Courtesy of Food Matters

Many people realize they have a sensitivity to gluten when they eat a food containing it, because afterwards they will experience aches and pains, headaches, lethargy, irritability, acne, and digestive discomforts such as bloating or gas.
Changing to a gluten-free lifestyle can seem overwhelming, but if you’re ready to make a commitment to your health and cut gluten out of your life completely, here are some suggestions that will help:

• Roast, grill or slow cook meats to have on hand throughout the week-healthy meats are perfect to always have on hand in the fridge, pre-cooked and chopped up so you can quickly whip up a meal;
• Have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables on hand– go to local farmers markets on the weekend and stock your fridge with fresh seasonal fruit and vegetables. You can pre-cut vegetables and store in containers- wrap them with a moist tea towel to extend the freshness. Excess fruit can be easily chopped and frozen in small ziplock bags to be added to smoothies or made into purees or jams;
• Utilize your oven and slow cooker– a slow cooker can be handy when you have little to no time to make dinner. Put your meat, veggies and stock into the slow cooker and leave it on while you’re at work, and you will come home to a dinner that only needs to be plated up. The leftovers can be eaten for breakfast or taken to work the next day;
• Use gluten-free flour alternative-keep nut and seed flours (almond, hazelnut, sunflower seed meal, etc.) on hand and store them in the freezer to extend the shelf life and deter them from going rancid. You can also use coconut, buckwheat, arrowroot, tapioca and banana flours;
• Shop smarter-Learn to navigate the supermarket aisles and aim to shop in mainly the perimeter where all the fresh foods are kept;.
• Become a label reading expert-avoid refined and processed packaged foods and stick to whole, fresh and seasonal food. If you do purchase something in a package, avoid anything with an ingredient list that looks like a chemical laboratory. Dubious ingredients you don’t recognize, more often than not, will contain gluten;
• Vary your diet-when you first begin, you may be scared to branch out and try new things. Don’t be afraid to have fun and get creative in the kitchen. The internet is brimming with healthy gluten-free meal, snack and drink inspirations;
• Stock your kitchen well-make sure you have your pantry stocked with the basics, such as turmeric, cinnamon, paprika, pepper, Himalayan salt, coconut oil, olive and nut oils, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and coconut, rice, quinoa and buckwheat. Make sure your fridge is packed and ready with basics like homemade pesto which can be added to plain meats and salads for extra flavor. Lastly, try growing a garden or a small patch where you can plant your own leafy greens and herbs;
• Become informed-if you’re a parent, you have a job to educate your children about wholesome real foods and why it is important for them to not consume food which has been manipulated, refined and overly processed. Become informed and educated about food and don’t be cajoled by advertising and marketing- many times you will find that it can be misleading.