Getting the News that You’re Gluten Intolerant
Getting the news that you--or your family member--are gluten-intolerant is always mixed. It’s a relief to find out that gluten is responsible for your medical problems. However, gluten is a difficult ingredient in food to avoid, and it takes a whole new skill-set and mindset to successfully eliminate it from your diet. I have outlined below the advice I offer to my gluten-free (GF) friends, family and clients to help make the GF lifestyle easy and enjoyable.

Take Action

• Find out whether other members of your family are Gluten-Intolerant (GI). It is much easier to manage a GF lifestyle when other people in your family share the same diet (not to mention the health benefits it will bring to them). You can suggest that they get tested or retested for gluten and other foods with more updated, accurate testing. Until recently, standard lab tests were only capable of correctly identifying 50% of those tested for Celiac, according to Dr. Thomas O’Bryan (www.thedr.com). He estimates that a huge percentage (at least 30%, up to 70%?) of the population has some level of gluten sensitivity. Now there is new genetic testing to identify patients who inherit the celiac and non-celiac gluten intolerance genes from their parents and/or pass it down to their children. Visit the following websites of www.cyrexlabs.com or www.enterolab.com to learn more.
• Be prepared and plan ahead. Keep GF food at the office, in the car or in your child’s backpack so that going hungry or eating a forbidden food is not a choice. In advance of an office party, school event or friend’s dinner, contact the host or the parent organizers and offer to bring a GF dish or treat. Also, Chinese restaurants will often agree to use your GF soy sauce in the preparation of your dish. Or, bring your own salad dressing or condiments in a small plastic container to add to your served food. Finally, check out these indispensable tools for food shopping and eating out: Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guides at www.ceciliasmarketplace.com and The Essential Gluten Free Restaurant Guide at www.triumpdining.com. 
• Learn to cook and bake more GF food at home.  This will provide more nutritious variety in your diet and save you money as well.  Supplement some of your GF packaged foods with whole grains like millet, quinoa and kasha as inexpensive, easy and highly nutritious alternatives. If using GF cookbooks or internet recipes feels daunting, seek out gluten-free and allergy-free cooking classes at community centers, adult education organizations, culinary schools and grocery stores.
• Join a support group. This is a crucial resource to maintaining a positive outlook. Support groups connect you with like-minded individuals who share their experiences and offer relevant recommendations for restaurants, food, and other resources. If there is not a support group organized through the Gluten Intolerant Group (GIG – www.gluten.net), or other celiac/GF support groups, you could join or start a group through www.MeetUp.com. Once on this website, you enter your zip code and a few key words like celiac or gluten-free and you may find a ready-made group of people who share your challenges and mind-set. I started such a group called, Happy to be Gluten-Free in Central NJ.
• Seek the advice of an experienced health counselor. The emotional support and guidance of a health professional who has specific experience with gluten-free/allergy living can facilitate transitioning to and maintaining a GF diet. In addition, I recommend reading Living Gluten-Free for Dummies by Danna Korn, and Living Without and Gluten-Free Living magazines. 

Conclusion
There is no greater investment you can make than the effort to enhance your health and well-being. Make an ongoing commitment to do some of the suggestions stated above. With all of the newly available resources, living happily gluten free is not only possible, but easier than it’s ever been. Call me to discuss how I can support you in this journey.

Take the first step to take control of your health.

Call for a free 30-minute phone consultation. 908-242-3763.