“I don’t know what to eat.”
“Dinner? I can’t make a gluten-free dinner?!
“There isn’t anything I can eat anymore!”
“This is so hard. I am going to starve.”
“I am so overwhelmed, this is not going to work.”
“How do I eat gluten-free when my family is not?”
These were only a small percentage of the thoughts I had during my first week of being gluten-free.
Going gluten-free is an overwhelming learning curve. I went from eating whatever I wanted (Pass the Bubble Pizza!) to now having to study everything I ate that came with an ingredient list.
If you have checked out our About Me page, you know that I have been on a long journey to Gluten-Free-“dom.” My story started when I was in college. I began to lose energy, always felt sick and was in a constant state of brain fog with a side of anxiety and depression. For about ten years I went through several doctors all the while being diagnosed with depression. My health questions would diminish after each doctor gave me their diagnosis, but I knew in my gut this was wrong (no pun intended!).
There was a local doctor who was not covered by our insurance, but I knew came highly recommended as practicing alternative medicine. It took me a year and a half after finding out about his practice to make an appointment . I was afraid of yet another disappointment. Afraid of being misdiagnosed with the same thing AGAIN. I was wrong. This doctor looked at medicine differently. He started with the gut. After going through many questions revolving around my gut, my eating history, family history (was I a c-section baby?) he then did many allergy tests. Including Gluten Sensitivity.
I took my husband with me to my next appointment where I would get the results. Again, I was afraid this new doctor would find nothing and my diagnosis would be unknown. I was fearful that the symptoms I had lived with for so long were ailments that would never go away.
Imagine my IMMEDIATE and HUGE RELIEF when he said “Well, we found something. Something pretty big.” I held my breath… what was he going to say? Am I allergic to everything except brussel sprouts?!
“YOU HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF GLUTEN SENSITIVITY.”
According to the saliva test, if you score a 13-15 you are moderately sensitive to gluten. My score was 29. YIKES! Not only that, but the doctor found a severe soy allergy. Really?! SOY IS IN EVERYTHING
I went home that night feeling so excited to start this new journey in hopes that after 10 years I would finally feel better. I did a lot of reading to find out what I could and could not eat. I wanted to make everything I used to like, but now make it gluten-free. Let me just say up front… that is NOT the way to start a gluten-free journey. The biggest way to make yourself feel defeated is to try to make “old favorites” into a new “gluten-free favorite.” It is NOT easy and things just do not taste the same or have the same texture anymore. There is a learning curve
Without further delay (because I could write on this for a while!) I want to give you my top 5 tips for Eating Gluten Free:
1. Simplify
Instead of trying to turn your old recipes into new gluten-free recipes I suggest you take a step back and really simplify your meal plan. Try to eat for a week without having to read any labels. But, how do I do that? Buy foods that don’t have an ingredient list, but are simple whole foods.
Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy (yes dairy is safe unless it’s those cute little yogurt cups with cookies or ice cream loaded with extras), Nuts, Seeds, Eggs, Meats & Fish.
2. Find a local store that carries & labels Gluten Free foods
Aldi is a store that has gotten great about labeling items that are gluten-free. You can walk through their store and know right away whether an item is gluten-free or not. If it does not have a “Gluten Free” label on the package, put it down. Until you feel comfortable reading labels, for the first few weeks just buy items that are already labeled Gluten Free.
Aldi even has a line called “Living GFree” with items like: pizza crusts, cornbread (this stuff is amazing!), brownies, yellow cake, pizza pockets, bread, tortillas, crackers, pretzels, snack bars, cereal…) that are completely safe for you to eat. *Note, if you have a soy allergy (like me!) you need to read labels for soy as well. Some of the items Aldi carries I cannot eat due to them containing soy.
If you don’t have an Aldi, Kroger has a nice natural foods section which carries many gluten-free foods. On the price tag located below the product Kroger will often label items “Gluten Free.” Wal-Mart has begun carrying more and more gluten-free items including cake mixes, flours, crackers, cookies etc. The one thing I don’t like about Wal-Mart is that you have to walk through the entire store aisle by aisle to figure out if they have want you want in a Gluten Free Version.
3. Everyone eats gluten-free for dinner
When I started out I was making myself dinner and then my family dinner. This was stressful! I didn’t want my family to have to suffer for my allergy. Along the way I have figured out what works best for my family, and you will too! But as you are just starting out your journey, if you are making dinners for someone in your family who is gluten-free it is easiest to just make one meal. This shouldn’t be hard. As I said in Tip #1 you want to eat simple anyway. Serve baked chicken, fish or bun-less hamburgers for now with a side of veggies and rice or potatoes.
Eventually you will get tired of the very simple meals and want to vary your recipes to make the non-gluten-free members of your family their favorites too, but for now just start simple and serve one meal. One night a week we usually have pizza or something gluten-filled. On those nights I make myself a quick and easy convenience meal like Annie’s Cheese Enchiladas, Scrambled Eggs, pizza from a restaurant that offers gluten-free or buy a frozen gluten free pizza.
For breakfast and lunch I eat gluten-free, but the rest of my family does not. This is easy for me because we would normally eat something different anyway during these meals.
4. Find one or two local restaurants where you can eat gluten-free
Plan ahead, knowing that there will be times when you will have an unexpected lunch or dinner when you need to eat out. There are a few main “chain” restaurants that offer gluten-free menus. Prepare yourself by knowing a few restaurants that you can eat at safely so that when the planned, or unplanned, eating out happens you are set!
Here is a list, that Gluten Free Guide came up with, that has 75 Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Menus You Need to Know.
For me, my go-to out-to-eat restaurants are: Wendys (chili and baked potato), Culvers (GF bun and hamburger), Qdoba or Chipotle (Burrito Bowl or corn tacos), Panera (Greek salad is my go-to!) and Biaggis (awesome Gluten Free lunch and dinner Menu: sandwiches, pizzas, pastas – a favorite!).
You can also download an app called “Find Me Gluten Free” to help you find safe restaurant items on the go!
5. Find some help
You are going to want to find a tribe locally or on the internet. You will have questions and need support. I have just created a private Facebook group called Gluten Free Tribe for these purposes and for our meal planning mommies community.
Join my Gluten Free Tribe on Facebook today and be encouraged with recipes, tips, advice and the ability to ask questions in a safe environment!
Also, don’t forget to check out my Gluten Free Recipes and Gluten Free Meal Plans with printable plan and grocery list!
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