Step 1. Know the enemy by sight
The first step is to find and remove gluten-containing foods and dishes from the menu. There are many of them.
The obvious ones that everyone knows about include:
- grains (wheat, rye, barley, semolina, bulgur, spelt, couscous and spelt);
- products made from wheat: flour, bread, cookies and cakes, pasta, breakfast cereals, baby cereals.
And if everything about flour and grains is already clear, then many people are not aware of some products that contain gluten.
E. g:
- purchased dairy products that contain additives and thickeners (cheeses, yogurt, curds, milk powder, processed cheese),
- semi-finished meat and fish products (especially breaded),
- dumplings, pancakes, dumplings,
- ice cream (not only because of the waffle cone, the ice cream itself also often contains gluten),
- sausage, canned food, imitation seafood ("crab meat" and "crab sticks"),
- chips, bread and biscuits.
Wheat gluten and protein can end up in food colors and additives. Therefore, even spices and stock cubes, sauces (soy, ketchup, teriyaki, tomato paste, many other sauces where flour is used for thickening), chocolate, coffee and alcoholic beverages (beer, vodka, whiskey, wine drinks with coloring or flavoring and aromatic additives).
Recommendations
- Read the labels carefully. Be aware of traces of gluten in the composition. Whenever possible, choose products labeled "Gluten Free" or "Gluten Free", these 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
Flour from cereals and legumes - instead of wheat.
- Flour for bread, pasta, cakes, pancakes and desserts can be made from grains, nuts and legumes.
- Flours made from buckwheat, rice, chickpeas, soy, flax, corn, almonds are 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 flour
- To get the most out of homemade flour, we recommend soaking the seeds and nuts beforehand and then drying them in a dehydrator. This will reduce the concentration of phytic acid in the seeds, which interferes with the normal uptake of minerals by plants.
- It is better to grind the flour in small portions just before cooking. This will help avoid oxidation of the seeds and preserve all the beneficial substances.
Breakfast is not just oatmeal and sandwiches
- There are many equally tasty alternatives: homemade yogurt from a fermenter, 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, millet, gluten-free oatmeal, amaranth and flax will come to the rescue.
Legumes and grains – instead of pasta
- For lunch, you can eat pulses or grains (rice, quinoa, polenta, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, cornmeal) that do not contain gluten as a side dish.
- You can replace your usual pasta with rice, buckwheat and bean noodles or make pasta from gluten-free flour.
- Meat and fish can be breaded in crushed cornflakes, and the dough can be made from chickpeas or rice flour.
- It is easy to thicken sauces and gravies with potato or corn starch.
- Instead of stock 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 get a natural aromatic spice. Powder made from dried mushrooms or jerk meat will add a rich flavor to broths and sauces.
Gluten-free snacks
- For snacks, try homemade potato 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 cancelled
- Use nut or rice flour to make them.
- Instead of store-bought cream, use coconut cream or homemade coconut yogurt from a fermenter.
A good alternative to sweets are fruit chips and dehydrator pastilles as well as healthy sweets made from nuts and dried fruit (without oatmeal).
Step 3. Organize gluten-free baby food
- Prepare the same dishes, only from gluten-free flour and grains (we have already discussed options for pasta and grains above).
- Try making pancakes, pancakes or cheesecakes with coconut, buckwheat or rice flour.
- Dumplings and dumplings can also be made from rice-based flour.
- Sweet bars, cookies and candies can be made from nuts, dried fruit and cocoa crushed in a blender (and even make it a joint game, for example, making cookies of different shapes from coconut and banana).
- Don't forget vegetable and fruit chips (instead of store-bought crackers), marshmallows and natural ice cream.
Gluten Free Recipe Ideas
| Menu #1 | Menu #2 |
Breakfast Flax porridge with fresh fruit |
Breakfast Green buckwheat granola + boiled eggs |
Dinner Pumpkin soup with flax bread and avocado salad |
Dinner Homemade borscht with cashew creme fraiche Stuffed cabbage rolls with soy and lentil sprouts |
Afternoon snack Fresh vegetables with homemade hummus |
Afternoon snack Gluten-free avocado bread |
Dinner Zucchini pasta in tomato sauce with herbs |
Dinner Risotto with curry chicken thigh and cashew nuts |