More and more people are discovering the benefits of a gluten-free diet. For some who are only sensitive to gluten, avoiding it is a choice. However, doing so is a necessity for individuals with a condition called Celiac Disease, in which the intestines become severely inflamed when they contact the protein known as gluten. Foods containing this protein include grains such as wheat, barley and rye. Because these grains are so prevalent in the Western diet, it may seem at first that deleting them from your diet is next to impossible. However, with a little research and practice, it is possible to remain gluten-free, while still enjoying a full range of culinary pleasures.

Better still, eating gluten-free does not prevent you from enjoying some of the world’s most nutritious foods, particularly those that are high in antioxidants. Here are just a few of the most delicious and beneficial:

Beans

Both filling and slow to digest, red, black, kidney and pinto beans are tasty and high in antioxidants. What’s more, they are packed with fiber and feature prominently in delicious cuisines such as Mexican. Just be sure to replace flour tortillas with corn and you will begin to reap the benefits.

Vegetables

Whether it’s phytonutrient-loaded leafy green veggies such as kale and spinach or healthy cruciferous choices including broccoli and Brussels sprouts, rest assured that there isn’t a speck of gluten to be found in any of these. For an extra health boost, choose artichokes, which rank near the top of the list of foods high in antioxidants.

Fruits

They are the stars of the antioxidant show, and they’re gluten-free to boot. Blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, prunes, raspberries, strawberries, apples, cherries and plums all fall into this category. Best of all, they are delicious and can add a nutritious, natural sweetness to any gluten-free diet. As long as you eat these fruits in their raw form, avoiding gluten-packed pastry crusts, you have no gluten worries on the horizon.

Dark Chocolate

Cocoa lovers, the great news is that you don’t need to give up chocolate. Not only is it gluten-free, but also it is high in antioxidants. Just remember to eat it in moderation and you won’t see major upward swings in your weight. Nu Skin’s Pharmanex Scanner shows that dark chocolate adds strong antioxidant value to the body.

Keeping a careful watch over the pounds you gain, as well as your general health status, is a vital part of any positive lifestyle change. Thanks to burgeoning technology, your bathroom scale is only one of the tools that are now available to help in this regard. Perhaps the most exciting innovation is Nu Skin’s S3 Pharmanex BioPhotonic scanner, which measures the levels of carotenoid antioxidants in your skin. All you need to do is to place your palm in front of the scanner’s low-energy, safe blue light in order to receive your score. Within seconds, you will have a clear idea of your body’s overall antioxidant health.

Gaining the ability to monitor and raise your level of antioxidants can profoundly affect your health for the better. That is because these natural and man-made chemicals slow cell damage and combat free radicals. If left unchecked, free radicals, which can be thought of as cellular loose cannons, can contribute to catastrophic illnesses such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, Alzheimer’s disease and eye problems like macular degeneration.

Thanks to our increased understanding of how certain foods and proteins can affect our bodies, it is now truly possible to be in the driver’s seat when it comes to making transformative changes in your health. Adding some or all of these antioxidant-packed, gluten-free choices into your diet can enable you to see measurable improvements in your health and well-being. There is no time like the present to get started!

Image Credit Healthy Berries are Good Food for Health by epSos .de via Flickr