Going Gluten Free!
Have you just found out you have a gluten allergy or sensitivity or celiac disease and you have no clue where to start? The majority of my clients are those with auto-immune dynamics for which I recommend a gluten free diet, 100% cold-turkey, no excuses. You see, those with an auto-immune disease have intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut), which, in most cases was one of the exacerbating causes of that dynamic. Gluten, along with being inflammatory for most, will exacerbate intestinal permeability in those with auto-immune diseases. How you ask?
Gluten is implicated in intestinal permeability especially in those with auto-immune because it triggers a protein called zonulin. Zonulin as a substance is natural in the human body. It promotes an opening up of spaces in the villi in the intestines and is triggered on purpose. Zonulin is one of the bodies heavy duty immune response activities which should be limited to cases of virulent infection. It is the bodies strategy to create more intestinal permeability so the bodies immune soldiers can come to the scene of the infection and help to wipe it out. When zonulin is triggered when say someone eats wheat bread, then the process becomes inappropriate.
Ok so your eyes might be glazing over about now, right?! No worries! Just know that gluten is no good for you and you should remove it! 😉 Of course, there are many other things I do with my clients to help get to the root causes of why they got the auto-immune dynamic in the first place, heal their intestinal permeability, get them feeling their best etc. Did you know that if you don’t get to the root causes of why you got the first auto-immune disease you are 6x more likely to get a second and third auto-immune disease?! But I digress….. The point of this blog post is to give you some ideas on how to eat gluten free. Here goes!!!
Gluten-free foods:
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- Potatoes
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- Buckwheat
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- Oats (*must be labeled gluten-free to avoid cross-contamination)
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- Corn/ maize (some people with gluten issues have a cross-reactivity to corn-always buy non-GMO)
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- Rice
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- Quinoa
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- Amaranth
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- Teff
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- Millet
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- Beans
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- Nuts and nut butters
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- Eggs
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- Fresh fruit
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- Fresh vegetables
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- Herbs and spices
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- Meats and fish purchased without sauce or seasonings
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- Home-made soups (avoid bouillon cubes, barley malt, and all types of pasta)
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- Juice (all-natural, 100% fruit juice)
Foods to avoid:
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- Wheat
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- Kamut
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- Spelt
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- Rye
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- Barley
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- Oats are generally avoided because they are almost always processed in mills that process grains containing gluten
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- Modified food starch
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- Barley enzymes (found in majority of breakfast cereals), soy sauce, and distilled vinegar (malt vinegar)
Tips for avoiding contamination:
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- Clean out cutlery drawers; they are great crumb collectors
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- Replace old wooden spoons and cutting boards
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- Wash dish rags/sponges frequently
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- Use a new toaster for gluten-free foods only or buy toaster bags (do not use a toaster thatâs already been used to toast regular bread)
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- Use squirt bottles for condiments like mayonnaise, mustard, jelly, etc. to avoid contamination
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- Mark containers with “GF” on the lid of gluten-free items.
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- Clean food prep areas
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- Dedicate shelves and cabinets in your kitchen and refrigerator to “gluten-free food onlyâ
Recipes:
Gluten-Free Flour Mix (All-Purpose)
(Makes 12 cups)
8 cups rice flour (preferably brown)
2 2/3 cups potato starch
1 1/3 cups tapioca flour
Gluten-Free Flour Mix (Light)
(Makes 12 cups)
4 cups rice flour
4 cups tapioca flour
4 cups cornstarch
4 tablespoons potato flour
There is an awesome recipe on this site for gluten free bread that doesn’t taste like cardboard!! Just type gluten free bread in the search bar and it should come up.
If you’d like help on getting to the bottom of why you are suffering, I would love to be a part of your journey. I help those with Fibro, CFS, auto-immune, diabetes etc. get to the root causes of why they became ill and wipe them out. If you are interested in feeling your best, set up a consult with me today! It is your destiny to live your best self!!!
If you have any great gluten free recipes you’d love to share feel free to post them in the comments or email them to me!
Peace & Love,
Heather
