I Told You I Was Sick

More and more people are realizing they have intolerance to gluten and are starting to look towards gluten free alternatives in their diet. If you’ve just discovered that gluten has been the cause of your health problems, then don’t panic because there are literally 100’s of fantastic, healthy gluten-free options available.

It might seem at first as if gluten is everywhere, and in fact it is, but only because so many of the foods in the western diet are processed and made with all sorts of additives and bulking agents which contain gluten. When you switch to a healthy, whole-foods eating plan that cuts out processed foods, take-away food, and microwave meals you’ll find that your eating options open up.

Common Foods That Contain Gluten

Let’s take a look at some common food that contains gluten so you’ll know what kind of things to avoid.

• Wheat is one of the worst offenders and is absolutely full of gluten, so unfortunately for bread, pizza and pasta lovers this means that you’ll have to avoid these foods. Don’t worry though we’ll discuss gluten-free alternatives later in the article.
• Almost all processed food and microwave meals will contain gluten due to the bulking agents used.
• Most grains do contain gluten including rye bread, bulgur wheat, couscous and barley. There’s a small amount of gluten in most oatmeal, but it’s to do with how it’s made and you can actually get gluten-free oatmeal.
• Cakes, pastries, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, cereal and some chocolate.

Healthy Gluten Free Alternatives

Now that we’ve got the depressing bit out the way about what you can’t eat let’s look at some of the delicious food that you can eat in abundance. Bread is a big favorite of many people and since more and more people are becoming gluten intolerant there have been more fantastic gluten-free bread recipes being created by enterprising companies.

Just 10 years ago there was almost no alternative to bread for people with gluten intolerance, but today you’ll be able to find dozens of different types of gluten-free bread on the shelves of both health food stores and regular supermarkets. Some are better than others and it depends on your individual tastes, but you’ll definitely be able to find one you love as much as regular bread.

For the pasta lovers out there we have a variety of gluten free pastas available today. My personal favorite is buckwheat pasta. It’s soft and chewy just like regular wheat-pasta and it has a little bit more flavor to it. There are other specialized gluten-free pastas out there from different companies too and I recommend you try a few out to see what tingles your taste buds.

Buckwheat also makes great pancakes, so if you love pancakes then you’re in for a treat as buckwheat pancakes are actually even more delicious than regular pancakes. They have a lovely soft, rustic flavor and go especially well with a nice jam or some fresh honey. You can find buckwheat pancake mixes in health food stores.

In general there’s a lot of knowledge today about gluten intolerance and almost anywhere you go, whether it’s a small café or a restaurant, you’ll be able to find gluten-free options on the menu. Almost all foods have labels on them that tell you if they’re gluten free, but in general look out for products containing wheat flour and yeast.

Some Foods You Can Still Enjoy

• Steak, lamb, chicken and fish. Generally any fresh meat. Avoid processed meats and pre-packaged meals. No sausages I’m afraid.
• Potatoes and sweet potatoes are still on the menu!
• Vegetables, salads, fruits.
• Quinoa, Buckwheat and rice are completely gluten free.

Living With Others without a Gluten Intolerance

What are the woes of living and eating with others who don’t have gluten intolerance and can eat anything? Well, first of all you have to worry about cross contamination. Foods with gluten that come into contact with plates, silverware, other foods, etc. can pose a potential threat. Gluten intolerance is analogous to being allergic to nuts in that you have to be extremely careful with what touches what. It is imperative to ensure such things are looked after as people with intense gluten intolerances (it varies case by case) can become extremely ill even with the slightest of contaminations.

If you’re cooking and eating with family members who are eating gluten-based food then the main thing you’re going to have to do is substitute out things like pasta and bread for rice, quinoa or buckwheat in your meals.

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Guest Post by: This is a guest post by Samuel Camus, occasional guest poster of food related subjects, but full time health enthusiast.  Sam is currently working for Nigella, a great resource for healthy recipes, including but not limited to chicken recipes and chocolate recipes.