Adjusting to Gluten-Free Living
Posted May 15, 2013 / 11:30 a.m.Have you or someone you know been diagnosed recently with a gluten or wheat allergy? Feeling overwhelmed with the "daunting" task of converting to a gluten-free/wheat-free diet? You've come
to the right place for some helpful tips!
1. Become a label reader. Many processed foods have wheat ingredients in them, and they're not always listed as "wheat." Other terms synonymous with wheat are "modified food starch" (unless it says "modified food starch (corn)") and "maltodextrin." Believe it or not, you will find wheat ingredients in many sauces such as barbeque and steak sauces, seasoning packages, and candies. The more ingredients a product has, the more likely you are to find wheat listed.
2. Prepare to spend more and get less. Gluten-free products are much pricier and the portions included are much smaller than wheat-laden products. For example, a box of gluten-free macaroni and cheese will run you around $2.50 to $3.00 a box, and you'll get a lot less pasta in the box than the typical box of wheat macaroni and cheese. I have to make two boxes of gluten-free macaroni and cheese to feed my three children.
3. Get familiar with stores and restaurants that offer gluten-free products. Most Hy-Vee grocery stores have large health food sections that offer a variety of competitively priced gluten-free products, and there are dieticians on staff to readily offer assistance to customers with questions. Some other grocery stores, like Hen House and Price Chopper, offer select gluten-free items in their health food sections as well. Whole Foods is another option, but there aren't as many locations in the Kansas City area as there are Hy-Vee grocery stores.
Restaurants we frequent that offer gluten-free menu items include Jason's Deli http://www.jasonsdeli.com/, Minsky's and Dominoes pizza. Several chain restaurants are beginning to offer gluten-free menu items, which are denoted by a special symbol like, "GF." If there are no gluten-free items on a restaurant's menu, consider ordering sandwiches without the bread or substitute lettuce to wrap the meat instead of bread.
4. Remember you have many healthy options. Though many processed foods contain wheat, you have many healthy and delicious food options. Fresh meats, eggs, fruits, vegetables, rice, and dairy products are foods you can indulge in without worry. And if you're a pasta lover, don't despair; rice-based or corn-based pastas are a good substitute. You will find that a gluten-free diet is a healthier diet in that you'll be eating more fruits and vegetables and less processed foods. You may even shed some unwanted pounds from the diet change. :)
I applaude your dedication to finding healthy alternatives for your family. It must be very frustrating and costly to stay on track. I have known a few friends with gluten and wheat allergies and they have benefited when they stick to their diet. It's wonderful to have more choices now that this is becoming so popular and so many people are getting this diagnosis.
ReplyDeleteI like the side benefit of losing weight as well. :)
My friend Brittany is getting married next month and she has struggled to find a wedding cake maker who was willing to take on the task of making a gluten-free wedding cake (as her future Mother-in-Law is allergic to gluten). She finally found one and the snickerdoodle cake is pretty darn delicious. I am glad to see how much easier it is to purchase gluten free, and other allergy related, food products now a days.
ReplyDeleteI learned years ago that you must read labels, that is, IF you are interested to know what is in stuff. It came to my attention after I felt I already knew it, but it smacked me in the face a few weeks ago that there is SO MUCH added to virtually everything we consume. Milk, pb, breads, pastas...etc. and anything other than raw fruits and veggies but you have to watch out with that stuff too as it can contain pesticides and yucky stuff. It saddens me to know that so many people are so uneducated on the "truths" about foods, and when they think they are eating something good for them it really isn't. Food is worth spending a little more on, and worth putting in effort and researching its origination.
ReplyDeleteI bought some gluten free cookies the other day, don't know why other than it was gluten, nut and milk free and I've been trying to stay away from milk as it might just be the culprit that is causing my upset stomach.. ANYWAY! They were pretty good, my 9 year old killed em.
Yes, it's a shame that you have to resort to reading every label. I think it's partly the consumer's fault that there are so many ingredients in the products we buy. Many questionable ingredients are added only for color or fragrance. I challenge you to find a tub of WHITE frosting w/o red or yellow dye in it...I know of only one big-name frosting that doesn't. Now, why do we need dyes to color white frosting???
Delete