Gluten Free Does NOT Equal Healthy

Hello readers,

One of the Administrative Assistants at my job is a baker. In fact, one the worst parts about my celiac disease verdict was that I would never be able to enjoy his tasty treats ever again. So for months, I sat and watched as my co-workers chowed down on sweet goodies. Then, he told me that he could make me a gluten free alternative and he starting doing just that! Soon, the office had both gluten free and regular fudge, cookies, and brownies.

Now let me tell you, they were DELICIOUS! I was soooo happy that I was able to eat pastries again. In fact, I was so happy that I forgot that gluten free desserts are just that...DESSERTS. Just because they do not have gluten in them does not mean that they do not have the same chocolate chips, eggs, oil, and sugar that regular pastries come baked with. Gluten free products were made so that people with  celiac disease/gluten intolerance's do not have to suffer and miss out on the ability to eat desserts. Unfortunately, many people (ahem, dieters) switch to gluten free products because they assume that they are void of all the "bad carbs" in traditional desserts. This logic is faulty because for
many reasons.

1. Gluten free products are NOT carb-free/low carb. Carbohydrates are an essential part of our diet-hence why it is a macronutrient. Since celiac sufferers cannot consume wheat, barley, rye, etc...they HAVE to get their carbohydrate sources from other foods, mainly rice, corn, and potatoes. You are in fact eating carbs when you switch to gluten free, it is just a different type of carbohydrate.
2. Gluten free does not automatically mean better for you. Sure, pizza, hamburgers, and fried chicken are all laced with gluten but most of their gluten free alternatives can be just as unhealthy. Whether you are eating a gluten free or a regular pizza, you are still eating a pizza. Adding pepperoni slices, sausage, and extra cheese to your gluten free crust does not negate ANY calories. You are still getting the saturated fats, cholesterol, and calories from your toppings. What's the solution? Don't eat those counterparts, not only are they not clean but you are tricking yourself into eating false healthy foods.
Here are some of my favorite example of gluten free foods that aren't healthy

gluten free donuts...would you add these
to your healthy diet?

• Snickers
• Doritos
• Cheetos
• Skittles, Starbursts, Lifesavers, Twizzlers
• French Fries
• Baloney
• Spirits and Wine

Granted, living a gluten free lifestyle can be healthier if you follow a semi-paleo diet. I say semi-paleo because a healthy gluten free lifestyle utilizes potatoes and rice- two starches that most paleos stay away from. (When eating out, celiacs save on calories from not eating bread sticks or the rolls but might order an extra heaping of mashed potatoes)

This is not a rant against gluten free products. In fact, I LOVE gluten free brands such as Lara Bar and Vans (especially the pancakes) but I am trying to tell you, namely non-celiacs- that GF brands does not mean that it automatically health for you.
When you are truly gluten free, you are able to enjoy a wide variety of truly healthy foods. It is extremely difficult at first but after some adjusting (and a kind circle of friends) living a gluten free life can be satisfying. As a celiac, I get to enjoy more vegetables with my meals and can play around with sweet potato recipes. Instead of relying on bread in my sandwiches, lettuce or meat wraps take place. I find that I HAVE to cut out refined and processed foods (since they always contain  some sort of gluten) and can instead focus on eating foods that are delicious and good for me.

*disclaimer, this is not a post against gluten free products or those who responsibly use gluten free products in their diet (i.e pizza, bread, waffles, crackers) it is merely a warning to those who willingly and blindly switch to going gluten free

 -Eating Clean in College

Birthday Countdown!

Hello all! I have been counting down for my 21st birthday for the past year but it is literally around the corner now! So to get ready, I have decided to make these next 60 days count. I will be training my body but instead of training it to handle more liquor, I will be making it look better! So 60 days from now, I will be the best version of me YET. Just wait on it...
Right now, I am in my last week of summer school and went grocery shopping yesterday to fill my frigde up one more time with healthy goodies.The list below will supplement the remaining food I have left in my fridge and pantry. Here is my haul:

 Dairy:

• 2% Milk
• Dozen Eggs
• Dannon All Natural Yogurt

Produce

• 1 pint of strawberries
• 1lb bananas
• 2 avocados
• 3 cucumbers 
• 1 head of romaine lettuce
• 2 mangos
• 2lbs of green beans

Frozen

• 1 bag of broccoli
• 1 bag of mango, papaya mix

Meat

• 1 salmon fillet
• 2 steak fillets- lean cut
• 2 lbs of chicken quarters

Pantry

• 1 bag of Oloves Lemon and Rosemary Olives
• 1 box of Peanut butter cookie Lara Bar
• 3 individual Lara Bars (1 peanut butter chocolate chip, 2 chocolate chip brownie) 

Let the food prep begin! Feel free to join with me on Twitter/Instagram using #eatclean21
-Eating Clean in College

My Vegetarian Week

Hello Clean Eaters! This post will outline my previous week as a vegetarian so keep reading to find out if I survived or not!
Diet:

• Breakfast: Breakfast each day consisted of eggs as a base. I like my eggs scrambled with a sprinkle of black pepper and avocado slices. Mondays and Tuesdays eggs were accompanied with oatmeal while Wednesdays eggs had a fruit salad. On Thursday, I make a protein shake in the morning because I was preparing for the leg day ahead of me. Friday morning, I enjoyed a hot cup of oatmeal with my...you guessed it SCRAMBLED EGGS! What can I say? I actually really enjoy eating eggs so I didn't mind having them every single morning.

Here is an example meal with brown rice, beans, veggies, and a fruit salad

• Snacks: Here is where I got kind of creative. On some days, I ate cottage cheese while on others I had a Lara bar. In between the two were almonds, a fruit salad, protein shakes, BeKind bars, and veggies and hummus, and spoonfuls of peanut butter. Throughout this week, I found myself snacking more than I usually would. I don't know if it was because I was afraid of not consuming enough calories but I could not stop eating. Of course, my snacks were all portioned out and clean so there was no junk going into my body. Oh and I upped my daily intake of milk to a glass a day. Although I strive to get my 8 ounces, I made it a priority during this week.

• Lunch/Dinner: Here is where things got mundane. The base of  my meals were brown rice or sweet potatoes with a green vegetable on the side. This was also the first time I cooked tofu and that was quite an experience. First, you have to soak out all the moisture from the tofu. All the online articles I read said to apply pressure for at least 30 but I didn't have enough time so the three minutes I did use seemed to suffice. Lastly, no vegetarian meal is complete without beans...and I mean lots of it!

Workouts:
Did I stop weight lifting because I was not eating meat? NO. In fact, it was the weight lifting portion that kept my going. I wanted to see if I could still lift on a vegetarian diet and I could. Although I was paranoid nearly every hour of the day, I ended up meeting my caloric goal. However, the one thing I did not like was the lack of muscle tone in my legs. After that week, I realized that my legs looked like twigs and while I still had the strength, I did not have the definition that I am used to.

So my final verdict? Being a vegetarian wasn't all that bad but being a weight lifting vegetarian is hard work. From my short experience, I saw a negative change in my overall muscle definition and size. I will go back to eating meat now but I really did love trying something new! I applaud all of my vegetarian/vegan friends who have made this a lifestyle but it certainly was hard work for me!

-Eating Clean in College