuits. Going to friends, a restaurant or a hotel for a meal can be daunting to start with and it takes a while to adjust to this new way of eating.
It is interesting though, because if you follow any basic, good, healthy diet advice today, it will recommend you avoid much of the list above, most of the time, to achieve optimal health and weight. The fact that I was forced to do so for medical reasons, was actually a blessing in disguise as I have already mentioned. Many of us would love to give up processed and fast foods because we know we would thrive better without them, but without a medical reason to do so, temptation often gets in the way. Of course, if we occasionally indulge in this type of food, it's fine, it is only when it becomes a regular habit that the health problems can start.
However, processed and junk foods aside, there is quite a lively debate going on about whether or not gluten is something we should all give up. Many celebrities, sports stars and others all around the world, have decided to go gluten-free. They swear they have never felt so in control of their weight or sporting success, despite having no medical reason to ditch the gluten. Nutritional Therapist, Amelia Freer, states in her book, "Cook. Nourish. Glow.", that she believes gluten will become something most of us will increasingly want to avoid. She believes that it causes a lot of health issues for many of us, such as bad skin, bloating, inflammation and other gastrointestinal complaints. Dr Alessio Fasano, is a world leading expert in Coeliac disease and other gluten-related health disorders, serves as director of the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital in the US and has written "Gluten Freedom". He does not believe that it is necessary for us all to give up gluten and takes a very bio-individual approach. Dr Mark Hyman, the founder and medical director of The Ultra Wellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine in the United States, advocates a gluten-free diet for many of his patients. He believes that it is often the culprit when it comes to inflammation and many other health problems. He says that time and again, his patients' many symptoms and issues just clear up on their own as soon as they cut gluten out of their diets. He does not find all his patients have Coeliac disease of course, but many turn out to have health issues with gluten.
But what about the gluten-free fad, that has caught on around the world? Is it healthier and less fattening to go gluten-free? Does it really help us lose weight and can it make us generally healthier and perform better at sport? There is one very important thing to understand here. It is crucial to make the distinction between healthy, naturally gluten-free foods and gluten-free junk foods. There are so many processed gluten-free products on the market, such as:
breads
cakes
pastries
cookies
crackers
energy bars
breakfast cereals
sauces
soups
pastas
breadcrumbs
some gluten-free flours and flour blends for baking
I know you are probably surprised to read that I class gluten-free pasta as "junk food", but if you look at the ingredients of many gluten-free pastas, they are most frequently made from refined corn flour and potato starch which often causes blood sugar spikes and inflammation in those with any kind of autoimmune disease and even for those who don't, it certainly won't help you lose weight. The gluten-free pastas to opt for are made from quinoa, brown rice flour, chickpea or lentil flours. They taste delicious, are much more nutritious and less likely to set you on a blood sugar roller coaster. The same applies to many gluten-free flours and flour blends. Often the cheaper ones are made of refined flours such as potato starch, corn flour and tapioca starch all of which will cause your blood sugar to spike and then crash and have little nutritional value. Much better alternatives are buckwheat, almond, sorghum and brown rice flour, which are full of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
As for gluten-free breads, cakes, crackers and all the other processed foods that are popping up in every supermarket and becoming a lucrative industry across the world, with demand increasing year on year, I am afraid most of them should be generally avoided, or at least consumed only occasionally. Again, if you look at the ingredients of most of these items, they are packed full of sugar, preservatives and refined carbohydrates that will make you gain more weight than eating its gluten-filled equivalent. They will also not taste that good because they often have a different and disappointing texture and consistency.
The bottom line is, that if you are going to go gluten-free, it is important to do it properly by eating a balanced diet through consuming an abundance of naturally gluten-free foods such as fresh vegetables, fruit, proteins of your preference, wholegrains, gluten-free nutritious flours such as almond, buckwheat, brown rice and sorghum, pulses, nuts, seeds and good fats. Be clear on just why you are going gluten-free and if you really need to do so. Believe me, it is much easier to eat gluten as part of a balanced diet and thrive fully, unless you have a medical reason not to. Just follow the general rules on processed and junk foods by trying to keep these to a minimum and generally avoiding packets, tins or bottles of foods with more than five ingredients. Kidding yourself you will lose weight, improve your health or even your performance in your chosen sport by eating gluten-free, processed junk foods, is bound to have disappointing results and you will be a victim of yet another passing dietary fad.
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