A Wheatless Week: Going Gluten Free

By: Ella Embry

Almost 75% of the global population is dairy free. 10.8% experience some sort of food allergies. 30% of the population have allergies revolving around gluten. Although I may not be a part of that 30%, I am determined to experience how those individuals live their day-to-day lives eating gluten free. It’s difficult to find accommodations, snacks and meals that actually taste good in the GF community. My goal is to pinpoint quick and tasty meals while going gluten free for an entire week. While this may seem easy to some, it is most definitely a large task that some people have to uphold for the rest of their lives. Throughout this story, I will log the food and feelings I have while completing each day. I hope that by the end, you have more respect for the GF community and more motivation to complete the goals that you have set in mind even if it seems to be difficult. 

Sunday, April 6th (Day One):

Today was my prep day. I went to three different stores where I was hopeful in purchasing top-tier gluten free meals and snacks. The majority of my money went to Trader Joes. A common and well-known health store that stocks only the finest GF items. Next, I went to Whole Foods because I felt as if it was a niche spot to pick up acceptable items. Finally, I stopped by Target to collect the items that Whole Foods was sold out of (I also needed dog food). When I got home, I began to prepare meals straight away. In all honesty, I was super excited to get started. I love cooking and baking and most GF meals take time to assemble. 

The hardest challenge was finding a GF friendly breakfast item. I typically eat Kodiak Protein Pancakes each morning but those sadly are gluten filled. I purchased a box of Simple Mills GF Peanut Butter Banana Muffin mix with low expectations. I had done my research and knew that when it comes to recreating the taste of bread, GF was not the way to go. The muffins were super quick and easy to make and once they cooled down, I gave it a try. They were much better than I had originally expected and I would honestly repurchase them even if I was not gluten free. After I baked my muffins, I started on dinner. Ironically, my mom just went gluten free too so this challenge came at the perfect time. For dinner, I prepared strip steak, a side salad and garlic roasted potatoes. The steak was the biggest challenge for me to make as that is usually my fathers job. It turned out to be one of my favorite meals I have ever cooked and my family couldn’t agree more. After dinner, I put the dishes away and got ready for bed. I had a small side of popcorn with GF Unreal M&M’s. Overall, day one was physically tasking but exciting to try. 

Day one dinner and GF muffins I made.

Monday, April 7th (Day Two):

When I woke up, I was late for school and in a rush. I was so thankful that I took the time to slave over meals on Sunday because I grabbed a muffin and ran out the door. I gave small pieces to my friends at school and all of their reactions included the phrase, “Is this seriously gluten free?” This is where I peak in life, making GF muffins. For lunch, I devoured some GF pasta salad with chicken from Trader Joes. I had already liked this meal to begin with so it wasn’t a switch up at all. When I got home, I started on dinner which was green beans, roasted potatoes and sliced pork. I wanted to make sure that I had a meal each night that was well balanced and so far, so good! The only difficult challenge I am finding so far is the time and energy it takes to prepare each meal. It also requires a lot of clean up and prep which I was not entirely sure of when starting this process. To end my evening, I had apple slices and cookie butter for dessert which honestly reminded me of a healthier caramel apple!

My lunch and dinner for day two.

Tuesday, April 8th (Day Three): 

I finally remembered to take a picture of breakfast! I had one of my homemade GF muffins before I left for my TCC class. Afterwards, I had an oatmeal chocolate chip GoMacro protein bar in the commons between classes. For lunch, I had the same pasta salad as yesterday along with GF cheddar puffs from Trader Joes and apples and peanut butter. As the school day finished, I went home and had some grapes before the gym. I prepared GF cheese pizza from Trader Joes for dinner. It was honestly some of the best crust on pizza I’ve had in awhile. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you it was made out of cauliflower. It was not only a hit for me but the rest of my family. They agreed that we would be repurchasing after this week was over. Once again, dessert consisted of apple slices and cookie butter because it was too good not to have it again. So far, my thoughts consist of determination and hopefulness. It hasn’t been easy watching and recording what I eat each day but it has been helpful to look back and see the clean, GF food that has been fueling my body. In all honesty, I can’t really see a difference in my energy levels yet but I’m hopeful that as the week continues I will. 

My breakfast and dinner from day three.

Wednesday, April 9th (Day Four):

Today’s breakfast was, you guessed it, protein muffins and a protein bar. If you have not already caught on, I have also been trying to increase my protein intake. Of course, I pair it with my usual pulp-free orange juice. As lunchtime came around, I devoured more GF pasta. However, instead of apples and peanut butter, I brought skinny pop popcorn and GF Annie’s fruit snacks. Honestly, not a large fan of the fruit snacks but they are a good, healthy pick me up if you are craving candy or something sweet. As an after school snack, I indulged in some GF Pepperoni Pizza Rolls by the brand Feel Good. They were better than bagel bites or hot pockets combined which is saying something. These not only tasted good but also fueled me on my run. They also didn’t leave me with an uneasy, greasy feeling in my stomach that most pizza rolls give me. Afterwards, I had a GF sandwich from Jersey Mikes. Both meals were not photographed today as I was too hungry to wait and capture it. My thoughts from day four are completely different than yesterdays. I looked forward to trying new things today and I think my body did too. I am feeling more energized to workout and at the end of the day, I noticed that my body feels better too. 

The pizza roll aftermath and only photo I took for day four.

Thursday, April 10th (Day Five):

Per usual, I was running late for my TCC class and snagged a protein bar from my pantry while darting out the door. When I finally made it to the highschool, I cracked open my Cherry Slush Alani energy drink which I recently discovered is gluten free, vegan AND contains multiple biotins (I gaslight myself into thinking these are good for me). For lunch, I had a chicken salad with grapes and my GF Trader Joe's white cheddar puffs. The chicken salad was soggy and I would absolutely not recommend bringing it to school unless you have a large ice pack laying underneath it. As the school day proceeded, I had a Chomp Beef stick so that I didn’t pass out at the gym. Protein is important! As I made my way home, I quickly texted my mom to preheat the oven so that I could start on dinner. We had GF mozzarella chicken paired with couscous grains and roasted sweet potatoes. I had never tried couscous nor did I know it was a type of “pasta.” I say that in parenthesis because I’m still not sure that it is technically pasta. However, I seasoned it with some zested lemon and it was pretty good. I would definitely try it again in the future. 

Friday, April 11th (Day Six):

Skipping breakfast (we all know what I had), my lunch was great! I had some leftovers from yesterday. Everything reheated well except for the sweet potatoes as they became a pile of mush in my lunchbox. As the day progressed, I had my usual snacks that I packed daily this week. I was excited to make it home for dinner because I saved my favorite meal for last. Tonight, instead of cooking, we had Chipotle. Yes, Chipotle can be gluten free! The bowl I get almost three times a week consists of beans, rice, corn, peppers, tomatoes and lettuce. Don’t knock it till you try it! My body has been feeling great. I don’t really feel as drained as usual towards the end of the day. This could be my brain rewiring or placebo effect but I truly do see a difference in my energy levels from the beginning of this week up until now. 

Saturday, April 12th (Day Seven):

FINAL DAY! I will not lie to you, I broke my streak today as I indulged in some Sonic Mozzarella sticks that I forgot were not gluten free. However, my final remarks for this week’s journey is that I have immense respect for anybody that has to be gluten free or deals with food allergies on a daily basis. It takes a lot of work to read ingredients and make sure what you are fueling your body with will not actually end up harming it. Would I do this again? Probably. In the foreseeable future? Absolutely not. As much as it made me feel clean and healthy, I need my wheat filled products back as soon as possible. Not only have I experienced a change in my body with this diet but so have my parents. You might have noticed more than one serving in my pictures provided. I have cooked meals for both parents this week which has also been a different challenge for me. They not only loved it but it took my dad halfway through the week to realize that each dish was gluten free. He couldn’t believe it! That’s how good GF options can be. So good, that you don’t even consider the wheat-filled options. If you would like to learn more information about going gluten free or are wanting to try good GF snacks, check out celiacdiseasefoundation.com. 

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