A lot of people are confused about what I call “the gluten game”. Isn’t wheat supposed to be good for me? Aren’t whole grains a healthy thing to feed my children? How can I make sure my family gets the fiber needed every day if I cut out all gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley, rye and oats?
I had all of the same questions many years ago when I first decided to have my son go on a gluten-free, casein-free diet. It is not an easy thing to do, but the results were tremendous for us and they will probably be tremendous for you too. If you (or your child) suffer from allergies, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, hives, eczema or any combination of these symptoms, it might be worth giving a GFCF diet a chance.
I’m not saying it’s a magic bullet or that you should go to your pantry right now and throw away all things with flour (although that might not be such a bad idea!) But what I am saying is that by removing the foods that generally cause inflammation in the body, you may be able to allow the body’s immune response to settle down and actually give it a chance to let some healing begin.
There is so much more information out there now than when we first began this journey. There are websites, books, recipe blogs, gluten-free products and even gluten-free restaurants now. There was not too much of that ten years ago. Sadly, that’s because the need now is even more intense.
If it’s a child in your household with the issue, get to work immediately on having him/her eat simply-prepared, fresh, organic foods. That’s how I did it with my son many years ago and it wasn’t long before he was enjoying a large variety of organic meats, vegetables and fruits that were paramount to keeping him healthy and thriving. It also allowed us to eat out at almost any restaurant with not too many problems. (Think grilled chicken or hamburger patty – no bun – with a simple side salad squeezed with lemon slices only, fresh fruit and steamed broccoli. Almost any restaurant can and will accommodate us with very few exceptions.)
The fiber issue is covered by daily doses of flax meal, nuts, beans and berries, usually in our morning smoothie. It’s not perfect every day, but we do as much as we can to get a variety of these foods in our bodies every week. In addition, we take a handful of supplements which help round out the less-than-perfect days.
Educate yourself with your own research, talk to your doctor or pediatrician about it, and when you’re ready to try it – commit to it completely. Because the one thing I can tell you is that you can’t go “sort-of” gluten-free and have a resounding success. You have to be vigilant and remove all sources for several months to really see and feel the difference. And once you get used to eating gluten-free, you’ll wonder why you didn’t free yourself from the gluten trap even sooner!
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