You’d have to pretty much live in a plastic bubble to not have noticed all the hype these days about gluten free diets. But if you’re anything like me when this all started, you’ve probably asked, “why go gluten free?” Is this just another “fad diet”?
The rise in gluten free products came about as more and more have been diagnosed with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity in recent years. It’s most likely not so much that these are “new” illnesses as it is new research has presented a solution to symptoms so many have suffered from for years. In our own personal experience, we started researching into gluten free options when we were told that children with ADHD, Autism, and Asperger’s can experience significant improvement by going on a gluten free diet. Our youngest son has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome so of course we jumped on the band wagon! While treating children with sensory issues through diet, it’s not only the gluten factor as there are other aspects of the diet that needs to be closely watched, but we did began to see practically immediate improvement in our son. And as a side benefit, I lost some weight as well and found I felt a whole lot better going gluten free!
So, for the average person without celiac, gluten sensitivity, ADHD, Autism, or Asperger’s, why go gluten free? What are the benefits? Good question! Read through this list and determine whether you experience any of these symptoms. To be honest, many people have a gluten sensitivity without even realizing it. Once they give up gluten, they are surprised to find symptoms previously attributed to other factors, suddenly disappear!
Gluten Sensitivity Symptoms (This list if FAR from exhaustive! These are just some of the more common symptoms)
- Bloating
- Abdominal pain or discomfort
- Bone or joint pain
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Anemia
- Depression
- Eczema
- Headaches
- Chronic exhaustion
- Mood swings
- Infertility
- Abnormal menstrual cycles
Easing into a gluten free diet can be difficult if you don’t know where to start. One thing that has saved us is Shakeology! It’s gluten free and loaded with most of the nutrients our bodies need in a day! So that’s one meal a day I don’t need to worry about planning and figuring out! Also, I have several gluten free recipes here on this site (simply enter ‘gluten free’ in the search box to the left) and here’s a recipe I just made up for my family today. It was one of those days where we all had the “blah’s” so we made cookies! But I didn’t want them having just any old ‘junk’. This is the result – you can tell by the smiles that it was hit!
Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies
1 cup coconut oil
1 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup brown sugar OR raw honey OR other natural sweetener
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour
1 1/2 cups raw oats (if you are celiac or gluten intolerant, check the label to make sure it is a processed in a gluten free facility)
Optional add ins:
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup grated coconut
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blend oil, peanut butter, and sugar. Add in eggs and vanilla and mix well. Stir in salt, soda, and flour; continue to blend till smooth. Stir in oats and desired add-ins. Place 1″ round pieces of dough about an inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork to flatten cookie slightly, making a crisscross pattern. Bake 8 minutes until lightly browned.
