Hi there as I am still a complete novice on this as only diagnoised on Friday , can anyone recommend an easy cook book or diet plan to follow for the above, Im finding it all a bit much to take in... and very confusing to be honest infact I dont know where to start lol
Gluten Free / Soy free: Hi there as I am still a... - Thyroid UK
Gluten Free / Soy free
Claire67,
Try Googling "Gluten-free recipes" and have a look at the pinned "Gluten-Free Chat" posts under Topics on the right side of the page.
Coeliac.org.uk have lots of info. Obviously aimed at people confirmed as coeliac, but gluten free is the same diet.
There is huge electronic database of GF foods - but access is members only - £24 a year I think.
Lots of free recipes and useful info too
Most supermarkets have a Free From section - where you will find gluten free bread, oats, cereals, biscuits, pasta, beer, soy sauce, ketchup etc etc.
M&S have great range of gluten free bread and some lovely crisp breads (date & walnut one is delicious)
M&S have now introduced several GF ready meals, chicken and beef pies, lasagne etc. Most of their sausages are GF (they use rice or potato flour instead of wheat).
I cook a lot from scratch using fresh meat, fish, vegetables, GF pasta, rice, GF pizza bases. You can buy GF cornflour and GF plain flour to make sauces. Also check ingredients of any "gravy" products/granules. There are GF stock cubes available.
We are lucky to have a GF fish and chip shop. Most large towns seem to have one but they tend not to advertise widely. Beware any shop bought sauces! Patak's jars of curry sauce are GF.
It can seem daunting at first to cook GF and I find it really annoying to have to keep taking out my glasses to read the fine print ingredients labels. It never ceases to amaze me where the food manufacturers will hide Gluten!
You will quickly get used to it, I'm gluten free, soy free and meat/fish/eggs and dairy free and it's fine.
I can't recommend a book, unless you'd be interested in vegan ones.
I have rice milk in place of soya, not as satisfying but a pleasanter taste and I've stopped having bread etc and don't miss then at all. Sometimes I'll have, for instance, crisps or rice cakes as a substitute so I can have say marmite or hoummus. Occasionally I have quinoa in place of rice/pasta etc and find the quick cooking varieties much more convenient than those that take half an hour. Chick pea flour is useful too, though probably less so if you eat eggs.
I believe almond milk etc are not good with thyroid problems, because of the phytic acid, but you'd better check in case I'm wrong.
Hope that helps a bit
Check out the cookbook Lean in 15 by Joe Wicks. Not advertised as gluten/soy free but a lot of the recipes are. Also a gluten free brand called Isabel's which you can get online or in some supermarkets.