Gluten Free Diets Vary
Depending on the Reason For Them

Gluten free diets may be recommended for a number of reasons, such as Celiac Disease or other gluten sensitivity, autism spectrum disorders, or autoimmune diseases.

But maybe in addition to being sensitive to gluten you have a problem with another food, or a preference. You are not alone. As a result there are many variations on the diet.

All Gluten Free Diets
Should Have Two Things In Common:

1. The goal of eliminating gluten from the diet AND

2. The joy of discovering the many gluten free foods that offer satisfying, delicious meals.

If a gluten free diet is recommended, take a deep breath. You don’t have to freak out about it. There are more and more gluten free products being developed and sold all the time.

The good news:

There are lots of traditional foods from around the world that are gluten free, and ready for you to discover. And unlike commercial gluten free products, many gluten free traditional foods are not expensive.

For some ideas, check out my list of gluten free foods, which includes traditional foods from around the world.

If you have another health issue or preference you may need to combine your gluten free diet with another special diet. If so, you are not alone.

Gluten Free Diets: The Gluten Free Casein Free Diet

A gluten free casein free diet, or the gfcf diet, may be recommended for a variety of reasons. Casein is the protein in milk, but is also used separately in processing other foods (watch out for it in many dairy free cheeses).

So the term “casein free” is used instead of “dairy free” .

Possible reasons to avoid casein and dairy products:

• If you have Celiac disease and your small intestine is damaged, anything is hard to digest, especially casein.

• If you have another type of gluten sensitivity you may find that you just feel better without dairy, and casein could be the problem.

• A GFCF diet is recommended if you have a dairy allergy or are lactose (milk sugar) intolerant on top of gluten sensitivity.

• And sometimes a gluten free casein free diet is recommended for autism spectrum disorders. Scientific studies have not verified that it helps, but many parents report positive results. A recent small sample study reported here claims the diet doesn’t work, but be sure to read the comments.

  Read some success stories from parents here. These stories are anecdotal and don’t prove anything of course, but they are interesting and worth a look, especially if you are a parent looking for ways to help your child.

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Gluten Free Diets: The Gluten Free Sugar Free Diet,
or Gluten Free Low Carb Diet

Reasons for a gluten free sugar free, or low carb gluten free diet:

• If you are diabetic in addition to being sensitive to gluten.

• If you are not diabetic, but just gluten intolerant, you may find that you can’t tolerate much sugar, and just feel better without it.

• If you are gluten intolerant and looking for weight loss options, you may choose to lower your calorie intake, including sugars and starches.

  I’ve found that one of the advantages of being on a gluten free diet is that I haven’t had a weight problem, even when I was eating sugar. I think it’s because I didn’t have the option of eating every pastry that came into sight.

Gluten Free Diets: The Gluten Free Vegan Diet

If you have a gluten intolerance and you also choose to stay away from animal products, there are many gluten free vegan foods in my list of gfree foods.

Would A Chemical Free Home
Be a Good Compliment To Your Gluten Free Diet?

Meet Colleen, who has chemical sensitivities in addition to gluten intolerance. If you have chemical sensitivities, or wonder if you do, Colleen offers some information and ideas for creating a chemical free home.

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