As diet culture is continually being perpetuated and new dining trends flood in and out of the spotlight, there is one that some people such as myself just can’t help but follow. My senior year of high school I realized that not only was gluten the source of many of my skin problems, but gut issues as well. It was not long before my only two week break off of the stuff that I realized I had been constantly consuming something I was highly intolerant to. Although it was an extremely hard goodbye to some of my favorite foods, it was time for a change.
Not only did my obvious allergy symptoms clear up when I gave up gluten, but my energy increased, my joints had eased pain, and I felt an improvement in my mental state. This was also partially due to the fact that gluten is in most processed foods, so by giving it up I was unintentionally adapting to a much healthier diet which consisted of more whole foods. Don’t get me wrong, however, I still enjoy the new and abundant gluten free snacks and sweets that are being created! If you are like me, or if you just want to try something new, here are some of my favorite gluten free alternatives:
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For baking– using rice, almond, coconut, oat or any other type of flour rather than wheat is a nice alternative!
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Cauliflower crust for pizza
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I would highly recommend gluten free pretzels (honestly I think they taste better than the real ones)
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Going grilled instead of fried
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Tates Bake Shop GF cookies
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QUINOA