I am not a nutritional expert so I write this blog today through personal experience.

I know some people cut out gluten for lifestyle reasons but not me; mine is for medical! Since I was a child I would say I had a "sensitive stomach" but I only realised I had a bigger problem a few months after my dad passed away in 2009. I have read studies and articles since that say stress can bring on a gluten intolerance and I believe this to be the case with me.

Christmas 2010, I had incredible stomach cramps and lost over a stone in weight; which is not usually the case for me during the festive period!! My sister was convinced it was gluten causing the symptoms as it had been going on for such a long time, so I cut down the amount of food containing gluten. I started to feel better and put it down to the "placebo effect" however I realised this wasn't the case when I unintentionally ate a large amount at my God-daughter's christening!!

I visited the GP and he suggested I go and get tested however that would mean eating an amount of gluten foods each day for 6 weeks. The thought of putting my stomach through pain again personally was unbearable so I told the doctor I would just cut it out completely.

Now I was faced with "what food can I eat"??? For a few weeks, it was very difficult and getting used to the taste of the foods from the "Free From" aisle was tough! Simple meal times such as breakfast was not the easiest as I soon realised my favourites were no longer possible. Over the weeks and months, I gradually dealt with the GF foods texture and taste however I saw a change in my body shape and an increase in weight!!

When I started to look closer at the nutritional labels on the GF products, I soon realised a number were higher in sugar! I am not saying that all Free From foods are pumped with sugar however there are definitely signs of higher levels especially in products you wouldn't expect to see it in. The other problem I faced was I chose to eat mostly Free From products because I knew they were "safe foods" and they wouldn't make me ill. Aside from the products costing much more, they were also foods I shouldn't have been relying on in my diet; cakes, biscuits, pizza, crackers etc. I knew I had to change my ways fast!

When I did further research online about GF products, I realised many foods were "naturally" gluten free. They were lower in the dreaded sugar and in many cases much cheaper!! The more products I found, the more I became confident moving out of the Free From aisle and looking elsewhere in the supermarket.

The best saying I found is "if you stay with fresh, plain foods you can't go wrong". Eating fresh meat, veg and fruit is a sure way of staying gluten free and eating healthy! Sauces and often ready made meals are very tricky as they can contain gluten and high in sugar so making your own is a much better idea as you know exactly what is in there. Using herbs and spices will also help "jazz" up the plainness of the foods too!

I am not saying all GF foods are "bad" for you as I am not a nutritional expert however if you are looking for many more cheaper, healthier options, you certainly can find them if you look hard out there!!

Happy Searching