5 Reasons I’m Glad to Be Gluten Free

Having to be gluten free can be a challenge. I totally get that. It’s especially hard when you are first starting out, and some people end up being pretty upset about it.

But you know what? There’s a reason for the saying, “look on the bright side.” It’s because life is brighter (nicer, happier, more fun) on the bright side of things. If you have trouble looking on the bright side of the gluten-free diet, maybe this will help and encourage you.

5 Reasons I’m Glad to Be Gluten Free

1. I eat less junk food and fast food.

I was never a big junk food/fast food eater, but now I’m even less so. I can’t just grab a doughnut at a breakfast buffet. I can’t just go to a drive-thru and order anything I want. The fact that being gluten-free sets limits on what I eat can be seen as a negative, but it can also be seen as a positive. Not that there isn’t any gluten-free junk food, but it’s not so readily available.

I’m not saying that you should never indulge, but being gluten-free means that indulging is more intentional. In my book that’s a good thing.

2. I’m a better cook.

I was definitely a mediocre cook before I went gluten free. I could cook good meals for my family, but I used a fair amount of processed foods and wasn’t very creative. Eliminating gluten from my diet forced me to try new recipes and foods, and eventually I became more confident and creative in my cooking.

3. I read labels.

I didn’t pay much attention to what ingredients were in foods before. It can be very eye opening to read labels and realize just how many additives there are in some products. It has helped me become more focused on eating real food and much less processed food.

Basically, I’m better educated about food, and education is a good thing.

4. I can treat my disease without drugs.

I have always been happy that the treatment for celiac disease is a gluten-free diet and not drugs. I know some people would rather just pop a pill, but not me. Drugs have side effects and are often just putting a BandAid on things and treating the symptoms. Gluten is the cause of my disease, so a gluten-free diet removes that cause without side effects.

5. Gluten-free food tastes great!

We have a friend (not gluten free) who once said, “Eating here makes me want to be gluten free.” Gluten is not necessary in order to make food taste great. So many people think that gluten-free means food that does not taste good. Sometimes that is true, but it’s also sometimes true of food that does contain gluten. My family has some favorite recipes (all types, including dinner, dessert, and breads) that we would have never known about if I wasn’t diagnosed with celiac disease.

Thinking about the positive side of a situation is always nicer than dwelling on the negative. So if you’re unhappy about living without gluten, try thinking of some reasons why it’s a good thing. I’d love to hear what they are.