How To Start Eating A Gluten-Free Diet?

If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, one of the first things that your doctor will recommend is a gluten-free diet. It is, however, possible for you to decide to go on a gluten-free diet even without the diagnosis because of its properties of being a good weight loss agent or one that kickstarts a plan for a healthy life ahead. But, do you know what a gluten-free diet really is?

A gluten-free diet is one that excludes gluten - a protein composite that is found in wheat as well as other related grains such as rye and barley. Gluten can cause multiple health problems in patients with celiac disease. It can cause non-celiac gluten sensitivity and in some cases, wheat allergy.

A gluten-free diet can be a hard nut to crack and there is a lot that you can do especially when you have just been introduced to it. So, regardless of what your reason is behind eating a gluten-free diet, you should be equipped and prepared to be eating a healthy gluten-free diet for good health. And for that, you must know the following rules.

Clean your kitchen
Before you start eating a gluten-free diet, you must first clear everything out of your kitchen, specifically those foods that you can no longer eat. Dispose of all the segregates and give away all those foods that have gluten in them. You could donate the unopened packages, cans and jars to someone who may need it. It is possible that you will get symptoms by the slightest exposure to gluten, so you may need to get a new toaster or mixer grinder.

Bring home fresh produce
A lot of people think that from going gluten to zero gluten, all they need to do is drop the wheat, but a gluten-free diet is not all that easy. Gluten appears in a lot of other foods, though in small amounts. So, it is strongly recommended that you limit your diet to unprocessed foods in the beginning. Fresh vegetables as well as fruits do not contain gluten. Other edibles that do not contain gluten include fresh meat, fish as well as poultry.

Expand your gluten-free diet
Once you have been accustomed to a gluten-free diet, it is time to expand it by bringing home foods that have the “gluten-free” tag on their label. Manufacturers aren’t really required to mark their foods gluten-free, but a lot of them do for the convenience of customers. So, you would have to spend an extra time at the grocery to find the perfect products for your kitchen shelves. Make sure to not go overboard with the gluten-free labelled products because a lot of people have reported to experience renewed symptoms after eating too much of such products.

Learn to read the food labels
Food labels for the most of us are just printed pieces of trash. But, they are there for our own good that we fail to be watchful of. If you have to really have a good, healthy, gluten-free diet, you must learn to the read the food labels right. Learn the different terms of the labels and what they mean. This will enlighten you about the many things that go into the preparation of processed foods.

Now, make your home Gluten-free
Once you have successfully made your kitchen gluten-free, it is perhaps time to make the entire home so. Get rid of products that have gluten in them. Several hair products contain gluten in them and if you ever get a little of the shampoo in your mouth while showering, your symptoms can flare-up.