80 Best Gluten Free Desserts For The Holidays
“I’ve got to give up more food?!?!” is what ran through my mind a year ago. As if it wasn’t enough to already be gluten-free, now I’d need to part with my friend Legumes (aka. beans) as well as the final Grains in my diet (rice and quinoa). That’s what was required if I was to give a Paleo Gluten Free Diet a try.
Though it took me nearly two months to wrap my head around, I decided to ease into Paleo so that I could figure out if it could really work for me. Though I’d been gluten-free since 2008, I still have other autoimmune issues that gluten-free wasn’t quite helping and it was suggested to me about a year ago by Robb Wolf’s right-hand Chris Williams (aka. Squatchy) at the Paleo f(x) conference to give a Paleo Gluten Free Diet an honest try.
Paleo Gluten Free Diet: Why Give it a Try
Was I nervous and bummed to give up more food? Absolutely.
Going gluten-free in 2008 felt like less upsetting because I was so sick, but these other nagging issues are things I just deal with. Thus the sense of urgency or necessity wasn’t quite there this time around. Friends asked me why I’d eliminate more food from my diet and if I was just jumping on the bandwagon to fit in at my Crossfit gym. I knew I wasn’t doing this for a fad, but to explore what else could be causing issues with my overall health. And what I discovered turned out to be incredibly worth it which is why I want to share my experience with you.
I began removing legumes fro my diet and after a couple of attempts to reintroduce them a month later, I discovered that I react strongly to beans. I had so much digestive discomfort, gas, bloating and diarrhea that I really don’t miss them all so much now. This is coming from someone who LOVED beans and put them in just about everything!
Then I removed grains and yet again had another interesting experience. After three weeks of eating a Paleo Gluten Free Diet — I had ZERO sugar cravings. I felt much more focused and even-keeled with energy that would wake me up at 5:45 am ready to start my day. It wasn’t a struggle to keep myself from eating old “gluten-free” treats and the occasional gluten-free junk foods because I literally felt no desire at all to eat it. It’s the first time I can honestly say that I felt fully content with what I was eating in general as well as directly after eating a meal.
Here’s a few ideas I used to stopped eating grains and legumes —
- Swap out the beans in chili with more veggies (frozen veggies work wonders for this).
- Exchange rice or quinoa with a sweet potato or cauliflower rice (which cooks in less than 10 minutes).
- Use romaine lettuce to make wraps filled with roasted meat, fish, avocado and other veggies.
- Keep your fruit bowl loaded with pears, apples and berries so you don’t have to scrounge around to find a snack or treat.
What further amazed me is that I wasn’t really doing any extra cooking! Many of the shortcuts I used to make the transition to a Paleo Gluten Free Diet easier and cost effective can be found in my book “The Savvy Gluten-Free Shopper: How to Eat Healthy without Breaking the Bank”.
8 Tips to Simplify Eating a Paleo Gluten Free Diet
1. Create a plan for meals. This is a must! No plan equals failure for most people when you are not used to cooking and eating a certain way.
[Need help planning meals? Click here to check out my resource on how to become a pro in no time!]
2. Freeze additional servings for when you’re short on time to cook. With the exception of fish, pretend there are 2 or 3 extra people in your house you’ve got to cook for. Freeze those servings in single serving containers.
3. When eating out, focus on protein and veggies. It makes picking a meal so much easier. I look usually stick with salads and then get a piece of fish or meat on top.
4. Eat a bigger lunch. You’ll be less likely to get hungry at 3 or 4 pm and start looking for something you shouldn’t eat.
5. Keep your freezer stocked with frozen veggies, frozen fruit, meat and fish.
6. Use leftovers for Breakfast. You don’t necessarily have to eat sweet foods or traditional breakfast foods for breakfast. It’s just a time slot for eating.
7. Add more fat to meals. Get creative and give avocado, coconut oil, nuts and seeds a try! Avocado is great added to a soup or salad. Coconut is wonderful to cook with while nuts and seeds are highly versatile.
8. Love your leftovers. A person who hates leftovers is bound to cook a lot. By portioning out your food for a few meals, you can have healthy, Paleo gluten free “fast food” without all the effort.
Want to Learn More? Win a Pass to Paleo f(x) 2014!
Since I was so inspired to learn more and give the Paleo Gluten Free Diet a go after attending the 2013 Paleo f(x) conference, I have decided to give the gift of this amazing conference to one of you!
If you’re passionate and excited to learn from some of the most incredible minds (Click here to see who’s speaking!!!) who are on the cutting edge health, wellness, nutrition and medicine, then Paleo f(x) would be right up your alley. I left this conference feeling inspired and empowered to learn more about how I could help not only myself, but everyone in the GFS community to get back in control of their health issues and start feeling better!
The Paleo f(x) conference is held in Austin, TX from April 11th to the 13th (2014) at the beautiful Palmer Conference Center.
I want one motivated student to join me at the event (I’ll also be speaking on a panel about the Gluten-Free Diet) for an all-access opportunity to learn, meet incredible people from all over the world interested in health, try new foods and learn new cooking techniques! This ticket gives you entrance to the entire 3-day conference and access to all of the stages for lectures and panels and the expo floor to meet vendors and try their latest products. Meet your favorite authors and experts (several of whom have been on my podcast)!
In order to win, you must enter the Rafflecopter giveaway below, be over 18 years old and have a current student ID which you are required to present at the conference registration in Austin, TX. This ticket (worth $244 US) does not include airfare, travel expenses, hotel or meals. The winner is responsible to any expenses outside of this all-access pass to the 2014 Paleo f(x) conference.
Good luck and I look forward to meeting the winner in Austin!!!
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Question: I’m still having sweet cravings on Paleo. What can I do to stop them? I noticed in your article that they went away.
I am trying hard to follow a Paleo diet. I’ve given up everything but on occasion I still want ice cream even though I have no desire for milk or cheese.
thank you
What is your favorite recipe?
My experience has been very similar to yours. I hardly ever eat baked goods now, but when I do (and it doesn’t have to be much), I immediately get headaches and I also get very sleepy. The only grain I still eat is rice because for some reason I have no negative symptoms after eating rice.
Great blog!
i signed up for the newsletter!
I did the Paleo diet and lost 56lbs in a year, coupled with excersize. 🙂 I’m currently 35 weeks pregnant so I have been cheating and indulging .y cravings but once my little guy is here its right back to it! 🙂
Great stuff!
There’s a great list of tips in there to help out anybody who is going to make this switch 🙂
Appreciate it!
My husband just found out that he cannot eat eggs. I was looking to find your recipe for a paleo bread. I thought that it did not have eggs. I was searching your site but cannot find it. Can you locate that for me? Thanks.