Gluten-free Dieting? Try Beef Jerky

Are you gluten sensitive or intolerant, or you have celiac disease but you still want to be able to enjoy eating meat? Read on to see how you can. 

Gluten is a protein found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It makes food maintain its shape by providing moisture and elasticity. In baking, it allows the bread to rise as well as giving it a chewy texture.

While it is safe for a lot of people, folks with gluten sensitivity or those with celiac disease should avoid it as it can cause health troubles. Avoiding it will make them heal faster. Several foods contain this protein so it’s important to check food labels closely if you have any of these conditions.

It can be difficult to get nutritious food that is filling and also very flavorful when adhering to a diet free of gluten. Therefore, a person on such a diet may have to be content with a limited list of foods and snacks that they can safely take. These may include processed foods like soups, glucose syrup, and ready meals so long as they do not contain gluten. Substitute foods like gluten-free pasta, bread, biscuits, flour, and crackers are also available. For more on this, check this article here.

Other Considerations of a Gluten-free Consumer

While it is possible for people eating gluten-free to have a healthy diet, they must focus on their diet so that it includes:

• Vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, squash, mushroom, onions, carrots, bell peppers, green beans, and radishes.
• Lean proteins such as fresh beef, pork, lamb, bison, fresh fish, scallops, shellfish, tofu, fresh turkey and fresh chicken. Double-check proteins like hotdogs, sausages, salami and bacon and avoid any meat, fish or poultry that has been breaded. Also any form of protein that has been combined with wheat-based soy sauce.
• Fruits such as oranges, grapefruits, bananas, apples, berries, pears, peaches, and corn.
• Whole grains including quinoa, brown rice, wild rice, buckwheat, tapioca, millet, amaranth, sorghum, oats, and teff.
• Lentils, beans and peas, peanuts, nuts and seeds
• Fats that are healthful such as butter and ghee, olive and olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, and avocado oil, canola oil, sunflower and sesame oil.

People with this diet can also take dairy products and beverages like milk, cheese, yogurt, cream, 100 percent juice, coffee, lemonade, sports drinks, and even some alcoholic beverages. The key is in double-checking to be sure any food taken does not contain this protein, especially canned and processed foods. To make up for the absence of protein in most of their diet, they can eat gluten-free beef jerky. 

What is a Beef Jerky?

A jerky is a lean meat that has been cut into strips and dehydrated by drying it to prevent it from spoilage. Jerky can be made from beef, pork, lamb or mutton, and from goat meat. They can also be made from game animals like kudu, deer, and bison. Basically, jerky is just dehydrated meat which is naturally gluten-free. Gluten comes into the picture when manufacturers add flavoring, spices, and seasoning.

Beef jerky is as American as the apple pie. As its name implies is made from beef. Traditionally, it is naturally dehydrated. However, some manufacturers now smoke the meat instead of dehydrating it. You can either enjoy beef jerky by making it yourself at home or by purchasing ready-made, packaged or unpackaged ones.

Source of Meat

For health-conscious people, it is important to also consider where the meat comes. While most standard animal proteins are from feedlot cattle raised on grains and other non-native diets, manufacturers who use pasture-raised, free-roaming animals that graze on grass and natural diets are much better. Using meat that is healthy and natural ensures the gluten-free beef jerky is much healthier for humans. Check out a few great options here: https://thenewprimal.com/collections/grass-fed-beef-jerky-paleo.

Cooking the meat properly also eliminates the need for preservatives. Since various condiments and spices are used, knowing the perfect combination of spices and the right amount of moisture content is what creates a healthy, delicious, and shelf-stable snack for people on a gluten-free diet.

Beef Jerky: A Gluten-free Snack

If you are on a gluten-free diet and are looking for a healthy, snack alternative to eat, beef jerky is just perfect for you. First, be sure to only purchase one from a reputable, responsibly raised, grass-fed animal beef jerky maker. Secondly, also look closely at any product you are buying to be sure that the product and the ingredients used are gluten-free.