If you discover that you are gluten intolerant, your first reaction is usually mild panic. Cookies, pastries, pasta, cereals - it seems like you will have to give up all your favorite foods, what is there to eat now? We tell you how to comfortably organize meals on a gluten-free diet.
Step 1. Know the enemy by sight
The first step is to find and eliminate foods and dishes that contain gluten from the menu. There are many of them.
The obvious ones that everyone knows include:
- cereals (wheat, rye, barley, semolina, bulgur, spelled, couscous and spelled);
- wheat-based products: flour, bread, biscuits and pastries, pasta, breakfast cereals, children's cereals.
And if everything about flour and cereals is already clear, then many people do not know about some products that contain gluten.
For example:
- store-bought dairy products containing additives and thickeners (curds, yogurts, cheese curds, milk powder, processed cheese),
- meat and fish semi-finished products (especially breaded),
- dumplings, pancakes, dumplings,
- ice cream (not just because of the waffle cone, the ice cream itself also contains gluten),
- sausage, canned food, imitation seafood ("crab meat" and "crab sticks"),
- chips, bread and cookies.
Gluten and wheat protein can end up in food dyes and additives. Therefore, even seasonings and stock 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 colorings or flavorings and aromatic additives).
Recommendations
- Read labels carefully. Pay attention to traces of gluten in the composition. Whenever possible, opt for products labeled "Gluten Free" or "Gluten Free", which can be found in the diet section of supermarkets.
- Use whole foods for cooking: fresh meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and oils.
Step 2: Replace gluten with healthy alternatives
Cereal and legume flour - instead of wheat.
- Flour for breads, pastas, pastries, pancakes and desserts can be made from grains, nuts and legumes.
- Flour from buckwheat, rice, chickpeas, soy, flax, corn, almonds is great for these dishes. It's easy to make it yourself, just grind the ingredients in a special mill.
What is important to know about preparing flour
- To make the most of homemade flour, we recommend soaking the seeds and nuts in advance and then drying them in the dehydrator. This will reduce the concentration of phytic acid in the seeds, which interferes with the plants' normal absorption of minerals.
- It is best to grind the flour in small portions before cooking. This will help prevent seed oxidation and preserve all beneficial substances.
Breakfast isn't just oatmeal and sandwiches
- There are many equally tasty alternatives: homemade fermented yogurts, 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 cereal in a mill for breakfast.
- If it is difficult for you to imagine your morning without porridge, buckwheat, rice, corn, 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 vegetables or cereals (rice, quinoa, polenta, corn, amaranth, buckwheat, corn kernels) that do not contain gluten.
- You can replace your usual pasta with rice, buckwheat and bean pasta or make pasta with gluten-free flour.
- Meat and fish can be breaded in crushed corn flakes, and the dough can be made with chickpea or rice flour.
- It's easy to thicken sauces and sauces using potato or corn starch.
- Instead of bouillon cubes and store-bought mixes, try homemade seasonings: dry vegetables and herbs in a dehydrator or grind them in a food mill or blender. You will get a natural aromatic seasoning. Powder made from dried mushrooms or dried meat will add a rich flavor to broths and sauces.
Gluten-free snacks
- For snacks, try homemade chips or gluten-free bread in a dehydrator.
- Pieces of meat and fish can be dried to create natural and satisfying snacks.
Desserts have not been canceled
- Use nuts or rice flour to prepare them.
- Instead of store-bought cream, use coconut cream or homemade coconut yogurt from a fermenter.
A good alternative to store-bought sweets are fruit chips and dehydrating tablets, as well as healthy sweets made from nuts and dried fruits (no oats).
Step 3. Organize gluten-free baby food
- Prepare the same dishes, only with gluten-free flour and cereals (we 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 with rice-based flour.
- Candy bars, cookies and candies can be made from nuts, dried fruits and cocoa crushed in a blender (and it can even become a game, for example, making cookies of different shapes from coconut and banana).
- Don't forget about vegetable and fruit chips (instead of store-bought cookies), marshmallows and natural ice cream.
Gluten-free recipe ideas
| Menu #1 | Menu #2 |
Breakfast Flaxseed porridge with fresh fruits |
Breakfast Green buckwheat granola + boiled eggs |
To have lunch Pumpkin soup with flaxseed bread and avocado salad |
To have lunch Homemade borscht with cashew cream Cabbage rolls stuffed with soy and lentil sprouts |
Afternoon snack Fresh vegetables with homemade hummus |
Afternoon snack Gluten-Free Avocado Bread |
To have lunch Zucchini pasta in tomato sauce with herbs |
To have lunch Risotto with curried chicken thighs and cashew nuts |