Coeliacs’, and those who are gluten intolerant are bound to a strict gluten-free diet. This demands a major lifestyle change, requiring discipline and always being mindful around food.
Understandably, this can lead to feelings of isolation and even bitterness. But it’s not all bad news. Today’s article is going to focus on the huge advantages that living gluten-free can offer.
Reduced Gastrointestinal Discomfort (Compared to gluten eaters)
Research led by professor Oluf Pedersen, of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, indicates that a low gluten diet in the general population could result in experiencing less gastrointestinal discomfort overall.
Those who took part in the study and were set to a low gluten diet – consisting of a maximum 2g of gluten per day – reported less bloating and even lost a little weight on average. Granted this isn’t the same as a completely gluten-free diet, but it’s certainly indicative.
Less Processed Foods (If any!)
Strictly cutting out all gluten from your diet immediately limits the number of processed foods you can eat. Removing more bread, pasta and baked goods from your meals is to be expected. But you’d be surprised how many other foods commonly have gluten (https://celiac.org/gluten-free-living/what-is-gluten/sources-of-gluten/) as an ingredient.
These include;
Energy bars
French fries
Ice cream
Ketchup
Oats
Soups
Syrups
Veggie burgers
Weight Loss Advantage
What are staples for many, have suddenly become off limits to you. Subsequently, these foods just happen to be the most calorie-dense and you may notice that those nutritiously scarce foods you once defaulted to are also no-go zones now.
Not to mention the fact that your diet becomes majorly dominated by fruit and vegetables, which take up a lot of space, but are low in calories – all while being highly nutritious.
This all adds up to one simple thing – consuming fewer calories. And as we all know, fewer calories eaten than expended equals weight loss. So, if you have a few extra pounds to shed, this is the perfect opportunity for you.
Improved Awareness
Cutting out such a common ingredient from your diet means spending a lot more time thinking about your meals. It makes you more conscious of the foods you do eat and resultingly leads to making better choices overall.
Since it’s at the very forefront of your mind, you automatically find yourself considering the nutritious benefits of what you can eat.
More Focus on the Green Stuff
As I mentioned earlier, with fewer starches allowed in your new diet, many coeliac sufferers find themselves bulking up meals with more nutritious fruit and vegetables.
Swapping pasta for a handful of leafy greens such as broccoli, kale, spinach or cabbage will pack your lunch with far more vitamins and minerals than before.
It’s easy to focus on the drawbacks of sticking to a gluten-free diet, especially when just getting started. But you will find that each obstacle brings with it a silver lining (or in this case, 5).
