Why be Gluten Free?

Gluten free has certainly become a popular trend in the past couple of years. With the endless amounts of diets out there, gluten free is an easy way to incorporate them all into one big lifestyle. Gluten free is not just a form of eating healthy, it is a way of life, and it has countless beneficial effects that one would never imagine when first starting it. Yes, the whole idea of being gluten free may come across as intimidating or impossible to do, but it is in fact the opposite. Being gluten free opens the eyes of those who were once oblivious to the healthy alternatives of everyday foods.

Ordering a pizza with your friends and having to sit there and watch them eat it is certainly painful to say the least. Being gluten free is hard when having to avoid convenient, cheap and popular foods, pizza just being one of them. Cookies, pasta, pretzels, chicken fingers, cereal, bread and nearly anything you can think of that is chewy and delicious, has gluten. Despite these negatives, being gluten free does have it’s perks. A gluten free eater is able to maintain a healthy diet that influences their everyday life and also have significantly higher energy levels during their day.

Gluten promotes an all around healthy lifestyle. Since there is gluten in nearly every type of bread, someone who is gluten free is forced to choose the healthier option out of the two in every situation. For example, in the morning, instead of eating a bagel someone who is gluten free may choose to eat a yogurt. This single choice carries on throughout their day eventually forming a domino effect that leads to continuous healthy choices. At lunch, let’s say, there is a salad and a big sandwich. As a result of the choice made that morning, the gluten free eater has no choice but to delve into the salad. Gluten free eaters often snack on fruits and veggies because they simply can’t eat the popular snacks of pretzels or most granola bars. These actions may be small, but believe me, at the end of the day you will realize how simple it is to be gluten free and how exciting healthy eating can really be!

Gluten isn’t just a form of dieting, for it is a way of life that leaves lasting effect on it’s eaters. Gluten free eating is known for increasing energy levels, and many times resulting in positive attitudes. When exiting gluten out of a diet, the body is able to build up tons of energy which can be used later on in the day for sports, working out, or even just doing schoolwork. This increase in levels of energy  is a natural way of balancing a strong and active lifestyle while maintaining an incredibly healthy diet.

Summarily, gluten free eating is intimidating. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, gluten is delicious and addicting and impossible to live without. You may think so, but it’s certainly not. Going gluten free not only changes your diet, but it also changes you, as a person. The lessons learned while living a life free of gluten are lifelong and teach a person to maintain the willpower needed to reach a goal.