Gluten-Free Foods | Spa Week Daily

5 Gluten-Free Snacks You Are Sure to Love

September 23, 2011 | By Kimberlee

Gluten what? Celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow and Victoria Beckham are helping raise awareness about living a gluten-free lifestyle. A quick lesson about gluten: gluten-free foods do not automatically make them good for you (darn!). It simply means that they don’t contain wheat, rye, barley, any gluten-containing cousins of wheat, and are processed in a gluten-free facility.

It has become easier to identify gluten-free products with food labeling laws that require companies to indicate if the food product contains wheat (the primary source of gluten in the diet) and/or if it was processed in a facility that also processes wheat.

Did Kavita’s post about how to lose weight by accident not convince you to hop on board? Well Healing Lifestyles and Spas have found 5 delicious snacks:

Mary’s Gone Crackers
Mary, a real person and the founder of the company has Celiac Disease and had trouble finding delicious gluten-free foods. Her solution? Make them herself!

Udi’s
With gluten-free eliminating wheat, you may think that there could be no such thing as great tasting gluten-free bread. Well Udi’s delivers delicious bagels, buns, breads, and muffins. Now you don’t have to go bunless at your next BBQ!

Erewhon GF Breakfast Cereals
They have all kinds of cereal your little heart could desire. Ranging from adult, grown- up cereals such as Crispy Brown Rice or ones that make you relive your childhood such as Cocoa Crispy Brown Rice or Strawberry Crisps. You are sure to find a delicious option for your morning.

NoGii – No Gluten High Protein Bar
Elizabeth Hasselbeck, co-host of The View and author of The G-Free Diet, has used her celebrity to shine the spotlight on others like her who live with (or whose kids live with) Celiac Disease. They use the perfect combination of chocolate and peanut butter to create a gluten-free energy bar that is high in protein. There is also a kids bar!

KIND Healthy Snacks
You can find these delicious snacks at your local Starbucks during your morning coffee run. All KIND bars are simply made with nuts and fruit. You can’t go wrong with that!

Good nutrition and great taste can finally go hand in hand!

Lose Weight By Accident: Is Going Gluten-Free Good For You?

Column by: Kavita Jhaveri-Patel

Just the other day I ate a restaurant that I go to every now and then in Soho, called Bread, and suddenly the new menu displayed appetizers and entrees that included a gluten free Pizzette and gluten free pasta options. I was floored and excited to see these options on the menu, especially at a place that isn’t necessarily known to be extraordinarily “healthy”.

I will be completely HONEST with you, I used to think this whole gluten free thing was a big fat gimmick and the only reason for someone to go gluten free is if they had celiac disease.

But I have to confess, I was completely wrong. As a health coach I see all kinds of body types and bodily issues, and I have to say when I take my clients off the gluten something magical starts to happen.

Before I get into the magical part, I don’t believe in the no carb or low carb diet. So, as you keep reading on, remember this gluten free recommendation has nothing to do with lowering your carb intake.

Back to the magic. Every client I recommend go gluten free, even for a short period of time, begins to shrink. This isn’t just for people that have tested gluten intolerant or have an allergy to gluten.

Here is the low down on why going gluten free will help you to lose weight by accident.

Gluten is the sticky sweet protein found in whole wheat, rye, and barley products. Most of us these days consume way to much whole wheat (or flour). It is in our cereal, pastries, bagels, bread, crackers, pasta, and the list goes on. Back in the day, we used to eat different types of grains daily, not just whole wheat products, so most of us unknowingly have developed low levels of gluten intolerance.

If you are wondering how gluten affects your body, here is how:

Our large intestine is lined with tons of good bacteria in the form of villi (hair like particles). These villi are responsible for taking vitamins and minerals from your food and injecting it into your blood.

It is crucial for your entire body to receive the nourishment it needed to sustain itself. When too much gluten is eaten the villi become sticky and stick to one another, making it difficult for the villi to do their job. Hence, our bodies become slightly malnourished endorsing the body to bloat to protect itself.

So, if you are ready to get rid of the bloat and unnecessary lbs., then simply take 14 days and go gluten free. You can eat brown rice, corn meal (polenta), rice noodles, millet, quinoa, brown rice bread, and there is even gluten free cereal. All of that is completely gluten free. Try it out and write to me telling me if it made a difference!

If you want to love and kiss this article, then like it above and share it with your Facebook friends and family. It could be the very thing they love you for and don’t forget to Tweet it up!

Body confidence expert and health and lifestyle speaker Kavita Jhaveri-Patel. She has been featured in Time Out New York, Healthy Style NY, and has been mentioned on FoxLive News. Receive her free report 7 Mistakes Most Women Make When Trying to Lose Weight and How to Avoid Them by clicking here.