How-Tos/ RECIPES

What Is Gluten?

We are thrilled to be welcoming Meghan as our Health & Gluten Free Contributor here at New Nostalgia.  Meghan will be here once a month on Saturday sharing her knowledge of all things gluten free, from tips to recipes.  She has much to share in the area of health, and I know you will enjoy her warmth and knowledge as much as I do.

Meghan newsom
Meghan Newsom
Health & Gluten Free Contributor

Meghan’s site: eat.live. make.

 You can follow her here:
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I am so honored and excited to be a part of New Nostalgia, and the New Nostalgia contributing team! Amy is such a blessing to me, as I know she is to all of you wonderful readers who stop by. I wanted to take a little minute to introduce myself, so you can know a little bit about me and why I am so passionate about eating a plant based, whole foods, gluten free diet.

Meghan Newsom

My name is Meghan, and I write over at eat.live.make. After battling with sickness for many many years (and still am!) it was discovered that I have Celiac Disease. The only “cure” for this disease is by following a strict gluten-free diet. I also am allergic to casein, so our diet quickly changed from vegetarian to gluten free and vegan! Due to my health issues, I have also learned how to live a more natural and holistic lifestyle. I do not believe that everyone needs to/ or SHOULD adapt a gluten-free lifestyle, BUT I DO believe that everyone can benefit from a plant based and whole foods diet!!  If you want to learn a bit more about me, you can do so here.

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You have heard the word “gluten” more and more lately, and are most likely wondering what it is! By definition, gluten is “is the generic name for certain types of proteins contained in the common cereal grains wheat, barley, rye and their derivatives. The good news is that all fresh fruits, vegetables, beef, chicken, fish, lamb, pork and dairy products are naturally gluten-free.” Source.

If you do not suffer from gluten allergies/intolerances or Celiac Disease, you most likely know someone in your life that does. If you suspect you may have an intolerance to gluten, you can find a great list of symptoms here

The word “gluten” is being heard more recently because doctors are becoming more aware of its effect on people’s health, thus they are able to diagnose gluten intolerances and Celiac Disease now more than ever! Simply adhering to a gluten-free diet can eliminate almost all, if not ALL of the symptoms related to the disease. Pretty cool, huh? 

It is not my mission to convert you all to eating a gluten free diet! By no means! Most people digest the protein found in gluten quite well, and should not take it out of their diets. In fact, gluten-free products have much more sugar and fats in them vs. their glutenous counterparts, so if you are looking for a weight loss diet this is not for you. 

I do, however,  think it is so important that all of us become more aware of a gluten-free diet, and the HUGE issue of cross contamination while cooking gluten free, because many of you may have friends and/or family members who must adhere to this diet! Meals are such an important part of community and our culture, and when people are not able to partake in corporate meals it limits their ability to take part in something beautiful. It is my hope to equip you with enough simple knowledge so that you will be able to cook and host those friends and family members who cannot have gluten in their diets- and you will be confident in doing so!! 

The recipes I am going to be sharing with you are all gluten free and mostly vegan. The cool thing is that most of them can be made with gluten (if you do not need to adhere to the diet) and are all whole foods and plant based! I am not a baker, so you will not be finding beautifully baked gluten free products on here from me. I am actually a horrible gluten free baker and try to stick with as many boxed mixes as I can:). 

Until next month, let me know if you have any questions (you can feel free to email me!) and I will try my best to answer them. I’ll be back next month with a tasty gluten free recipe. 

 

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  • Bella @ Bella before and after
    February 23, 2013 at 8:55 pm

    Hi Amy,

    This past week I started a 40 day challenge to get “healthy” and as a result I’ve tried to stay away from gluten as much as possible. It wasn’t even that hard, and luckily I didn’t feel the urge to eat GF alternative foods either.

    I have def noticed that I’ve felt much less bloated as a result, so that’s good! I’m going to see how it goes for me the rest of the challenge. If I’m not missing it, I don’t see why I should eat it?

    I would love to check our Meghans blog, I always love getting as much information as I can, and she sounds like she really knows her stuff 🙂

    Have a wonderful day Amy!!

    P.s. After coming back from an extended blogging break, I’ve started a 40 day challenge to get HEALTHY by my birthday. If you get a chance to check it out, I could sure use the support!
    Hugs, Bella 🙂
    Bella’s 40 Day Challenge

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