Is Gluten Free For Me?

Hey friends!

So Carson and I are back from our little weekend adventure in Disneyland.  It was THE fastest vacation of our lives but one of the funnest! We made sure to hit all the “must do” rides before we headed out and believe me we did.  We park hopped between California Adventure and Disneyland all day and totaled 19 rides! Definitely worth the trip! We lucked out with hardly any lines and enjoyed the cooler Cali weather and of course it’s always fun to act like a kid once and awhile right?

Anyhow, today’s post will be a little wordy but those are needed sometimes.  Lately I’ve gotten a lot of questions about why I don’t eat a lot of gluten products.  It could be because I grew up in a home with a lot of allergies and to accommodate and a little brother who was very sensitive to Gluten.  It could be because as a teenager, I got horrible stomach aches when I ate any wheat products. Or maybe I’m just crazy!?! It’s definitely not the last reason (Or at least we hope!) so it’s probably a combination of the first two.

When I was little, I suffered with bad allergies to dairy products and most gluten products as well.  I wasn’t the only one out of the six kids with food allergies so my mom decided to feed us all a mostly gluten free and completely milk free diet.  We learned to love salads and I’m so grateful we did.  I think growing up that way sparked in me an interest in health food at a young age.  I visited a certified NAET doctor who uses natural healing techniques to eliminate allergies.  He discovered health problems I didn’t know I had.  My body was rejecting many minerals, vitamins, and even my own hormones.  It took a couple of months to eliminate most of them and I noticed my bloating issues, weight gain, and irritability had begun to go away.  The doctor did wonders for my little siblings who have severe allergies to gluten and dairy.  The day my littlest sibling had his first slice of pizza was quite exciting! 🙂

Since that experience about a year ago, I have learned to pay close attention to the way my body feels when I eat certain foods.  Although my allergy to wheat products is gone, I still find that I feel better when I avoided those products.  It may be that my body doesn’t react well to processed wheat products or possibly just the gluten in general.  It’s hard to tell but I do know that trying to be gluten free has really benefited my health as well as my happiness.  With that said, I do my best to use healthy grains other than white or wheat flour. However, I do have my moments when a gluten product sneaks in. 🙂 A gluten free diet of snicker bars or sugary foods will not benefit you in any way.  I’m talking about the whole unprocessed good stuff. 🙂

What are the benefits of going gluten free?

• Eliminating gluten may benefit your cholesterol levels, digestion, and energy level.
• Choosing whole grains (rather than the processed white or wheats) will benefit overall health as well as weight loss.
• May eliminate bloating and digestion discomfort (It did for me!).
• Those who limit or eliminate gluten, primarily eat food that is fresh, nutritious, and high in natural fiber and protein. It is much easier to stay lean and feel healthy when you are eating food that you prepare from scratch yourself!

It is amazing how easy it is to find gluten free products in most grocery stores! I have also found countless recipes online like these:

GF Vegan Zucchini Bread

GF Veggie Burgers

GF Tahini Cookies

GF Vegan Pancakes

GF Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bites

GF Veggie Quinoa Egg Bake

…In my opinion, these taste better than the real deal!

Give it a try and see how you feel! You never know what your body wants to tell you!

xoxo

Jessie Ann