Gluten-free diet: how to change your usual menu without stress

If you find out you're gluten intolerant, your first reaction is usually mild panic. Cookies, pastries, pasta, cereals – it seems like you have to give up all your favorite foods, now what's there to eat? We tell you how to comfortably organize meals on a gluten-free diet.

Step 1. Identify the enemy by sight

The first step is to find and eliminate gluten-containing foods and dishes from the menu. There are many.

The obvious ones that everyone knows about include:

  • grains (wheat, rye, barley, semolina, bulgur, spelt, couscous and spelt);
  • Wheat products: flour, bread, cookies and pastries, pasta, breakfast cereals, baby cereals.
gluten containing products

And if everything is already clear about flour and grains, then many people do not know about some products containing gluten.

For example:

  • Store-bought dairy products that contain additives and thickeners (yogurt, yogurt, cheese curds, milk powder, processed cheese),
  • Semi-finished meat and fish products (especially breaded),
  • Dumplings, pancakes, dumplings,
  • Ice cream (not just because of waffle cones, ice cream also often contains gluten),
  • Sausages, canned food, imitation seafood ("crab meat" and "crab sticks"),
  • Chips, bread and crackers.

Wheat gluten and proteins can end up in food colors and additives. Therefore, even seasoning and bouillon cubes, sauces (soy, ketchup, teriyaki, tomato paste, many other sauces where flour is used to thicken), chocolate, coffee and alcoholic beverages (beer, vodka, whiskey, wine drinks with colors or flavorings and aromatic additives).

recommendations

  • Read labels carefully. Pay attention to the gluten content in the composition. Whenever possible, choose products labeled "gluten free" or "gluten free", these can be found in the diet section of the supermarket.
  • Use whole foods for cooking: fresh meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and oils.

Step 2: Replace gluten with healthy alternatives

Flour from grains and legumes - instead of wheat.

  • Flour for bread, pasta, pastries, pancakes and desserts can be made from grains, nuts and legumes.
  • Flour made from buckwheat, rice, chickpea, soy, flax, corn, almond is great for these dishes. It is easy to make it yourself, just grind the ingredients in a special mill.

What is important to know about preparing dough?

  • To get the most benefit from homemade flour, we recommend pre-soaking the seeds and nuts and then drying them in a dehydrator. This will reduce the concentration of phytic acid in the seeds, which interferes with the normal absorption of minerals from the plant. Is.
  • It is better to grind the flour in small portions just before cooking. This will help to avoid oxidation of the seeds and preserve all the beneficial substances.
How to Make Gluten Free Flour

Breakfast isn't just oatmeal and sandwiches

  • There are equally many delicious options: homemade yogurt from the ferment, potato pancakes, smoothies and colorful bowls, pancakes and pancakes made from buckwheat or rice flour.
  • You can make healthy green buckwheat granola in a dehydrator or mill for breakfast.
  • If it is hard for you to imagine your morning without oatmeal, buckwheat, rice, millet, gluten-free oatmeal, amaranth and flax will come to the rescue.

Legumes and grains – instead of pasta

  • For lunch, as a side dish, you can eat legumes or cereals (rice, quinoa, polenta, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, corn grits) that do not contain gluten.
  • You can replace your usual pasta with rice, buckwheat and bean noodles or make pasta with gluten-free flour.
  • Meat and fish may be cooked in crushed corn grits, and the batter may be made from chickpea or rice flour.
  • It is easy to thicken gravies and sauces by using potato or corn starch.
  • Instead of bouillon cubes and store-bought mixes, try homemade seasoning: dry vegetables and herbs in a dehydrator, or grind them in a food mill or blender. You'll get a naturally aromatic seasoning. Powder made from dried mushrooms or jerky meat will add a rich flavor to broths and sauces.
healthy gluten free foods

Snacking Gluten Free

  • For snacks, try homemade potato chips or gluten-free bread in the dehydrator.
  • Pieces of meat and fish can be dried to make a natural and satisfying snack.

Sweets have not been canceled

  • To make these, use walnut or rice flour.
  • Instead of store-bought cream, use coconut cream or homemade coconut yogurt from the fermenter.
    A good alternative to store-bought sweets are fruit chips and dehydrator pastilles, as well as healthy candies made from nuts and dried fruits (without oatmeal).

Step 3. Organize gluten-free baby food

  • Prepare the same dishes, only from gluten-free flour and cereals (we have already discussed pasta and cereal options above).
  • Try making pancakes, pancakes or cheesecakes with coconut, buckwheat or rice flour.
  • Dumplings and dumplings can also be made from rice flour.
  • Sweet bars, cookies and candies can be made from nuts, dried fruits and cocoa crushed in a blender (and even turn it into a joint game, for example, making cookies of different shapes from coconuts and bananas).
  • Don't forget about vegetable and fruit chips (instead of store-bought crackers), marshmallows and natural ice cream.

Gluten Free Recipe Ideas

Menu #1 Menu #2

Breakfast

Flaxseed Porridge with Fresh Fruit

Breakfast

Green Grain Granola + Boiled Eggs

dinner

Pumpkin Soup with Flax Bread and Avocado Salad

dinner

Homemade Borscht with Cashew Sour Cream

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Soybeans and Sprouted Pulses

afternoon snack

Fresh Vegetables with Homemade Hummus

afternoon snack

Gluten-Free Avocado Bread

dinner

Zucchini pasta in tomato sauce with herbs

dinner

Risotto with Curried Chicken Legs and Cashews