Being on a gluten-free diet is sure a hot topic these days. In fact, there's even a Celiac Awareness Day now! Because gluten is derived from grains, a lot of people wanting a gluten-free diet option gravitate to the paleo diet, which excludes cereal grains and processed foods. But you don't have to do the paleo diet to avoid gluten. You can make The Hallelujah Diet a gluten-free diet — and it's actually a lot of fun if you'd like to make a gluten-free recipe or two!
Why Try a Gluten-Free Diet?
If you're not sure why there's such a big fuss about being on a gluten-free diet, here's a little overview. Gluten is an elastic-like protein in some grains. Some people have mild sensitivity to gluten, while others experience full blown celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that causes antibodies to attack the stomach lining when even the tiniest amount of gluten enters the digestive tract.
Digestive symptoms of celiac disease/gluten intolerance are most common in young children and infants but still can occur in adults. Adults with a gluten sensitivity typically suffer from unexplained anemia; fatigue; bone or joint pain (sometimes arthritis); bone loss or osteoporosis; depression or anxiety; tingling and/or numbness in the hands and feet; and all kinds of other, seemingly unrelated symptoms. Because gluten is used in so many processed goods, the best way to begin a gluten-free diet is to avoid it is to cook from scratch using whole foods and herbs. This concept is the essence of The Hallelujah Diet: to consume foods that are as close to nature as possible.
Gluten-Free Recipes
There are numerous gluten-free recipe "breads" that can take the place of typical breads (although there are many commercially available gluten-free breads on the market these days. However, Hallelujah Diet has a few of its own gluten-free recipe breads — dehydrated breads — in our gluten-free recipe book, Gluten-Free Resolutions. Dehydrated breads don't resemble your typical loaf bread. However, they're chewy and wholesome like bread because they're loaded with fiber. Plus, they fill you up without the digestive risks of gluten. There are two really tasty versions of these dehydrated breads in this book, “Mexican” (page 52) and “Sun-Dried Tomato” (page 50). And they're not hard to make. They're actually far easier to make than your typical baked breads. Furthermore, because they are made with living vegetables, you get a broad array of living nutrients.
Even if you're not technically sensitive to gluten, we encourage you to give gluten-free meals a shot! Many people find that they feel more energetic and "lighter" because of it. And if you're looking for a gluten-free recipe or two to get you motivated, our gluten-free recipe book is a perfect place to start.
Do you avoid gluten? Comment with your thoughts and questions below!
