Chapter 20

Ten Tips to Help You Love the Gluten-Free Lifestyle

In This Chapter

Delighting in the foods you can eat

Wrestling for control of the diet

Taking a bite out of boredom with an occasional splurge

Living life like you did before

T he transition from gluten-gorger to ‘gluten-free is good for me’ is harder for some people than others. Learning to live the lifestyle is one thing; learning to love it is sometimes quite another. Sometimes you’re going along just fine with your gluten-free lifestyle and suddenly changes in your pattern of life or the way you’re feeling make it much harder to resist your gluten-gorging friends who seem to be taunting you with gluten galore. But this chapter helps you with ideas to love your new lifestyle.

Focusing on What You Can Eat

Staring into a pantry and seeing nothing but gluten is really easy. Sometimes you may seem to find more gluten around you than oxygen molecules. It’s true — gluten is everywhere — yet the reality is that the list of things you can eat is a lot longer than the list of things you can’t. You just have to shift your thinking a tad. Instead of thinking about the foods you can’t have anymore, focus on the foods you can eat and put a special emphasis on those that you especially enjoy. If you’re feeling a little restricted or deprived, treat yourself to your favourite gluten-free indulgences. Try to think outside the box and explore foods you may not otherwise have tried, or work out how to make your favourite dish into a gluten-freebie (Chapter 9 helps you get creative in the kitchen). Before you know it, you’ll realise that the gluten-free diet may have its restrictions, but it’s definitely not restrictive.

Expanding Your Culinary Horizons with Alternative Grains

A bold, gluten-free world is out there filled with foods some people have never heard of: Quinoa, amaranth, millet, buckwheat, teff and sorghum top the list for us. Don’t underestimate your kids’ willingness to try new foods, either. Even if they’re reluctant to experiment at first, they usually make the leap and learn to broaden their horizons. Whether your palate is conditioned to enjoy subtle flavours or foods exploding with flavour, you may find a whole new world of unique and sometimes exceptionally nutritious foods.

Thinking Globally

Many cultures use naturally gluten-free ingredients in their cooking. Some Asian cuisines, including Thai, Vietnamese and Korean, are often gluten-free, as are many Mexican and Indian dishes. Do some research on the internet to find out which ingredients a particular culture uses, or explore cookbooks featuring recipes from around the world. You can work out how to cook foods from those cultures or venture out to restaurants to enjoy a new taste experience gluten-free — globally!

Controlling the Diet

Whether you’re 2 or 102, if you’re going gluten-free, you need to take control of the diet. The diet can suddenly control things like what you eat, when and where you eat, with whom you eat and even how you eat. But remember that you’re in control. You decide what you’re going to eat, when you’re going to eat and with whom.

Planning ahead helps, and we talk about menu planning and shopping in Chapter 8. Making sure something’s always available for you when you’re hungry is also important. If your child’s on the diet, start giving him or her some control from an early age. People usually underestimate kids’ ability to understand the diet and why being strict about following it is so important. Check out Chapter 17 for more about raising happy, healthy, gluten-free kids.

Eating to Live, Not Living to Eat

Your body is designed to use food as fuel, not as a comforter, pacifier or partner-replacer. Sure, food has become a huge part of society and interpersonal relationships and, by definition, social functions all revolve around food. But that doesn’t mean food is the social function, nor does that mean you have to eat the food that’s there. Food tastes good and having a full belly often feels good. But food serves a greater purpose and you should treat it as fueler, not filler.

Remembering You’re Different — So What?

People talk about wanting to be unique and yet they cringe when they’re afraid they appear out of step. The bottom line is that everyone is different, even when people try to look the same. If you’re on the gluten-free diet, your bread may look a little different and you may sometimes appear to be a tad high-maintenance at a restaurant. So what? Many people ‘customise’ a menu. Vegetarians skip a huge portion of the buffet section. Some people don’t like chicken, others avoid dairy foods and some can die if they eat the wrong foods. People have ‘different’ diets and lifestyles. Yours happens to be healthy, delicious and the key to your better health.

Enjoying a (Gluten-Free) Splurge

If you put too many restrictions on yourself in trying to maintain a healthy, gluten-free lifestyle, you may just find yourself getting bored and frustrated and feeling deprived. Give yourself a break. Indulge from time to time in your favourite gluten-free extravagance, whether it happens to be a sweet treat or a baked potato loaded with sour cream and butter. Finding and maintaining a good balance is an important part of any lifestyle.

Helping People to Help You

Let your friends know when you’ve discovered a new line of delicious gluten-free biscuits or which bread is best for you. Most good friends will get the hint and have something suitable for when you call in — if they don’t eat it themselves before your next visit. When you find a local cafe or restaurant that caters well for coeliacs, tell them how thrilled you are to get a great meal/snack and try to go there again. It’s good for business and it’s good for you. The more people are educated about gluten-free food, the better it is for everyone.

Turning Away from Temptation

Avoid putting yourself in tempting situations when you can, saving your strength for when you have no choice in the matter. You’re not doing yourself any favours if you surround yourself with titbits of temptation, whether in the workplace, at home, or in social situations. You probably shouldn’t take that job at the bakery. This world has enough gluten to go around without setting yourself up for temptation and frustration.

Dealing with It, Not Dwelling on It

If you’re mad, sad, grief-stricken, confused, frustrated, agitated and downright fed-up about having to live without gluten, that’s okay. Many people experience those feelings, especially if they’re forced to embark upon an entirely new — and sometimes very different — lifestyle. But deal with those feelings and move on. Call on your friends, family and support groups; share with them how you’re feeling, and let them try to help you work through the feelings. If you need professional help, get it. You can make the choice to feel miserable and deprived, or accept what has happened and get on with enjoying life to the full.