Tri-Wellness
  • Home
  • About
    • Lisa Shanken
    • Brooke Null
  • Wellness Services
    • Personal Wellness Services
    • Festival Wellness Services
  • Executive Function Coaching
  • Blog
  • Contact

Schedule An Appointment

Tri-Wellness

Tri-Wellness

The Best Online Executive Functioning Coach

Schedule An Appointment

  • Home
  • About
    • Lisa Shanken
    • Brooke Null
  • Wellness Services
    • Personal Wellness Services
    • Festival Wellness Services
  • Executive Function Coaching
  • Blog
  • Contact
Gluten Free

How to Easily Transition To A Gluten Free Diet

By Lisa Shanken
January 24, 2023

Switching to a gluten free diet has been pretty trendy over the past few years (especially if you reside in my hometown of Boulder, CO), but for good reason! Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease causing an allergy to wheat, is one reason people may be forced to go gluten free (but that only affects about 1% of the U.S. population). However, many people in recent years, including myself, have found they are sensitive to gluten, which is harder to detect.

Gluten is a protein in wheat, and people with sensitivities report a wide range of symptoms when they eat gluten including digestive upset, joint pain, headaches, and brain fog. To date, no studies have found evidence that gluten is the cause of these symptoms, yet emerging evidence is starting to show gluten can cause gastrointestinal discomfort for some people, especially those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Many people report these symptoms go away once they remove gluten from their diets. A 2017 study showed gluten has inflammatory properties and can negatively impact the gut microbiome and intestinal permeability. A reliable test for gluten-intolerance is yet to exist, so we really have no choice but to rely on what we feel in our bodies plus experimenting with how we feel when we omit gluten. 

Substituting gluten with gluten-free processed and packaged foods can be just as harmful as eating gluten. My goal is to give you some tips on transitioning to a gluten-free diet without making you feel too deprived nor by relying on unhealthy gluten-free substitutes. It is important, if cutting gluten, to ensure you are still including nutritious, whole grains into your diet.

Let’s begin with identifying the most common foods containing gluten. This includes anything with wheat, such as wheat-based (the most common kind) pasta, breads, pastries, pancakes/waffles, processed chips and snacks, wheat-based crackers, soy sauce, plus a few non-wheat grains including barley, farro, couscous (not a whole grain), spelt, kamut, farina, and rye. But don’t panic because there are many naturally gluten-free whole grains and delicious foods you can add into your diet to leave you feeling satisfied with more energy and a healthier gut!

  1. Start adding naturally gluten-free whole grains into your diet. This includes brown rice, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, and amaranth. Try some delicious recipes that contain these whole grains including fried rice, quinoa burrito bowls, and no-bake granola bars.
  2. Try almond-flour bread instead of wheat based-breads. It’s easy to make at home (even for the non-bakers out there, which would be me!) and delicious. You can make healthy sandwiches and toast with this almond flour loaf.
  3. If you love your pancake breakfast in the morning, try these protein pancakes. Also easy to make, they will absolutely satisfy your short-stack craving. Make some extra because they are great to reheat for a quick breakfast.
  4. Granola is another great gluten-free substitute that can add crunch and flavor when you feel like you are starting to miss gluten-filled cold cereals. 
  5. Bread-based sandwich alternatives also can be an easy fix. Try using lettuce or a corn tortilla as a wrap for any sandwich, put a burger between two portobello mushrooms, or make a turkey sandwich using Cauliflower Thins. Getting creative can be fun and still offer convenient, on the go, lunch solutions.
  6. Soy sauce has gluten, but you can use either tamari, a naturally brewed soy sauce without gluten, or coconut aminos, which are naturally gluten free. With both, it’s hard to tell the difference from real soy sauce.
  7. There are many naturally whole foods-based gluten-free snack options including nuts, dips like hummus and Bitchin’ Sauce, all types of fruit and veggies, corn tortilla chips, dried chickpea snacks like Biena Snacks, dried seaweed snacks, popcorn, and rice cakes.
  8. Of course there will be times when you want to turn to packaged foods, and in moderation, this is absolutely fine.  (I usually tell people to try to abide by the 80/20 rule.) Some of my favorite gluten-free brands (and some are just naturally gluten-free, without trying to swap in other ingredients) include Simple Mills almond-flour based crackers and other products, Hippeas chips, Tinkyada (brown rice based) and Banza (chickpea based) pastas, Caulipower pizza, and BFree breads. 

I would love to hear what whole-foods based gluten-free snacks you include in your diet, so feel free to reply here or send any other questions you may have.

Share this article
Previous Post
<
Next Post
>
profile-image

Lisa Shanken

My passion is to help you live your healthiest and most harmonious life, but in a way that’s realistic and practical for you as a unique individual on this planet. My philosophy is all about “balance,” never a diet since a diet is not sustainable for life, aka Kill The Diet.

Related Posts
Spring Cleansing

Spring Cleansing

By Lisa Shanken
March 31, 2023
Hooray, spring is officially here! Spring is a time of renewal, growth, and starting over. Our bodies start to adjust to the warming weather, and we shift our diets from hearty warming foods to lighter spring foods such as arugula, asparagus, artichokes, and peas.  With the season of regrowth and...
Read Article
Supporting Things Close To Your Heart

Supporting Things Close To Your Heart

By Lisa Shanken
February 24, 2023
Happy February (and almost the end of winter!). This month I was lucky enough to be part of the Wellness At Sea program on Jam Cruise, a very special 6 night music festival at sea. Many of you know that some of my greatest passions in life include wellness and...
Read Article
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 82
  • Go to Next Page »

Testimonials

Lisa’s weight loss plan really gave me a new insight to healthy eating and living. I was diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2015. Healthy living/easting/exercise has become very important to me and my family and this program really helped me get even more on the course with this and helped me lose weight.

Danielle D, Great Neck, NY

When I heard about the 10 Day Weight Loss Challenge, I wasn’t sure if it would be a good fit, since as a physician, I understand nutrition and health (and therefore knew the dangers of fad diets, etc…), and I do my best to exercise (though not always enough). But as a single mother of 2, it’s still very challenging ti “fit in all in” (including cooking healthy meals for my children) due to my busy schedule. And when my time is short, bad habits crop up and weight gain follows.

Dr. Gila Ackerman, Boulder, CO

Psychiatrist
Lisa has made an enormous contribution to my health and strength. I have seen and felt the most fantastic changes in an amazingly short time.

Chessie F, Boulder, CO

I just wanted to say you were amazing through this 10 day process! I learned so much from you! You were very thorough in all areas of the challenge and got back to us in such a quick manner with our questions. It was a great jump start into a more healthy life style that’s for sure!

Colby E, Boulder, Colorado

I LOVE the recipes, simple, few ingredients, appealing. I like the idea of using the list of staples you provided when i was tempted to cheat!

Phyliss S, Spring House, PA

I worked with Lisa to develop a holistic wellness plan that has allowed personal growth without having to completely change my lifestyle. Her programs are designed around your personal needs, so I always feel like I've gotten the most from my sessions and leave with manageable goals. Lisa's three-prong approach to wellness (fitness, nutrition and health) is helping me live a balanced and grateful life.

Ali S., Boulder, CO

I’ve been through the ringer with different dieting plans through the years. Some helped me lose weight and some didn’t – but it didn’t matter because I would always gain it back. I didn’t know if this 10 day Weight Loss Challenge would be the answer since everyone says they have the “BEST” way to lose weight. But this one seemed to be more doable – like instead of starving myself, keeping track of calories (“been there done that – VERY annoying!”) and things I know I wouldn’t stick to.

Jill W, Park, NY

Lisa, you have been a very positive role model for me! Through the exercise and diet I’m becoming healthy and more positive about my life!!! Thanks!

Melissa B, Boulder, Colorado

Blog Articles

Spring Cleansing

Spring Cleansing

Read More »
Supporting Things Close To Your Heart

Supporting Things Close To Your Heart

Read More »
Gluten Free

How to Easily Transition To A Gluten Free Diet

Read More »
  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 55
  • Go to Next Page »

Send Us A Message

Footer

triw-logo-link2-with-URL-e1576220504179-1@2x-min

Quick Links

  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Member’s Area
  • Contact

Services

  • Personal Wellness Services
  • Festival Wellness Services
  • Executive Function Coaching

Newsletter Signup

Get the latest wellness, nutrition, fitness, and 
mental health tips and news from Tri-Wellness 
delivered straight to your inbox.
Subscribe Now

Copyright 2022. Lisa Shanken. All Rights Reserved
Designed and Developed by Gloss

  • Disclosure Policy
  • Medical Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service