Cut. It. Out.

So you're sitting there; binge watching your newest TV show obsession on the couch chowing down on a big bag of baked potato chips and drinking your diet soda thinking about how healthy you are choosing the diet soda instead of the regular and baked chips rather than the fried ones that you usually get.


But are you really being that healthy?


You want the answer?


No?


Well let me tell you; you’re kind of right. Sure drinking the diet over the regular is better for you and the baked chips have less calories than the normal chips but you're not going to see the results you want to see if you don't get up off the couch. In reality you have got to consider what's in the ingredients of said snack. I'm not a nutritionist nor do I claim to be but I can tell you there's some ingredients in there you definitely don't need to ingest.


Over the last four weeks I have been doing a mostly gluten-free diet; and by choice for that matter. The church I attend at home does what’s called The Daniel Fast. In its simplest form you only eating items that are organic, fruits and veggies, sticks and twigs, well maybe not sticks and twigs, but it can feel like it. You cut out everything like pasta, breads, beverages other than water and natural/organic juices. They make Daniel fast friendly options but if you have a certain allergies you may be up a creek. You also avoid meats, dairy, and stuff like that. I opted to do a variation (which a lot of people do) by cutting out gluten in my diet. There are a lot of things I already consumed that are gluten-free including my protein powders!


If you're thinking 'does he have a gluten allergy or intolerance?' I'm honestly not sure. I can tell you cutting gluten out of my diet has changed my body composition and how I feel. I love the fact that in an eight-day period I lost five/six pounds but really how my body looks after that time period amazed me. I would have to go to a doctor to see if I did have some type of gluten issue but I'm not going to waste the money on a doctor's visit.


Some people, including myself, have a hard time understanding exactly what gluten is and what it's purpose is so below I've defined it for you.


According to www.celiac.org gluten is defined as: 'Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected.'


Products that can contain gluten may not always identify as containing gluten which makes finding grocery items a little tricky but if you know what you're looking for then you're set. It doesn't hurt to do a little research before heading out to buy groceries. I've done it several times even when I'm standing in the aisle looking at an item. I'll google to see if there is a gluten free option if the item I'm looking at isn't gluten free. So it's best to do a little research.


I'm not saying you HAVE to do gluten free but honestly it's been a great thing for me. I feel better and I don't feel bloated or gross after eating a meal. One plus side of choosing to do the gluten-free life is I'm not a huge bread or pasta eater so cutting out that stuff is/was easy.

Like I said, I’m not a nutritionist and I barely know where to begin with that but I want to challenge readers to one simple task. I want you to pick a food or drink that you really like (for example soda) and cut it out of your diet completely for a week. If you have to have that glass of Pepsi or Mtn. Dew with your lunch and you can’t function without it let me challenge you to try it. If you just absolutely have to have the soda try going a week without fried foods like French fries or those chicken tenders you love so much. I think you’ll really be surprised how much of a difference cutting out that food or drink will change your eating habits. I’m the first to tell you cutting out a burger or fries isn’t easy because knowing you can’t have it makes you want it all that more. Try to supplement it with something else. No bread? No problem Eat the sandwich sans bread or used lettuce. Not doing soda? Don’t substitute it with tea, drink water or almond milk. Choosing to cut out chips? Try eating veggies like carrots or broccoli. Whatever works best for you.

With the fast that our church does after a few days your body eases up on you and lets you move on.

After that week is over you; don’t be ready to reward yourself with the item you’ve chosen to cut out but I DARE you to try and go as long as you can after that week is up. Like I said after a few days you won’t even want to be near that food. After three weeks of being pretty much gluten free I find myself continuing to look for foods that don’t contain gluten. The breads, the prepackaged foods even the drinks I drink are all looked at and researched and decided upon based on their contents.

Heck you may even notice a difference in the way your clothes fit. How you feel throughout the day. I did but that doesn’t mean everyone will.

I never thought I’d be that guy and I catch myself telling people how I’m not doing gluten. It’s annoying I’m sure because it bugs me when people tell me about their dietary restrictions. So try not to be like those people. If they ask why you’re not drinking soda or not eating fried foods tell them you’re trying an experiment.

But don’t forget to exercise and be active. This isn’t a gym alternative. This is in addition to what you may already be doing.

With that being said…..

What are you going to give up for a week, seven days, 168 hours? Let me know in the comments below and after the seven days have come and gone comment how you feel and any results you see.