Do you know that over 45 million Americans went on a diet last year?

The main reason behind this was to lose weight. However, more people considered changing eating habits to improve their health.

For example, gluten.

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a name for proteins found in grains like wheat, barley, triticale, and rye. Gluten occurs naturally in foods, but it can be extracted.

Gluten makes food hold its shape and acts like glue. When you mix it with water, it creates sticky consistency in making bread, pasta, or baking.

Why Go Gluten-Free?

If gluten occurs naturally in certain foods, you may ask why to go gluten-free. The most common reason why you may not eat gluten is that you have an allergic reaction to it. You may suffer from celiac disease.

This condition affects around 1% of the population and it has severe consequences on your health. Your body mistakenly considers gluten as a foreign object, and it wants to remove it. And your body does it by attacking the gluten, ultimately harming your gut wall and your intestines.

Another reason why you may decide to not eat gluten is that you have gluten sensitivity. Because gluten can cause inflammation in your digestive system, you may experience discomfort.

You may feel "heavy" in your body, have stomach pain, or bloating as well as a restriction in your bowel movement.

How to Start Gluten-Free Living?

Starting a gluten-free diet does not need to be hard. Simply follow the steps below to a more healthy living.  It may require some learning and persistence to begin with, but it will get easier with time.

1. Gluten or No Gluten

Your first step is to learn what foods you need to avoid and what foods are okay to eat. Keep in mind that gluten occurs naturally in certain grains.

You can find gluten in:

• Wheat
• Barley
• Rye
• Triticale
• Malt
• Brewer's yeast

In addition, any varieties and forms of wheat should be excluded from your diet, too. This includes spelt, durum, kamut, semolina, couscous, bulgur, emmer, farina, farro, and einkorn.

Although you may not eat the grains in their natural form, watch out for products that are made of gluten-containing ingredients. Those will include:

• All wheat-based products such as bread, pasta, and bread crumbs
• Baked goods where wheat flour was added such as cakes, muffins, and pizza base
• Pre-packaged snacks
• Store-bought sauces, marinades and salad dressings
• Flavored beverages and beer
• Other foods like broth

Don't worry, there are plenty of gluten-free foods.

The rule of thumb is that foods in their natural form, unprocessed, and without added gluten-containing flavorings are safe to eat. Therefore vegetables, fruits, dairy products, fish, and meats can be added to a gluten-free diet.

Certain grains and flours are gluten-free naturally and also can be a part of your new diet. Some of the gluten-free grains and flours are rice, corn, quinoa, millet, buckwheat, flax, chia, soy, arrowroot, amaranth, tapioca, potato, cassava, yucca, and coconut and nut flours.

2. Read Labels

The best way to make sure that you follow a healthy diet is to read labels. Understanding what are the main gluten-containing foods and their by-products is a key here.

To make the task easier, look for foods certified as gluten-free. Certification, from an organization such as Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO), is a good indicator that the food is gluten-free.

Some products may not have gluten-free certification, but they may carry a gluten-free label administrated by the FDA.

However, the way a product is manufactured and the list of ingredients changes constantly; therefore, it is best to read the labels every time you shop.

3. Check for Cross-Contamination

Knowing what foods to eat and reading labels will assist further with checking if there is any cross-contamination. A certain product may be gluten-free, but it may have been manufactured in a factory where other non-gluten-free products have also been made.

At home, any cross-contamination can happen if you use the same equipment such as knives, chopping boards, strainers, or toasters for gluten-free and non-gluten-free cooking.

You may need to invest in separate cooking utensils and equipment as well as products. If your cooking oil was used to deep fry foods that contain gluten, there is a risk of cross-contamination.

4. Plan Ahead

Planning ahead about what you will eat can save you a lot of heartaches. If you are going out to a restaurant, you may want to check their menu ahead to know if there are gluten-free options available.

And if you are planning on family dinner, you may want to tell your host in advance that you are on a new healthy diet. Bringing your own gluten-free foods such as pasta, sauce, or bread can help you to enjoy the time together.

5. Have Fun

Regardless of the diet you are on, you still should have some fun. So, you may ask, how do you cook gluten-free foods? It's easy!

The foods you will most likely add to your diet will be whole foods. You will cook more vegetables, raw fish or meat. You can simply add fresh herbs to enhance their flavor.

However, you need to take special care when making gluten-free bread, pasta, or cakes. Anywhere where you will normally add wheat, there will be no "glue" that holds the mixture together. You will need to replace it with another ingredient that will give you that sticky consistency.

Are You Ready for Gluten-Free Living?

You find gluten in certain grains such as wheat, rye, or barley, as well as in many wheat products such as bread, pasta, or cakes. However, it has never been easier to go gluten-free.

To start your gluten-free living, look for foods that contain gluten and remove them from your diet. There are plenty of gluten-free options to choose from such as vegetables, fruit, fish, or meat.

If you are ready to begin a gluten-free diet, we're here to help!