Whether you have recently found out that you have an intolerance, such as celiac disease, or you are simply worried about the implications of eating too much gluten, there are plenty of reasons to want to cut it from your diet. However, making that transition can be more difficult than you might imagine. Here, we’re going to look at a few tips that can make your new life a little easier to slip into.
Know what you can and can’t eat
Unfortunately, there’s no easy way to detect whether or not foods have gluten in them. There are apps that can help you scan products in the supermarket, but it’s better to memorize them yourself so that you don’t make any mistakes if, for instance, you forget to use your app. Learning all of the different grains, breads, wraps, condiments, and other foods you should avoid will take time and you won’t be able to memorize them all at once, but it’s worth taking the time to get that knowledge in your head bit by bit.
Find your go-to replacements
Once you know everything that has gluten in it and you know what to avoid, then it’s worth looking at which of your favorites you can no longer eat. Rather than getting sad about it, however, you should start looking for alternatives that are almost guaranteed to exist out there. There are gluten-free alternatives for all of your favorite meals, snacks, and treats. There are even gluten free hot pockets. While they might not taste exactly the same, you might end up enjoying the new replacements even more than the originals.
Know your alternative ingredients
Aside from gluten-free alternatives to foods that you love, there are also no gluten alternatives you can use in your own recipes. For instance, in this health dates brownies recipe, you can use almond flour instead of regular flour. For bakers, it might seem like gluten is unavoidable, but this one type of flour will make all kinds of pastries and baked goods much easier to make. Get to learning some gluten-free recipes and you’ll start to identify some of the ingredients you can keep relying on as you adjust your old favorite meals without having to change them drastically.
Find restaurants that accommodate you
Of course, your diet isn’t going to consist of solely eating at home. If you like to eat out often, then you can just as easily continue to do so. It just means that you need to be a little more discerning. You don’t have to do all of the legwork of finding restaurants that suit you alone, however. Apps like Find Me Gluten Free can show you all of the places near you that accommodate people who are eating a no-gluten diet.
A gluten-free diet might seem like a huge and difficult change at first. However, as you start to pick up a few more tips and realize that there are alternatives for all kinds of things you used to enjoy, it becomes a lot easier.