Lots of foods are naturally gluten-free and can make a great starchy base for your meals. If you are looking for diet choices potatoes, rice and legumes make a great alternative to wheat-based products, and you may be able to find some gluten-free alternatives to things like pasta that use these as their main ingredient (for instance, gluten-free lentil pasta).
You need to avoid foods made from wheat, barley, spelt and rye, which are all grains containing gluten. If you have celiac disease you will also need to be careful of cross contamination. Some foods, like oats, can be contaminated with gluten as they are often processed in factories that handle both oats and wheat. In this case, you might want to purchase gluten-free oats to be on the safe side. As well as this, a lot of processed foods contain gluten, as it is a cheap ingredient and used for bulking, so you are better off eating freshly prepared meals to ensure they are gluten-free.
Most wholefoods like meat, fish, fruit and veggies are gluten-free. When purchasing packaged foods read labels to avoid gluten that was used as an additive. The paleo diet provides many benefits. The diet cuts out most grains, legumes, potatoes and dairy products, relying heavily on fresh fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds and lean meat and fish. As a result, the paleo diet is fairly low-carb and has a slightly higher risk of calcium deficiency, due to the lack of dairy products. The paleo diet shifts focus from starchy foods such as grains, legumes, potatoes and foods made from these ingredients (pasta, bread, potato chips) and encourages you to base your meals around a lean protein source instead.
As well as protein, the paleo diet is full of high-fiber foods, such as nuts, seeds and vegetables, which are also great for an increased sense of satiety according to a study in Nutrition Reviews. Fiber is bulking agent that slows stomach emptying, which helps you to feel fuller for longer, as well as taking longer to break down in the digestive system than low-fiber foods. The paleo diet requires you to eat lots of fresh foods and lean meats, so there is often a little more prep involved in eating paleo than a traditional western diet that relies on ready meals and processed foods.
As with any diets that dramatically change the way you eat by cutting out entire food groups, we cannot recommend that you undertake the paleo diet without the supervision of a medical professional. Although the diet has become popular with weight-loss gurus, it is important to discuss diet changes with your health care provider.
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