How to Easily Get Started With Gluten-Free Eating

Written by April Saunders, Blogger & Registered Dietitian

April Saunders is a Registered Dietitian with a Masters in Public Health. She runs Eats by April – a website dedicated to helping busy moms easily break free from gluten so they can finally feel like themselves again.

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When you finally go gluten-free, it can be hard to know what to eat. Some foods are completely off-limits, but others that you don’t even know about are waiting to be discovered and become your new favourites! (Case in point, see this article on The Top 10 Gluten-Free Grains and How to Try Them Today).

But I’ll level with you: going completely gluten-free can take some time.

For most of us, myself included, it doesn’t happen overnight.

So while you’re getting up and running with your new way of eating, a standard way to structure your meals helps get you over that “implementation hump.”

In this article, I share my recommended way of structuring your meals.

It’s also how I eat on a regular basis.

Use gluten-free meal plan structure to help you figure out what to eat

Meal	Components
Breakfast	Gluten-Free Carb Option:  Gluten-free cereal or oats Gluten-Free granola Gluten-free bread (toast) Gluten-free muffins Plus:  Protein Option: Eggs Peanut butter Almond butter Greek Yogurt Cottage cheese Gluten-free turkey pepperettes
Lunch	Gluten-Free Carb Option:  Basmati Rice or black rice Quinoa Sweet potatoes Chickpeas Black beans Plus:  Protein Option: Tuna or salmon Chicken Lean beef Greek Yogurt Cottage cheese Gluten-free turkey pepperettes  Plus: Any whole fruit and/or veggie
Snack	Fruit + Protein  Fruit: 2 nectarines Apple Plum Orange Banana Pear Protein:  Almonds or mixed nuts Peanut Butter High-Protein Vegetable Dip + veggies Small Greek yogurt Peanut Butter Coconut Energy Bites
Dinner	Gluten-Free Carb Option: Rice (basmati, Instant Pot) Sweet potatoes Gluten-Free pasta Yellow Potatoes Protein:  Cast Iron Chicken breast Turkey burger  Salmon filet Lean beef (steak) Plus:  ½ plate of roasted veggies
Snack	Fruit + Protein  Fruit: 2 nectarines Apple Plum Orange Banana Pear Protein:  Almonds or mixed nuts Peanut Butter High-Protein Vegetable Dip + veggies Small Greek yogurt

For snacks, go for ones with added protein and/or fibre:

• Make your own muffins on the weekend or whip up some high-protein dip to have with veggies

• Look for gluten-free protein bars like Lara Bars or Simply Protein

• Go for nuts like almonds or cashews

When you have a meal structure, it can make getting used to gluten-free eating easy peasy!

Need more ideas?

Here’s my Seven Day Gluten-Free Meal Plan for Beginners!

It has everything you need to get started with gluten-free eating without the need to buy any weird or fancy foods.

Remember: you’ve totally got this.

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and visit my website for more info!

Read more from April Saunders

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April Saunders, Blogger & Registered Dietitian

April Saunders is a Registered Dietitian and runs Eats by April: the place to BE when you first go gluten-free. Fueled by her own experience with years of undiagnosed gluten intolerance which caused daily stomach cramps, painful bloating, unsightly burping and brain fog, April finally freed herself of all it once she went gluten-free. Now she’s on a mission to help busy moms end their symptoms from gluten intolerance by finally going gluten way faster than she did so they can feel like themselves again.