Keeping Healthy on the Gluten Free Diet

Author: Amanda Richer

How many of you found out from someone or saw it online that a gluten-free diet could help you lose weight? Did you know this is not a verifiable fact? The actual reason for a gluten-free diet has to do with people who have Celiac disease and are gluten intolerant.

Celiac Disease and Gluten Intolerant

According to health Canada, we now recognize Celiac disease as one of the most common autoimmune diseases in the world. They estimate it affects 1 in every 100 – 200 people in North America. 300,000 Canadians could have this disease; however, many remain undiagnosed 

Celiac disease and gluten intolerant is an immune reaction to eating gluten this is caused by the protein found in wheat, barley and rye. The difference between gluten intolerance and Celiac is when you have a gluten intolerant you might experience the same symptoms but it is not affecting your small intestine the way Celiac does. But if you continue to eat it it is believed to cause complications down the road. 

The Trend

I come across this wave of the gluten-free trend happening around the world. When I mention to people that my son and I can not eat gluten because of celiac and gluten intolerant I get many people telling me they try to avoid gluten to lose weight. Let’s take a step back for a moment because a gluten-free diet is not the best solution for losing weight. For some people, this could put more weight on. 

If you are eating lots of gluten-free products from boxes. I would check the carbs, sugar, calories and fat. A lot of this food is highly processed and some are low in nutrients. So you can see how this might not be the best answer to losing weight. I see all over the internet there are blogs and so on telling us how this is an ideal way to shed the pounds. But there is no scientific proof this works unless you are only eating fruits and vegetables. 

Keeping Healthy on the Gluten-Free Diet

However, for anyone who has to follow a gluten-free diet this might because you are celiac, gluten intolerant or when eating too much gluten makes you feel awful the good news is there are lots of recipes online that are gluten-free and healthy. Another tip is, did you know making food from scratch is more healthy for you than buying something in a box we slap in the oven? I know what you are thinking, where do I come up with the time to cook something from scratch. Because most of our lives are on a busy schedule. But I have discovered lots of recipes on Pinterest that follow the gluten-free diet and help with weight loss and not gaining weight. 

Some of these recipes only take a few ingredients and are easy to make. We all like easy after a day work. 

Healthy Choices

You can also find lots of substitutes for bread and buns. For example, instead of using bread to make a sandwich how about trying a cucumber? Dig out the inside of the cucumber and place your favourite sandwich toppings. This will cut down the carbs and calories that we find in bread. When eating at a restaurant and if you order grilled chicken on a gluten-free bun why not replace it with a lettuce wrap. 

Keep in mind if you want to lose weight the only way it will happen is by eating Healthy and staying active. Most of us want to flop down on the couch after supper, how about changing your routine like going for a walk after supper is a healthier choice. Pre-planning meals on your days off if you make a pot of soup and freeze some. 

I like to make chicken soup with carrots, celery, organic chicken broth and wild rice or you could use brown rice which is as good for you. Keep in mind if you are planning on freezing the soup make rice as you heat it up, the rice expands when frozen and becomes soggy. This gives you the option of grabbing the soup out of the freezer the morning before work. When you get home, there will be something that is healthy and effortless to make. Another one of my favourites is Chicken cacciatore. It is easy to make and has fewer calories and chicken is lean and remember to use wild or brown rice. I learnt that white rice is processed and this might not help with losing weight. 

For, everyone out there that is trying to lose weight let’s remember this doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and dedication and believing in yourself. 

Chicken Soup Recipe 

-2 pieces of chicken breast cut into chunks.
– 1 cup of carrots
– 1 cup of celery
– 1 whole onion yellow (medium size)
– couple cloves of garlic
– six cups of Chicken broth
-wild rice
– Oregano 1 tsp
– Parsley 1 tsp
– Salt and pepper to taste 

Cook garlic in a pot for about a minute, add onions, cook until golden, add chicken until cooked, add veggies and broth. If planning on freezing some, take out a smaller pot, add the soup you want to that pot and about 1⁄3 cup of rice. 

Chicken Cacciatore

– 4 pieces of chicken
– 1 Can 540 ml of crushed tomatoes
– 1 Can 540 ml of diced tomatoes
– 1 Bell Pepper
– 1 Yellow Onion
– 1 tsp Oregano
– 1 tsp Garlic powder
– Sprinkle chopped up Chives
– Rice or pasta

Place chicken and veggies in a baking dish then add both cans of tomatoes, onion and bell pepper. Then season, place in the oven at 350 for 1hr 30 min
Cook your rice or pasta place on plate and top with the Chicken sauce. 

Author bio: Amanda Richer loves to write and wants people to hear her voice in her blogs. She writes to get her emotions out on paper, or when writing fiction, she likes to get lost in a make-believe world. So, writing is her therapy. She has been writing since she has been a young girl and has won prizes in some creative writing contest. In high school, she wrote a true story about a friend called Drinking and Driving it was published in the Ontario High School magazine. She recently self-published a book Sinister Love part 1 Shattered Hearts. When Amanda is not writing or reading, you can find her listening to rock music and spending time with her two boys and husband.