Gluten-Free, Where to Start

For many, the need to go gluten free is a medical issue. Doctors have confirmed a gluten sensitivity, allergy or otherwise. in this case, the need to go through cabinets, read labels and purge anything and everything that has a hint of gluten in it is a must. Anything with flour (unless it is pure rice flour, corn flour, potato flour or soy flour) , modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vegetable protein, malt r malt flavoring, vegetable gum, soy sauce or soy sauce solids.... YIKES! This can seem like a very daunting task - all of this "stuff" is in everything we currently know to be "every-day foods". For the need to go cold turkey because of diagnosed medical reasons, my suggestion would be to go straight to the produce department or farmer's market and start there. Eat everything fresh to retrain your brain, pallet and give you time to regroup mentally. Let's face it. This is where we should all be shopping anyway. Anything processed or pre-made typically has too many unpronounceable ingredients anyway. Then you can slowly move into replacing traditional pastas with brown rice pastas (which are actually very tasty), eat more rice-inspired dishes and begin making your own breads and baked goods. I have a really good gluten-free bread recipe posted here on my site. Look at the items you CAN have, not the "can't" list. You will quickly see how much you really can eat on a gluten-free diet. Just make sure to read ALL labels, even those items that claim to be gluten free. They are not always 100% gluten free, but enough to claim the status.

Now there are also many people who want to experiment and try removing gluten to see if it makes a difference in how their body feels. Not a medically diagnosed need, but a personal want. In this case, here is what I would suggest. Make a list of all the wonderful things that do NOT have gluten in them and begin your shopping week on a happy note. There is so much to eat! Start by cutting out regular pasta and bread. Eat more rice-based or potato dishes. Then you can move to a brown rice pasta for those days that you really want a pasta dish. You can make a loaf of your own bread and have that on hand (again, there is a great recipe on this blog). Also focus on eating more fresh fruits and vegetables. Once you have adjusted to this way of thinking, begin reading labels of items in your pantry and make some notes as to what items have gluten in them. Set them in their own section in your pantry and try to focus on the large "can be used" section. You will quickly realize how much you really can eat and that it is not as difficult as you may have initially thought. Unless you eat out more than you eat at home. We never eat out, so it has been a fairly easy adjustment for us.

Once you get the idea of on-gluten items in your head, be creative! Use things like almonds (or any kind of nut) as a replacement for breadcrumbs in a recipe (run them through a food processor), or even gluten-free corn flakes. I have made Chicken Parmesan with corn flakes as the breading. DELICIOUS! And in a recipe I have on this blog, I used almonds for the breading on chicken fingers. You will be pleasantly surprised by the wonderful texture and flavor these items will add to your staple dishes. And you may never go back to the old ways. You can have delicious, flavorful meals without the gluten. Many people have made statements that say you can't eat anything or that there is no flavor in gluten-free cooking. SOOOOO not the case. I actually think the food I am now making has more flavor and texture than my old way of cooking. AND we don't have the digestive issues we had before.

Like anything, a change is an adjustment. Just make sure that you give yourself time to adjust, give yourself some room for error and know that yes, YOU CAN DO THIS. Check back for more recipes in the days and weeks to come! I have a pizza crust recipe that I will post soon. Yes, even pizza can be yummy and gluten-free.