I recently had a nutrition consultation with a client where I gave two options: 1. Eliminate gluten for 21 days or
2. Eliminate dairy for 21 days
This particular client chose to avoid gluten for 21 days and we briefly went over what it was in the call. When I sent her the recommendations for her to follow and implement over the next 21 days one of the diet recommendations was to limit/eliminate gluten. In addition I always leave space for if there are any questions or comments to get in contact with me. This client emailed and asked "what is gluten free exactly?"
This pulled me back to reality that my clients/people might not know what gluten is and/or how to avoid it, and why they should avoid it.
It sparked my interest to write a blog post about gluten and why you should potentially avoid it. And so, here we are!
What the heck is gluten anyways?
Gluten is one of the proteins found in wheat that allows it to hold its shape, essentially allowing it to be the glue that holds it all together. Think: fluffy delicious bread that is held together so nicely by that gluten!
To dive deeper in this topic, I suggest you do some research on gluten as this is the basics.
What types of food is gluten in?
breads
pastries
pasta
bakery items
candy bars
soups
sauces
cereals
and more!!
Why should I avoid gluten?
If you suffer with inflammation of any kind: skin, joints, limbs, digestive, etc. then you should avoid gluten as it is pro-inflammatory aka promotes inflammation in and on the body.
Gluten in the western world is highly processed, therefore there are no nutrients that benefit your health to consume it. Of course, it tastes delicious and holds the shape really well, but when you refer back to what gluten is, it is the component that makes food elastic-like. Taking this one step further, think about what that would do to the inside of your body, more specifically your intestines.
There are other symptoms that you can experience if you have a gluten sensitivity:
headaches or migraines
bloating and/or gas
constipation
fatigue/tiredness
joint pain
itchy skin/rash
anxiety
depression
and more
If you suffer with any of the above then you may want to think about eliminating gluten from your diet. If you would like to work closely together through my holistic nutrition 1:1 appointments, head to the 'work with me' tab.
Stay tuned for examples of gluten free options in another blog post coming soon.
Holistically Humble,
Katie