Bethan Lee
Simple life health
Bethan Lee
Simple life health
Why you should drastically limit or even better, give up gluten and dairy in your diet?
The typical reaction when someone is told to eliminate something from their diet — something they love — is often disappointment and denial. Our food habits are so engrained and reforming those habits can be challenging but the way we handle that challenge is what helps us develop.
14 years ago, I began working for a mobile, personal training company in Dublin. The director of the company pointed out that my one knowledge gap to becoming a successful trainer was my understanding of nutrition and the affect different foods have on the body. Fortunately, he agreed to teach me rather than me having to spend significant time and money on a college course.
His knowledge was immense and he soon had me convinced that myself and my clients would benefit greatly from the removal of dairy and gluten from our diets. All those years back it wasn’t an easy task to shop for the right gluten and dairy free products. Today, there is a free-from section in most supermarkets. Please note not all products in these sections are the right products as many are full of sugar. View my super meal recipes to see which products to use in your diet.
Was it hard? It required some trial and error but wasn’t nearly as difficult as one might expect. Was it worth it? Absolutely. There were significant changes to my skin, hair, digestion, mood, overall energy and even weight. I’ve been able to wear skinny jeans ever since!
Here are four key reasons to switch to a dairy and gluten free diet. It’s not always easy to maintain full removal of both especially when eating restaurant meals. Unless you are intolerant just make sure you stick to their removal at least 80% of the time. Please note that for best results you need to remove 95%-100% from your diet.
I had eczema for years. Since being dairy and gluten free, my skin has never been clearer. An increasing amount of medical evidence shows there is a direct link between gluten sensitivity and various skin problems ranging from dermatitis herpetiformis, dry skin, hives, eczema and psoriasis.
Acne is an inflammatory condition. Oil gets trapped in pores, causing bacteria to grow in the follicles. It then causes inflammation, which turns to acne. Dairy is a major cause of oils in the body and helps inflammation grow.
Many factors can aggravate acne and eczema — dairy and gluten aren’t always the cause. Experimenting with diet is worth a try and a trip to the dermatologist can also help rule out more serious issues.
After cutting out dairy and gluten my digestion became much more consistent – no more bloating or cranky gut issues. When your body can’t break down lactose and gluten, bloating is often the result. If you consume too much lactose and gluten, your large intestine can inflame and diarrhoea can develop.
In the western world we are conditioned to eat wheat at every meal. For example: cereal for breakfast, sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner. We are seriously overloading our stomachs with gluten and are guts are simply unable to cope with the shear amount.
Eliminating dairy and gluten can help with weight loss. Milk, plain yogurt, and other unsweetened dairy products contain lactose, a natural sugar, while other dairy products may contain added sugar. Pasta, bread and other wheat products are also high in sugar.
If you’re trying to lose stubborn belly fat, eliminating all sugar can really help. Pick unsweetened dairy products and limit your consumption of breads and pasta. View my super meal recipes to see which products to include in your diet for weight loss.
Over the years I’ve trained many clients that have worked extremely hard in the gym whilst drastically reducing their calories yet unfortunately, they still fail to reach their weight loss goals. There are 2 barriers to weight loss – candida overgrowth and an under active thyroid. It’s essential to completely cut out dairy if you suffer from either condition.
Candida
The milk we consume is pasteurized and homogenised and synthetic vitamins are typically added. These unnatural additives can cause yeast overgrowth linked to Candida. Inflammation causing foods like dairy, when they cause problems in the digestive tract, can lead to diarrhea, headaches, and fatigue.
Dairy is among the foods to avoid if you have or you’re at risk for https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/candida-symptoms-treatment. Dairy has been which may promote the growth of unhealthy gut bacteria linked to some chronic diseases or conditions including leaky gut.
Thyroid
Dairy products are mucus-forming and the protein in dairy has been found to increase inflammation in vital parts of the body such as the thyroid gland and digestive tract. https://www.healthline.com/health/hypothyroidism/managing-your-weight#1