This article on real food was sponsored by ALDI. All opinions are my own.

Whether you’re vegan or a meat eater – a yogi or a runner, graduating college or retiring, there’s a few tips I want to share with you to inspire your routines and make your life fabulous.

Remember, everyone is different. None of us are the same. What works for you may not work for your sister or your mother or your friend- and vice versa. It’s about seeing what works for you and sticking with that. If you feel great eating gluten-free grains–awesome. If you feel better eating Paleo (grain-free) then go for it. But do me a favor? Don’t follow the latest fad–you know: low fat, low carb, etc. etc. etc…. Silence all that noise and do what works for YOU.

Here are a few tips for eating gluten-free as well as simple, easy and affordable ideas to get your family eating clean with real food.

• There are SO many benefits of eating gluten free; the main benefits are less inflammation, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, headaches, muscle pain, acne, fatigue, eczema, fibromyalgia pain, joint pain and relief from viruses such as Lyme disease. I’ve been gluten free for over 10 years and it’s helped me overcome many chronic illnesses, pain and much more.
• Make sure the surface areas and cutting boards of your kitchen are clean and kept away from any gluten that may be in your home. Wash counter tops and cutting boards well to make sure gluten is nowhere to be found or create your own dedicated gluten free cutting boards for cooking.
• Keep your eye out for hidden gluten in soy sauce, dressings, baked goods, cereals, condiments, cereals, makeup and more. My Gluten-Free How To page and Gluten-Free How To For Kids page has more information.
• Be cautious when eating out in restaurants because many restaurants don’t know about gluten and their kitchens have gluten floating around in the air, which can make you sick if you are highly sensitive or celiac.
• Explore  new stores like ALDI, one of my favorite places to shop, and check out the inexpensive variety of gluten-free food they have to offer. They just launched a new LiveGfree line of products, all 100% gluten-free, that has my clients and I giddy! Don’t be afraid to venture out of your usual food store and look for a low-price grocery option like ALDI where you can stock up on your produce and gluten-free pantry items.
• ALDI makes incorporating gluten-free into your lifestyle simple, inexpensive and super easy through their high quality and low priced options.
• Eat more gluten-free whole grains! ALDI just launched a gluten-free penne and fusilli pasta as well as brown rice spaghetti. They also just launched a gluten-free whole grain bread that you can use in your meals. These both count as whole grains so you can incorporate them into your breakfast, lunch or dinner.
• Here’s a small list the products ALDI offers and quick ideas for using them”
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Pretzel Sticks and Mini Twist pretzels. These are great for kid’s lunches or for you to take with you to snack on at work with hummus or guacamole.
  • live Gfree Gluten Free Brown Rice Spaghetti. This is perfect for a simple dinner when tossed with olive oil and roasted veggies like zucchini, tomatoes and eggplant. Add a handful of fresh basil and you’ll all set.
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Brownie Mix, Baking Mix, Yellow Cake Mix and Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. These mixes are great for last minute entertaining when you don’t have time to make a dessert from scratch. You can serve them for a birthday party or holiday with a homemade gluten-free icing made with cocoa powder.
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Wraps. These are ideal for lunch wraps; fill them with your favorite protein like beans or chicken, avocado and spinach. Or go the sweet route and serve them toasted for dessert with almond butter, honey and sliced bananas!
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Granola. Sprinkle this on top of your yogurt for an easy parfait with fresh fruit. You can also munch on the granola with a handful of raw nuts and serve it as a mid-afternoon snack or sweet treat for the movies!
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Sea Salt and Rosemary & Olive Oil Multiseed Snack Crackers. These pair perfectly with hummus, salsa and guacamole for entertaining or for appetizers before dinner. These crackers are also fabulous with almond butter, a drizzle of honey and a pinch of sea salt on top. So good and ideal for curing any sweet tooth.
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Penne Rigate and Fusilli. Get creative and toss the pasta with grape tomatoes, scallions, toasted cashews, coconut oil and balsamic vinegar; I like to serve this warm but with the warm weather right around the corner, you can certainly serve this chilled or at room temperature.
  • liveGfree Gluten Free Whole Grain Bread. You can toast the whole grain bread and spread some ripe avocado on top with sea salt, pepper and toasted almond slivers to make delicious (and easy) avocado toast for breakfast or a mid-day snack! I often have this as an appetizer before dinner, too! Save your leftover gluten-free loaves of bread to make breadcrumbs, stuffing or croutons.
• All these liveGfree products are easy swaps to fill your kitchen with ‘Better for you’ food!

And here’s a few tips to help you fill your kitchen with real food – to keep you thriving!

• Eat real food- that comes from the ground (aka–veggies, fruits, etc.). Check out my 10 Day Clean Eating Cleanse to get you started.
• Toss all your products containing HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, sucralose, Equal, NutraSweet, Splenda, Sweet’ n Low and sadccharin.
• Eat good sources of FAT! Your body needs fat to function. Good fats in raw nuts, coconut oil, fatty fish, grass-fed meats, avocados and nuts are amazing. If you don’t eat enough good fat- you’ll tank your thyroid, hormones and sky rocket inflammation in your body. And just a small, little piece of advice- getting your thyroid and hormones back to work ain’t so easy- it’ll take years, will slow down your metabolism and isn’t fun. Trust me! I’ve been there and I’m STILL working on my thyroid and hormones.
• Avoid the pro-inflammatory bad fats like those in processed and fried foods.
• Eat a colorful plate of fruits and veggies at each meal. Their phytonutrients will help protect you from bacteria and viruses.
• Eat organic as much as possible to avoid toxic pesticides.
• Fill up on more leafy greens like spinach, arugula and kale.
• Try to add a new fruit to your meals each week such as pineapple in your oatmeal or pears in your smoothie. Fresh fruits create natural sweetness so you’ll soon notice you don’t need to use as much sugar as you did in the past!
• Swap out your daily cup of coffee for tea or water with organic lemon.

• Steer clear of white sugar (as well as raw sugar and brown sugar) found in processed foods like breads, cookies, yogurt, etc. It will lead to inflammation and possibly Candida. Check out my Sugar Free How-To to get you started.
• Remove gluten. Check out my Gluten Free How-To to get you started.
• Remove soy. Check out my Soy Free How-To to get you started.
• Remove dairy if troublesome. If not, eat organic dairy. Check out my Dairy Free How-To to get you started.
• Don’t focus on the calories of a food- that doesn’t tell you diddly squat! What does matter? If it’s filled with good fats, lean protein and fiber from REAL food like fruits n’ veggies.
• Get those GMOs out of your life by buying organic as much as possible. Here’s How to Avoid GMOs.
• Eat more walnuts and ground flaxseeds- they’re high in omega 3’s and will help fight your inflammation whether you have an autoimmune disease or simply just joint pain.
• Reach for fermented foods like organic sauerkraut, kimchi and kombucha.
• Use coconut oil for cooking and olive oil for salads! The healthy fats in olive oil are altered when this oil is heated!
• Eat breakfast.
• Sit down when eating—don’t stand up!
• Chew your food very, very well to help your body break it down so it doesn’t have to do as much work and can then focus on other areas of your body.

How do you fill your kitchen with real food?

This post was sponsored by ALDI. All opinions are my own.