For my inquiry project, I will be making the dietary change of going gluten free and discovering if it impacts my energy and overall health. I want to find out if excluding all gluten products from the food I eat will have positive, neutral or negative health impacts focusing on digestive issues, mood changes, energy levels and hunger levels. I was gluten free for 10 years of my life prior to 2015 due to having stomach sensitivities as well as a rash around my mouth appearing when I consumed too much wheat product. I was never tested to discover any medical issues however, I have noticed in the last few months that this rash has appeared periodically and my stomach gets sore after eating gluten based products. I am interested to see if returning to this way of eating helps me eat more nutrient dense foods, avoid processed foods that are high in sugar and assist me in eating a more whole diet.
I would like to try an avoid basing my food consumption on white starch based gluten free alternatives at grocery stores and focus on buying from gluten free bakeries and making my own food at home. This is because gluten free alternatives often contain unnatural ingredients, are highly processed and contain an excess of sugar, fat and carbohydrates to compensate for the nutrients, taste and texture in gluten products. The foods are often more calorically dense because of the extra needed ingredients . Additionally to my main health inquiry, I am interested to see the financial outcome from changing my eating mainly seeing if I tend to eat out less due to my dietary restrictions. I am wondering if baking and cooking more food at home will help save money or the increase in price of gluten free food from wheat products will outweigh these savings. For my inquiry I will be trying recipes and making comparisons for wheat products, keeping a budget diary and deciding if this dietary change worth it for my health, maintainable and of course tasty.
Main Inquiry Question: Will excluding all gluten products from my diet positively impact my overall health?
My Plan: Starting on Monday September 27th, I will be cutting out all gluten from my diet. I want to remove it completely instead of a slow transition to have the best awareness of any changes.
Sub Blog Prompt Questions:
What is the financial impact of going gluten free?
Are there gluten free recipes to replace my favourite meals and baked goods?
What are some noticeable changes in the food I eat, food I crave and my hunger levels?
Calorically, is there a significant difference in gluten based products vs their gluten free alternative?
