Get rid of the GLUTEN!
Easier said than done, right?!?! Stay away from those products containing wheat, barley, rye and tricticale. Get rid of the breads, pastas, cookies, crackers, soy sauce, spice mixes, salad dressings that ARE NOT clearly labeled Gluten Free! Or, put them is a designated cabinet for your other gluten eating family members. Out of site, out of mind…will help you to productively stay GF!
Meal plan each week! Help yourself by being prepared!
You MUST make time for yourself! Look ahead at your upcoming week, see how many evenings that you have activities- those may be “Crock-Pot” nights, if you are getting kids ready for school and are out of the house early to work- make smoothies and stash the pre-filled bags in the freezer or have make-ahead muffins on hand. Need some quick lunches to grab?? Make a few salads in mason jars so that they are ready to go! Once you have decided on what you want to prep, based on your week, make your grocery list, then GO SHOP! Come home and spend an hour prepping or cooking ahead. YOU WILL THANK YOURSELF for taking this time in doing so! If you have a plan set AND stick to it, you will not feel as overwhelmed. (Need new recipes? Follow my boards on Pinterest for tons of new suggestions! @amyGFgirl)
Shop the sales and stock up!
Stock up on your favorites when they are on sale! DID YOU KNOW this secret about SPROUTS Farmers Market??? Every Wednesday is double ad day, this means double the savings! Every week Sprouts has a savings ad that comes out, WEDNESDAY is the day that the ads overlap from one week to the next, resulting in double savings! Which is a perfect time to stock up on your gluten free freezer and pantry items.
Let technology help you!
Not sure if an item/product is gluten free? Use GOOGLE! Check out your app store and download the FREE “Gluten Free Scanner” app. Use the “Find Me Gluten Free” app to search for restaurants of all types, wherever you are. Use the “Open Table” app to search restaurants near you that have gluten free items on their menu. Follow some of my favorite gluten free blogs for more GF ideas: I am Well and Good, GOOP, King Arthur’s Flour, Gluten Free on a Shoestring, Noshtastic, Gluten Free Goddess, Against all grain, Love and Lemons…just to name a few.
Speak up!
Celiac’s Disease/ Gluten Intolerance is NOT classified as an allergy. But most people don’t know that. So, when you are at a restaurant and they look at you like you are crazy and clearly don’t understand what it means to be gluten free, then tell them that you are TERRIBLY ALLERGIC! This buzzword, even though you and I know it’s not entirely correct, will save your stomach! (Then, next time use the Open Table app to choose a more GF friendly restaurant!)
Don’t Cheat!
I cannot stress this enough…. PLEASE, PLEASE DON’T CHEAT! If you have Celiac’s or a gluten intolerance then you cannot cheat on a gluten free diet! This is NOT a weight loss plan where you can splurge or have a “cheat day” on a Friday night. These are the people who eat GF because they have to, where even the tiniest bit of gluten will make them sick! If you are just trying to eliminate some gluten from your current diet to try and make healthier choices, then just take a moment to think of gluten as “glue” (the root word of gluten literally meaning: glue) … Would you want to eat glue? Or would you feed it to your kids?? Then gluten free items/products are GREAT substitutions and they will eliminate your GLUE!
