I would have to say transitioning to becoming gluten-free was one of the hardest goals I’ve set for myself. The act of cutting gluten out of your life is more work than one might think. It isn’t just cutting food out of your diet, it’s finding alternatives that you actually want to eat.
So, I’m not going to lie to you and say that cutting gluten out of your life is easy but I will tell you why I think you should do it. The perks of going gluten-free will vary for everyone but most of these reasons are gonna benefit anyone!
Your brain fog could disappear
Before I completely cut gluten out of my life, I was constantly attempting to refocus my attention. It seemed I could never concentrate on anything, and I always felt fuzzy in my brain.
It took a while for the symptom of eating gluten to reduce after cutting it out but it happened. I finally felt like I could actually hear myself think and my brain didn’t feel muffled anymore.
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It could reduce your bloating
One of my main symptoms of eating gluten was that I was always incredibly bloated. My stomach always hurt and I never felt like I could suck my stomach in.
I was very happy when I could eat a meal and actually feel normal after! It took so much pain away from my stomach and even helped my digestion.
Resource: My girl wellness is my most recommended product to pair with your gluten-free diet for bloating! As the photo below states; their product can help you absorb nutrients better and assist with bloating. Let me know if you try it and if it helps you!
You could have more energy
My low energy levels were one of the worst symptoms I experienced when eating gluten. There was a time before being diagnosed with an allergy to gluten when I went on a date and ate a large sandwich. I literally ended up falling asleep in the car on the date.
I could not figure out why I was so tired until much later on. It was embarrassing for one, and very inconvenient on the other hand! The fact that I can wake up feeling energized now is a godsend!
Resource: If you are finding you have more energy then looking into Resilience Agenda is a must. Our mental health often falls in the gutter when we are eating gluten and experiencing all the negative symptoms. If you are starting to feel better, get a head start on taking care of your mental health!
Promotes a healthier palette as you often need to cook for yourself
The majority of restaurants around my town do not provide a gluten-free option, especially fast food chains. This has caused me to cook at home much more than I ever did before eating gluten-free.
A large part of eating gluten-free for me has been incorporating more vegetables to make up for the lack of gluten. This has been beneficial as I struggled to eat vegetables before!
Resource: The Balanced Company has been incredibly helpful when it comes to making better food choices. Cutting gluten out of your life doesn't make avoiding sugar any easier. Let me know how you like their food!
Requires you to learn to cook
As my point above states, going gluten-free forces you to learn to cook. Unless you want to eat a carrot for dinner every night you will need to learn how to cook basic gluten-free foods.
They often are more vegetable oriented which is difficult to get used to but so beneficial!
Resource: I highly recommend looking into Best Planner Ever so that you can begin planning out your meals! It can get overwhelming when you are hungry and don't know what to cook or even how.
It could reduce headaches
As I mentioned before; not all these benefits are going to occur in everyone's life. I have been told by many people that going gluten-free helped their headaches which is amazing.
I personally have not had that benefit which just means that they are being caused by something else!
Resource: There is a company called Thera that sells weighted blankets that I've found incredibly helpful with headaches!
You could feel lighter
While I was eating gluten I felt like I was swimming through peanut butter. It literally felt like gravity wasn’t working properly and I was getting pushed down.
It was terrible, and made me feel like I just needed to sleep all the time! If that is you you will be encouraged to hear that that has improved for me! The gluten was just not getting processed in my body so I couldn’t function properly.
Resource: Silk and Sonder have been a godsend for my self-care after removing gluten from my diet. Once you begin experiencing mental clarity back in your life these self-care journals are a must. They truly keep you grounded and so grateful for your health!
It could heal other symptoms such as acne
I had terrible acne growing up. It wasn’t quite cystic acne thankfully but it wasn’t great either. I felt my skin change for the better as I cut gluten out of my life. It wasn’t as oily anymore and I had much fewer breakouts!
Resource: Glimmer Goddess is always the way to go when it comes to a skincare routine!
It introduces new tastes
Before I started eating gluten-free I ate pretty much the same palette each day. I didn’t try new foods and spices in my food as I often didn’t cook as much. The second I decided to be gluten-free I realized that I would have to be open-minded to new foods.
I needed to find alternatives to what I was eating on a daily basis. It was difficult at first, and I found many foods I didn’t like! However, I found many that I adore now and eat a lot of the time such as spaghetti squash.
Resource: Botanical Interest is the place to go to get all of your seeds for the vegetables you are going to need when you start eating gluten-free!
Gives you a goal in life
For some of us, this is going to be the best reason to become gluten-free. It gave me a goal that I could focus my energy on and learn about something new.
I needed some structure in my life especially right then when I got diagnosed so becoming gluten-free gave me that.
Resource: Soothi's journals have been an incredible resource when it comes to documenting and staying on track with my goals in life. I highly recommend grabbing one so you can journal your way through this new life transition!
As I mentioned before, going gluten-free could be one of the most beneficial things you have ever done for yourself. These benefits are the hope but we do have to be realistic and know that not everyone will experience these. We hope we do, but I encourage you to strive for these results! If going gluten-free doesn't achieve them then look for other options.
You deserve to feel human again and want to get out of bed every morning. I believe in you and I hope you believe in yourself. Let's do this!
Comment below if you try any of these resources!