Going gluten-free

Your gluten-free diet questions answered!

  1. Why go gluten free? There are so many health issues that can improve when you eliminate gluten from your diet. Gluten is the protein found in grains, such as wheat, rye, and bran. Many people’s bodies negative react to gluten creating inflammation in their bodies. People notice the following benefits when going gluten-free:

    1. Better Energy

    2. Better sleep

    3. Less brain fog

    4. Improved digestion

    5. Weight management

    6. Increased fertility

    7. Improved bone health

    8. Better skin

    9. Decreased inflammation

    10. Less joint pain

    11. Improved asthma 

  2. Do I need to be completely gluten-free to notices changes? Yes and no. You need to be completely gluten free for at least 2-6 weeks to let your body completely clear the gluten out to get the full benefits. Many people notice improvements in their health way before the 6 week mark, but for some people, it can take the full 6 weeks. Other people will notice significant improvements in their health just by decreasing the amount of gluten they are eating. This varies for each person. Completely eliminating gluten for at least a few weeks is the best way to figure out what your body needs.

  3. Is a gluten-free diet for everyone? No. Some people need to avoid all gluten in order to see their symptoms clear up and health improve. Some people can tolerate gluten fine. Others can handle gluten in small doses so they don’t need to be gluten-free 100% of the time, but notice they feel better when they decrease their overall gluten intake. The best way to go gluten free is to do a trial for at least 2-6 weeks where you completely avoid all gluten in your diet, note your symptoms before you begin, after going gluten-free, and then again after you reintroduce gluten into your diet. See what changes you notice and how quickly some of them occur.

  4. I'm eating gluten-free but still don't feel better, why? 

    1. You need to be making healthy swaps, not just “gluten-free” ones. There are many unhealthy gluten free foods available. Just because something is labeled gluten free doesn’t mean that is good for you. A lot of times, the gluten is replaced with other grains such as corn and rice. If you are sensitive to either of these ingredients, then simply going gluten free (which will often mean an increase of corn and rice in your diet) may not be enough for you to notice significant health improvements.

    2. Many gluten free foods also have additional additives such as potato starch and added sugars to compensate for the loss of the gluten. These are not beneficial for your health and the extra sugar can actually increase inflammation in your body.

    3. You can still eat unhealthy foods while you are gluten-free. Foods like French fries, potato chips, ice cream, and many of the common junk food items that people eat may be naturally gluten-free, but they are still full of starches and sugar and may be contributing to your health issues.

    4. Are you really gluten free? There is gluten added into a lot of foods that you wouldn’t expect it to be in, such as salad dressings, sauces and other condiments, and other packaged foods. Make sure you are reading ingredient lists to know what is in your food before you eat it.

  5. What can I eat instead of gluten?

    1. There are multiple easy gluten and grain swaps that you can try when going gluten-free.  

    2. Instead of wheat flour, use rice flour when baking and cooking. This works for making stew and gravy as a thickener, but also for baking when you need a treat but don’t want the gluten.

    3. Rice and quinoa are both naturally gluten free. So are oats.

    4. If you love pasta, try a gluten free pasta which tend to be readily available in stores now. These can be made from other grains or even lentils.

    5. There are also many gluten-free breads, crackers, and other grain products readily available in your local grocery store.

  6. I’d like to go completely grain free, what can I eat instead?

    1. Swap out your regular rice for cauliflower rice. You can even buy pre-riced cauliflower in the frozen section of your grocery store.

    2. You can use garbanzo flour to thicken soups and stews, rather than wheat flour, and can even use it in some recipes for baking.

    3. Find alternative recipes, such as our 2 ingredient banana pancakes

    4. Rather than corn chips, use plantain chips, or many stores now carry tortilla chips made from cassava which are much like your regular tortilla chips without the grains

    5. For pasta, you can make zoodles (zucchini noodles) using a spiralizer or box grater. Spaghetti squash is a great natural alternative to pasta as well.

  7. I don’t want to give up my favorites foods. What do you recommend?

    1. I recommend that you go completely gluten free for at least 2-6 weeks as mentioned above to make sure that you are giving it a real shot to work. Use some of the swaps above so that you are still eating foods that you love, just the gluten-free version. Then add gluten back into your diet and see how you feel.

    2. Remember that it doesn't have to be forever or 100% of the time. Figure out what works for you and how you feel the best and go from there. You may find that you can eat gluten sometimes and as long as it isn’t every meal (or every day), you can tolerate it fine. Many people find that limiting their gluten intake is beneficial to their health, even when they can’t do it 100% of the time.

    3. If you decide that they benefits aren’t worth it, you can always add gluten back into your diet.

    4. Honestly, I find that once most people realize how good they feel when they don’t eat gluten, they don’t want to eat it anymore. And when they are really craving a favorite food that has gluten in it, they can enjoy it and still feel okay because they are limiting their overall gluten intake.

  8. Can a gluten-free diet really help?

    1. Yes. The long list of improvements that people have seen in their lives by making dietary changes is evidence of that. Diet changes can make a huge difference. I have seen a gluten-free diet create drastic health changes in my patients. I have also experienced firsthand in my own life just how impactful dietary changes can be. I struggled with digestive issues for years before I changed my diet and they entirely cleared up. Try it out and see for yourself!

Christina Sahni