Both the gluten-free diet and the keto diet are two food trends that have become immensely popular.
People are in a rush to lose any extra weight and get into shape, which is why they ardently follow one or the other diets. But understanding what a particular diet does and can do to your body and health, in the long run, is crucial before ultimately adopting it.
Most people now prefer a gluten-free diet to keep their health good, while others prefer the keto diet for fat and weight loss.
But can you treat the keto diet as a gluten-free one also? Is the keto diet gluten-free? And should you adopt the keto diet if you are someone who does not consume gluten at all?
Let us look at the answers to all these questions together by understanding the keto diet.
Keto Diet Meaning
A doctor in 1920 first discovered the keto diet as something that could treat epilepsy in children. And just around 20 years later, in 1940, a treatment for celiac disease was found by eliminating gluten from the diet.
Therefore, many people consider the keto diet gluten-free.
But even though the two diets seem similar superficially, they are quite different.
- In a gluten-free diet, you need to forgo all foods and ingredients that contain wheat, rye, barley, and everything that contains gluten.
- But in a keto diet, you need to drastically reduce your carbohydrate intake and increase your fat intake level.
So here is the answer to your question– is the keto diet gluten-free?
A keto diet is not entirely free of gluten. A keto diet requires you to eat certain foods that may contain gluten at varying levels.
If you are a celiac patient or sensitive to gluten, a keto diet with gluten is not suitable for you.
But there is good news for you!
With the increasing demands for gluten-free foods by most people, there have been numerous variations to make the keto diet gluten-free.
Many nutritionists have conducted studies and researches to enable people to stick to a gluten-free keto diet.
If you wish to continue with a gluten-free diet and also practice the keto diet, you can surely do so.
Keto diets that are gluten-free are also very beneficial for celiac patients to lose weight and get into shape.
Why Is The Keto Diet So Highly Recommended?
Many doctors recommend the keto diet for someone who wants to quickly get into shape and clear their body of stored toxins and fats. But what makes it so seemingly good to follow? Essentially, the keto diet requires you to reduce your carb intake and increase the dietary fat levels. And most grains contain high levels of carbs.
That is why a keto diet is one that does not allow you to eat anything made of grains in general.
If you have already been on a gluten-free diet for a long time, then shifting to a keto diet would not be as difficult for you. You can quickly adapt to it since the dietary requirements of both are almost similar.
But in a keto diet, you have to eliminate a few more foods than in a gluten-free diet. You absolutely cannot consume food made from wheat or even fruits.
If you often crave the delicious goodness of baked food products, you need not worry. The increasing demands have made it possible for food manufacturers to work this problem out.
Many gluten-free keto bread brands are available in the market. Also, if you do want to bake something at home while keeping it completely gluten-free, there is a solution for that too!
For baking, you can use almond flour. Almond flour has no gluten trace, and it is also rich in fat and low in carbohydrates. Making it an ideal flour to use on a gluten-free keto diet.
There are numerous testimonials of people noticing an increase in their health when they resorted to this diet.
A gluten-free keto diet is beneficial in better functioning of your gut and brain
But you must also remember that you need to follow this diet only after consulting your doctor. Especially if you are not a celiac patient, you may want to reconsider going gluten-free.
Eating Tips For A Gluten-Free Keto Diet
Sticking to a particular diet requires tremendous will power and resisting temptations and cravings. It is not always easy. One of the drawbacks of going gluten-free is the lack of essential nutrients in the body.
When you go gluten-free, you lose out on numerous essential nutrients and proteins and mostly fiber. This is because you cannot consume grains and foods containing a lot of fiber and gluten. It ultimately can cause trouble in your body and cause constipation.
To balance out the lack of fiber in your body due to the keto diet, you can have some fruits, easing your constipation issues.
- Berries like strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are excellent fruits on a keto diet due to their low carb content.
- And if you feel like munching on snacks when on your keto diet, you can try avocado, chia seeds, or flax seeds. These, too, are rich in protein and low in carbs.
- Cauliflower and Broccoli are some veggies that may also relieve your constipation, causing no hindrance in your gluten-free keto diet.
- Almonds are packed with high fat and low carb and are a great help for losing weight.
Gluten-Free Keto Diet Recipes
If you follow a keto diet, it can sometimes get quite confusing and overwhelming while deciding on the recipes and food each day. If you often go through such a dilemma, you need not worry, as we have the perfect recipes for you.
Here are some delicious gluten-free keto diet recipes that you can include in your daily meals.
Pizza Stuffed Bell Peppers
Pizza cravings indeed are very common. But when you are on a diet, it can get challenging to control these cravings. We have a delicious and healthy gluten-free keto diet recipe for pizza stuffed peppers.
Ingredients –
- Four bell peppers (color of your choice)
- Coconut oil – 1 tbsp
- Onion – 1 small chopped
- Garlic – 4 cloves minced
- Beef – ½ lb ground
- Cauliflower rice – 2 cups rice, ½ head of cauliflower
- Sea salt – ½ tsp
- Black pepper – ¼ tsp ground
- Marinara/pizza sauce – 1 cup (sugar-free)
- Oregano – 1 tsp dried
- Cheese (per choice) – shredded
- Basil leaves chopped, red chili flakes, garlic powder for garnishing (optional)
- Some diced pepperoni (optional) (replace with a little more salt if pepperoni is not preferred)
Directions –
- Take a baking dish that can fit in all the four peppers standing at once. While you grease the dish, preheat the oven to 375°.
- Scrape out the insides of the bell peppers after chopping off the tops.
- Boil a fair amount of water over high heat and toss in the bell peppers. Continue boiling for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the boiling water and place the bell peppers on the baking dish in an upright position.
- On medium heat, add coconut oil to a large skillet. Add in the onion and garlic and stir for 3 minutes.
- Once the ingredients turn a nice golden-brown color, add in the beef, cauliflower rice, ground black pepper, and sea salt. Stir the mixture until the meat is fully cooked and the rice softens. This takes roughly 5 to 7 minutes.
- Once the mixture is cooked well, add in the sauce, whether marinara or pizza, seasonings like oregano, and stir well to mix; this forms the peppers' stuffing. Continue cooking for 3 minutes, and the filling will be thick enough for adding to your peppers.
- If you choose to use pepperoni in your dish, stir in after taking it off the heat.
- Spoon scoopfuls of the mixture into each bell pepper until the peppers are stuffed evenly. Top with shredded cheese of your choice.
- Transfer the stuffed peppers into the oven and continue baking for 30 minutes.
- Take it out of the oven and garnish with some basil leaves and chili flakes.
Voila! Here you have one lip-smacking savory dish which is entirely gluten-free and keto diet-friendly.
If you often crave something sweet, there are several gluten-free keto desserts for you to try. Chefs who specialize in keto diets have curated lip-smacking confectionaries and dessert recipes. These are super effective for a gluten-free diet, so you do not have to worry about messing up your gluten-free keto diet.
Keto Cupcakes
Cupcakes are paradise in a mini form. And when they are super healthy and nutritious and keto diet-friendly, you can eat them guilt-free! Here is a recipe for the best keto cupcakes to devour.
Ingredients –
- Coconut flour – 1/3 cup
- Cocoa powder – ½ cup unsweetened
- Erythritol powder – ¼ cup (is a low carb sweetener)
- Baking powder – 1 tsp
- Salt – ¼ tsp
- Eggs – 4
- Vanilla extract – 1 tsp
- Stevia extract – 8 drops (for more sweetness) (optional)
- Olive oil – 4 tbsp extra light
- Almond milk – ½ cup unsweetened (any plant-based milk)
Directions –
- Grease a muffin tin while you preheat the oven to 350°,
- Take a bowl and toss in the cocoa powder, coconut flour, baking powder, salt, erythritol, and baking soda. Whisk all of them together.
- Once this dry mixture is well whisked, create a well in the middle of it. Put in the eggs, almond milk, olive oil, vanilla extract, and stevia if you wish. Mix all of it well and let it rest for 8 minutes.
- Ensure that the batter is neither too thick nor too thin but is of the right consistency.
- Scoop out the batter and put two scoops into each muffin tin.
- Bake for approximately 22 minutes.
For the frosting – Keto chocolate mousse, low carb raspberry mousse, low carb keto chocolate frosting, or keto cream cheese frosting will do the trick.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the keto diet's meaning and its benefits in losing any extra weight, you may wish to try it out.
Eating healthy and nutritious does not always have to be boring. If you are not the greatest at cooking, follow the recipes mentioned above or look up other delicious keto diet recipes. There are plenty to find that are super easy to make. Or, you can also try and make your recipes yourself with a little extra touch.
Ensure that you always instruct the restaurant about your dietary needs if you choose to dine out. Make it explicitly clear that you need a gluten-free and keto diet meal, or there could be chances of it getting messed up.
Adhere to the diet with continued motivation, and you will see a remarkable transformation in your health!
Be sure to consult your doctor before following any diet.
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The key to figuring out why you feel the way you feel is to take a more significant look at what is going on inside you & even around you, and then ask questions!
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