Let's start with the health component of your goals. It's great to hear that you're staying committed with avoiding gluten. As I thought back on how I said that it took me months of easing in to being gluten-free I realized that there is one big difference between me at that point and you now, which is that I didn't have a Health Coach! At the time, I was trying to navigate this on my own and didn't have a lot of support or inspiration to guide me through so it simply took longer, which is ok. But I hope that having the motivation and guidance of a wellness partner, as well as the friends you've made in the IIN community and your own wonderfully accepting friends and family are all making it much more manageable. So let's keep it up and kick gluten to the curb.
Here are some of the foods where it could be unexpectedly hiding, so be extra careful with these foods:
- Soy sauce (unless it is gluten-free, but either way it's soy so I would avoid it entirely - coconut aminos are a good substitute though)
- Worcestershire sauce - often used in cooking beef, stews, steak, and other meat dishes
- Other sauces and marinades - definitely be careful in restaurants and ask!
- Seitan - considered a vegan/vegetarian protein, this is literally pure gluten
- Processed meat - things like sausage, hot dogs, salami, deli meats use gluten as fillers
- Hydrolyzed plant protein or textured vegan protein - this doesn't even sound like real food but just in case you encounter such things, avoid them
- Creamy soups - these often contain flour to make them so creamy
- Things that are "wheat-free" - this does not mean the same as gluten-free
- Vitamins - sometimes, as always just read the labels carefully
Here are some of the other food-related things we talked about:
