Going gluten free - where to start ?

[Anniewoz1]

Advice please 🙂

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Spend a week or so looking at what you currently eat. Think about what you need to change

Clear out the kitchen cupboards of any hidden gluten. Buy some gluten free flours for baking, making sauces etc.

Start reading labels on all foods. You might be astonished where gluten turns up

Same for soya too. Best to avoid all soya completely

There are absolutely masses of gluten free recipe books, magazines, websites

Hardest thing to find is decent gluten free bread. M&S are good.

Breakfast. Certified gluten free oats are fine. Good for porridge or as base for making home made muesli. Just add nuts, seeds and dried fruit of your choice.

[NatChap]

A great book to start with is the River Cottage Gluten Free cookbook. It not only has some excellent recipes but also lists things like gluten free flours and how to use them, common foods that contain gluten that may surprise you, tables showing gluten foods and GF alternatives etc.. basically just lots of really good info and advice. It does seem daunting to start with but it's really not once you get your head around it. I don't feel like I'm missing out at all anymore..the only problems I have are when I eat out but many places are increasing their GF options.

[Joannagof1]

i think the healthier you eat the better.i always thought that we are what we eat..my meals usually are chicken breasts,vegetables,white rice,salads,fruits they naturally low in gluten or glluten free.i rarely eat dairy and food like cereals,yoghurts with stevia and stuff that come in packages they all contain ingredients that are unhealthy

[Anniewoz1 in reply to Joannagof1]

Thanks Joannagof1

Just being curious, why white rice and not whole meal ?

[Joannagof1 in reply to Anniewoz1]

i find it ore tasty and easy to digest better though whole meal has more vitamins etc

[Kes8 in reply to Joannagof1]

Don't mean to be rude and correct you but all fruits are gluten free.

[Joannagof1 in reply to Kes8]

yeah thats right

[Judithdalston]

I bought some gluten-free store-cupboard foods like flour and pasts, so I didn't feel I had to exclude family favourites from my diet, yet the family didn't notice the differences, for eg flour for thickening stews, making roux-based sauces ( cheese, gravy...). Many gluten free ready made items are extremely expensive, but much easier to find. I keep a home-sliced loaf in the freezer to remove just what I need, and don't run out. Even Lidl now has a new gluten-free range; but there are lots of recipes on the net so you can easily make everyday items and treats treats at home.

[Anniewoz1 in reply to Judithdalston]

Thank you

It’s good to know gf foods are now more readily available!

[crimple]

Have a look at M&S, most of their sausages are gluten free, th y use rice or potato flour. I buy potato flour at health food shop to make my own burgers although usually I only add herbs and seasoning to the mince and it sticks together. Morrisons own label bread buns and sliced bread in GF section is good if you can find it and cheaper than Genius etc. best thing for me it is also Egg free as I am intolerant to them!

I cook most food from scratch, meat, fish, veg. Have long learned to do without puds cos of the egg issue. M&S do nice GF crumbles, 2 pots in pack, for a treat, or apple pie, but that has egg in. I am also dairy free but can drink Lactofree milk, use LF cream and cheese. I also use almond, cashew or hemp milk.

I always take a lunch bag with me when we are out and some LF milk. Plenty of eateries can cope with GF just ask when you go in. We have a local fish and chip shop that does GF, for a treat. It is very easy to get caught out if you don't read all labels. Good luck

[Anniewoz1 in reply to crimple]

Thanks again crimple,

Such a wealth of knowledge here 😄

[Anniewoz1]

Thanks again

Great advice !

[knitwitty]

Hi Anniewoz

My son was diagnosed with coeliac disease just about a year ago, he is and was away at uni. He bought a large slow cooker and makes lots of stews, curries, bolognese sauces etc from scratch, he says that he can cook about 4 meals in one go and save the surplus for other days.

When he is home I make some gluten free cakes, pavlovas, brownies etc and we have had friends around who were not even aware they were eating GF food.

You can usually find some GF cookbooks at the library and there are lots of great recipes on the internet.

One of the best things I did when he was diagnosed was to join Coeliac UK, they are a goldmine of information, they have dedicate helpline in case you have any queries regarding the disease, they also help you if you are gluten intolerant and not coeliac.

They can put you in touch with local groups so that you don't feel so isolated.

Good luck on your GF journey.

[Anniewoz1 in reply to knitwitty]

Thank you knitwitty 👍

[Cooper27]

I really like Pinterest for meal ideas - it's easy to find a lot of ideas there. I've used it for years, but when my OH had to go GF, he ended up joining Pinterest too, because it really helped him out.

I try to avoid too much gluten free alternatives (bread etc). I eat porridge, fruit or homemade breakfast bars for breakfast, soup or salad for lunch, and pretty much the same dinners we ate before, just less pasta.

We do have some treats, like every so often we might try some GF wraps, or a bit or GF bread, but they're definitely not part of our daily routine.

[Anniewoz1 in reply to Cooper27]

Thank you Cooper27

I hadn’t thought of Pinterest, I tend to use it for sewing & crocheting 😉