Step 1. Know the enemy by the eyes
The first step is to find and remove from the menu foods and dishes containing gluten. There are many of them.
The obvious ones everyone knows about include:
- cereals (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 cereals is already clear, then many people do not know about some products containing gluten.
For example:
- store-bought dairy products that contain additives and thickeners (cottage cheese, yogurt, cheese, 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),
- sausages, preserves, imitation seafood ("crab meat" and "crab sticks")
- chips, bread and crackers.
Wheat gluten and protein can end up in food coloring and additives. Therefore, even condiments 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 beverages with coloring orflavorings and flavoring additives).
Recommendations
- Read labels carefully. Pay attention to traces of gluten in the composition. Whenever possible, choose products labeled "Gluten-free" or "Gluten-free", these can be found in the diet sections of supermarkets.
- Use whole foods for cooking: fresh meats, 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.
- Buckwheat, rice, chickpea, soybean, flax, corn, almond flour is great for these dishes. It is easy to make it yourself, just grind the ingredients in a special grinder.
What is important to know about making flour
- To get the most out of your 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 by plants.
- It is better to grind the flour in small portions immediately before cooking. This will help to avoid oxidation of the seeds and preserve all the useful substances.
Breakfast isn't just oatmeal and sandwiches
- There are many equally tasty alternatives: homemade sour milk from a fermenter, potato pancakes, smoothies and patterned bowls, pancakes and pancakes from buckwheat or rice flour.
- You can make healthy green buckwheat granola in a dehydrator or cereal in a breakfast grinder.
- If it is difficult for you to imagine the morning without porridge, buckwheat, rice, millet, gluten-free oats, amaranth and flax will come to the rescue.
Legumes and cereals – 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 beans or make pasta with gluten-free flour.
- Meat and fish can be breaded in crushed corn flakes, and the breading can be made from chickpea or rice flour.
- It's easy to thicken sauces and gravies using potato or cornstarch.
- Instead of stock cubes and store mixes, try homemade seasonings: dry vegetables and herbs in a dehydrator or grind them in a grinder or blender. You will get a natural aromatic spice. Dried mushroom or meat powder will add rich flavor to broths and sauces.
A gluten-free snack
- For snacks, try homemade chips or gluten-free bread in a dehydrator.
- Pieces of meat and fish can be dried to make natural and satisfying snacks.
Desserts are not cancelled
- Use nut or rice flour to make them.
- Instead of store-bought cream, use coconut cream or homemade coconut yogurt from a fermenter.
Good alternatives to store-bought sweets are fruit chips and dehydrator bars, as well as healthy nut and dried fruit candies (oat-free).
Step 3. Organize gluten-free baby food
- Prepare the same dishes, only from gluten-free flour and grains (we already discussed the pasta and grain options above).
- Try making crepes, 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 become a joint game, for example, making cookies of different shapes from coconut and banana).
- Do not forget about vegetable and fruit chips (instead of crackers from the store), 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 sour cream Stuffed sarmicki with soybean sprouts and lentils |
Snack Fresh vegetables with homemade hummus |
Snack Gluten Free Avocado Bread |
Dinner Zucchini pasta in tomato sauce with herbs |
Dinner Risotto with curry chicken legs and cashews |