Going Gluten-free is one of the new diet and lifestyle fads sweeping the nation of late: but what exactly are the benefits? Obviously this will vary from person to person, but there are some very surprising general trends you might see when you remove gluten from your diet.
- Pain Relief.
Even if you don’t have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity has been linked to a number of surprising ailments including migraines, rashes, joint pain or joint numbness, memory problems, fatigue, acne, and digestive issues. If you suffer from any of these, test out a gluten-free diet and see if it alleviates your symptoms. Going gluten-free could significantly improve your day-to-day life if you have an undiscovered gluten sensitivity. - Easier Weight Loss.
Gluten appears mostly in bread products, and many bread products are rife with simple carbohydrates. A simple carb is made of sugars that break down quickly, which can result in you feeling hungry (for more sugar!!) right after you’ve eaten. Some whole wheat flours and many gluten-free flours contain complex carbs (starches) that are harder to break down, providing long-lasting energy instead of that sugar rush you feel from simple carbs. If you’re not constantly craving sugar and consuming empty carbs, it’s much easier to lose and keep off unwanted weight. - Lowers Risk of Disease.
This benefit comes in a bit of a roundabout way. Did you know that most white bread contains sugar? Not only in the form of simple carbs: it contains added sugars too. In fact, almost all bread products (white bread, bagels, donuts, muffins, etc) are pretty high on the sugar scale. And sugar is pretty much the worst thing for your body in large quantities and over a long period of time. Cutting out those sugary breads can reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and lower cholesterol. - Vitamins and Minerals
If you’ve gone gluten-free for health reasons, you’re probably going to become more health-conscious both out of necessity and because of your new lifestyle. If you can’t snack on cheezits, you’re going to have to find a gluten-free alternative: maybe nuts, fruits and veggies, or even baked veggie chips. You’ll get all kinds of vitamins and minerals from these new snacks than from available alternatives. Of course you can find unhealthy gluten-free snacks, but the general variety you’ll have to choose from is likely going to be overall better for you. - Ingenuity!
When you go away from the mainstream you’ll find you’re going to have to get creative in some of your recipes. The more you have to divert from listed recipes to accommodate your gluten-free lifestyle, the more you’ll learn to rely on your own knowledge and instincts, which will make you a better and more intuitive cook. Necessity is the mother of invention, after all!
If you’re on the fence about trying a gluten-free diet, hopefully you’ll consider giving it a shot: at worst, you won’t like it, and at best, you could discover these—and more!—benefits for yourself!
