How To Go Gluten Free

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How to Go Gluten-Free

I always say that most foods – in their natural state – are fine to eat. However, I find most sufferers of irritable bowel syndrome, (IBS), irritable bowel disease (IBD: Crohns, diverticulitis), acid reflux and other chronic gut problems do better when they eliminate gluten from their diets – at least for a duration of 6-8 weeks.

This is normally long enough for anyone to give their digestive system a little break while they heal and repair what needs fixing. But there’s a lot of misinformation out there on how to go gluten free in a healthy way. This is particularly important as a lot of alternatives and gluten free options in shops are often worse than eating gluten.

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein prevalent in wheat, barley and rye.

While oats do not contain the gluten protein they can be cross-contaminated during manufacturing, so select oats specifically labeled gluten-free.

Why Avoid Gluten?

Most foods that contain gluten are highly processed, which typically means they are devoid of high quality nutrients to nourish the body.
Gluten acts like glue on the intestinal tract by “gluing down” the villi that keep the intestinal tract motile and healthy. The intestinal tract’s motility maintains regularity and the villi help absorb nutrients.
Where these ‘glue’ deposits are formed, gluten has been found to create cracks or gaps in the intestinal wall which can let tiny particles of food go through into the blood circulation. These ‘invaders’ will create allergic reactions in the body and increase inflammation and what is called ‘leaky gut’.
Avoiding gluten can lower the overall systemic inflammatory reaction of the body. This may help alleviate or prevent neurological conditions such as depression and schizophrenia since the gut and the brain are deeply interconnected.

How to Avoid Gluten

Gluten is easier to avoid than ever before.
Prepare meals at home with GF ingredients.
When eating out, research restaurants with GF menus and ask waiters to confirm that ingredients in whichever meal you select are GF.
Put GF snacks in your bag, briefcase or purse so you always have GF food available on the go.

Where do I start?

Start by following these steps:
- Choose a day to get rid of gluten in your kitchen and go shopping to restock with GF items. Use the lists below to know what to buy.
- Work through any emotions that come up as you go through this process.
- If going GF is causing stress, consider just trying it out every other day, or even just one meal a day to start.
- Track your progress with a food diary, to determine if your physical symptoms are getting better as a result of eating GF.

Gluten-Free Quick Reference Guide

Foods that are naturally gluten-free:

Unprocessed/unseasoned meats
Eggs
Vegetables
Fruits
Nuts and seeds
Rice
Quinoa
Millet
Buckwheat
Corn
Oats

Gluten-free substitutes:

Tamari sauce (wheat free soya sauce) or liquid aminos (wheat + yeast free – health shops) instead of soya sauce

Rice/corn (avoid – see below)/buckwheat/gram/gluten free flour in batter + baking

Gluten-free substitutes are usually labeled as such.

Rice, Amaranth, Millet, Teff, buckwheat, oats, are naturally gluten-free grains. Flours are also available in these grains for your baking needs.

Other flours to consider are gram (chickpea) flours – great in fritters; coconut flour (as in this pancake recipe) and other GF flours derived from pulses.

Whole grain gluten-free pasta and noodles with millet, corn (avoid – see below), rice, quinoa, buckwheat.

Rice/oat crackers. Rice cakes: can be constipating so only once in a while if you tend to get constipated.

List of Ingredients to Avoid:

Wheat (and any food such as breads, pastas, cereals, bran cereals and wheat granola/muesli, tortillas, etc. that are made with wheat)
Spelt (an ancient form of wheat – contains lower amounts of gluten but not GF)
Barley (including barley malt)
Rye
Wheat Starch
Seitan
Wheatberries
Durum
Semolina – Farina
Farro
Kamut ®
Brewer’s Yeast
Some sweets (like licorice)
Fried Foods
Imitation crab meat/fish
Some lunch meats and hot dogs
Malt
Matzo
Modified food starch – Self-basting
Turkey (reconstituted as a cold meat)
Pre-packaged seasoning
Processed, packaged food items such as seasoned rice/pasta mixes
Gravy
Veggie burgers (unless specified as gluten-free)
Soy sauce (use tamari or liquid aminos)
Worcestershire sauce
Beer (unless specified as gluten-free)
Dressings

Ingredients to avoid in gluten-free products:

‘Gums’ in dairy & gluten-free products: gellan gum, guar gum, xantham gums
Carrageenan
Corn and corn-derivatives (highly inflammatory): cornstarch, corn flour, corn syrup, dextrose, maltodextrine, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The Question of Bread

Unfortunately, the processing of wheat – known in the UK as the ‘Chorleywood Process’, means that the wheat used in commercial supermarket loaves is very difficult to digest. Add to this the chemicals that are used in growing, milling and producing bread and this makes bread one of the most addictive, ultra-processed foods you can eat.

There are so many options to bread. Bread eating, in the form of toast for breakfast, or sandwiches, is a habit. Many cultures around the world do not have bread as part of their staple diets and their digestive systems fare far better than in the West.

Why shop-bought GF breads are not good:

Most GF breads in supermarkets are filled with preservatives, gums and other additives that can actually cause more digestive problems than their gluten counterparts.

Best bread alternatives:

Eat leftover or fresh vegetables with your protein for breakfast. Ie: eggs with mushrooms, spinach (and leftover potatoes if need be), potato/vegetable omelette, or leftover soup and quinoa, gluten-free oats with lots of raw nuts and seeds (check this lovely muesli recipe), etc.

For lunches, you can also make your own gluten free breads such as this high protein, grain-free option or even this easy and quick sweet potato wrap alternative. Or eat something other than sandwiches – the options are obvious: soup + quinoa, rice dishes with some protein, omelettes and salad/vegetables, pulses in curries, soups etc.

I love this high protein grain free gluten free recipe myself and here’s a delicious quick and easy sweet potato wrap recipe you may enjoy.

There are many GF bread recipes online also, just make sure to check the ingredients to avoid above.

Sourdough Bread

After 6-8 weeks of totally going GF, I normally help clients to re-introduce a little good quality wheat with sourdough bread.

The process of sourdough, when done in a good quality bakery or even done at home, means that the gluten has been pre-digested and may be easier to tolerate than any other alternative.

Things to look out for: check the list of ingredients for wholesome ingredients, that do not contain any other ingredients to avoid as listed above.

Ideally, you also want to only consume organic sourdough bread and wholegrain or with seeds for added fibre.

How To Re-introduce Gluten

Once you’ve eliminated gluten for 6-8 weeks, check how you feel. If the difference is very significant and you’re happy to continue GF with the right alternatives, then keep going.

If however, you’ve missed many gluten foods, re-introduce only one food at a time, starting with easier options first, such as sourdough bread. And only have a small amount (1 slice of bread) and wait 24 hours to see how your body feels, before having more.

The slow process of re-introduction will help you to figure out how often and how much your body can tolerate at this point in time. It may be that you need longer for your gut to do further healing and repairing so just be patient!

Image: Pexel: Ron Lach