Going Gluten-Free and Guilt Free

**Editor’s Note: I recently participated in a Blog Swap. It was organized by AJ at Confessions of a Fat Girl. The idea was to get a blogger to walk in another blogger’s shoes. What would happen if an organizational expert had to write for a health and fitness blog? Or a single woman had to write for a parenting blog? It gave those of us who participated the opportunity to dabble in areas that may be foreign to us. I had a blast and would love to participate in something like this again. You can check out the post I wrote over at Raised by Culture.

Now I would like to introduce you to my guest blogger, Sondra from Happy Healthy Hip Parenting. Enjoy!  -Lindsay 

Sondra from Happy Healthy Hip Parenting.

I’ve been super healthy my entire life (knocking on wood) but recently have heard many friends and family members talk about how they have taken gluten out of their diet and seen some great improvements to their overall health.

In case you think going gluten-free is a fad among those not diagnosed with Celiac Disease, let me point out that many sources have shown that the following symptoms can be relieved when eliminating gluten all together.

• Chronic fatigue. If you’ve been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, I would suggest going gluten-free for a few days to determine if this helps alleviate your symptoms.
• Digestive issues such as bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation. Yes, it could be something you’re eating.
• Hormonal imbalance such as PMS or unexplained infertility.
• Migraine headaches.
• Inflammation, swelling or pain in your joints.
• Rheumatoid arthritis, Lupus, Psoriasis, Multiple sclerosis (diagnosed by a doctor).
• Mood issues such as anxiety, depression and ADD.
• Dizziness or feeling light-headed / off balance.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you read several of these and nodded your head. Yes, I can say all of these “symptoms” have affected me a great deal over the years.  Although they have been relatively minor discomforts, I can see that if going gluten-free is going to alleviate any, or all of these things, I will just go ahead and throw out all the bread, bagels and other gluten-filled products from my cabinets.

Of course, if I’m to go gluten-free, I wonder what that means for my family and how our daily meals will be affected. I certainly don’t feel guilty about eliminating gluten from their diet if it will help to avoid any of the above issues for them.

What I’ve come to find in my research – reading online medical journals and blogs from those living a gluten-free lifestyle due to Celiac Disease – is that there are some pretty amazing recipes out there that you can still enjoy.

I’ve collected quite a few on my Gluten-Free Pinterest board in the last few months. Here are a few of my favorites.

1)   Pineapple and Cashew “Rice”

2)   Chicken and Asparagus Lemon Stir Fry

3)   Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Bake

4)   Beefy Nacho Casserole

5)   Gluten-Free Veggie Pizza

Since Mexican food is a standard favorite in our house, it’s been quite refreshing to discover that most corn tortilla chips are gluten-free. Many companies are beginning to label them that way as well.

If you want a great resource on gluten-free brands, I recommend you follow Rachel Martin’s blog, Finding the Joy, where she posts frequently on living gluten-free.

Click Here to read all the posts from this crazy link up!