Top Tips For Your Gluten Free Diet |
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If you suffer from celiac disease, or know someone who does, here are some tips to help you follow a healthy, tasty and varied diet.
1. Wheat flour - This is the most important ingredient to avoid. Instead of using wheat flour there are a many alternative types of flour that you can use in your cooking. Choose a well-known, quality brand, as the cross-contamination policies will be more stringent. Suitable substitute flour includes:
2. Suitable Foods - Although there are many foods a celiac cannot eat, there are still a variety of products can be included in your diet. As a starting point always consider fresh and unprocessed foods. Some suitable foods include the following:
3. Bread - If you are unimpressed by the standard of the celiac friendly bread stocked in your local supermarket – do not despair! Although traditionally it is gluten that is used in baking to give bread its elasticity, you can still bake delicious bread without it. A good substitute for gluten is Xantham gum. Just add a little to your celiac friendly flour and the bread will be far less crumbly. You can find it in specialist health food stores and some supermarkets. 4. Cakes and bisuits- If you have been recently diagnosed and are starting to develop cake based withdrawal symptoms, do not worry. Your cake and pastry eating days are not necessarily over. Gluten-free cakes work very well; they can be fluffy and delicious and often undistinguishable from regular cakes. You can make them using flour alternatives such as ground cornmeal or a mixture of ground almonds and rice flour. A great tip is to use a mix of flours along with ground almonds so the cake remains moist after baking. 5. Alcohol - Beer, stout, lager and real ale are unsuitable but there are many gluten-free beers and lagers now on the market. Wine, port, champagne, ciders, sherry, liqueur and spirits, including whisky, are all perfectly fine for you to drink (in moderation of course!) 6. Medication – It is important not to forget that gluten is also an ingredient in some medications. Always enquire with your pharmacist if medications prescribed to you contain wheat. Products such as play dough and lipstick are two unexpected examples of products that contain this additive. If you cannot see the ingredients on the label, the company that makes the product should be able to supply a list. 7. Eating Out – Many Restaurants are used to cooking for people with specific dietary needs. We recommend phoning the restaurant in advance to discuss your requirements. In addition there are several directories online that provide reviews and recommend restaurants that are au fait with gluten free diets. A useful site is Coeliac City and whilst their list is not yet completely extensive, by adding your own reviews you can help improve this resource. 8. Shop About - Your local health food store (and also some larger supermarkets) often stock a wide range of specialist wheat free products. If you cannot find any there, try looking online as many companies now sell over the Internet and will deliver to your door. 9. Prepared Sauces - If you lead a busy lifestyle yet want to be able to cook tasty meals at home with pre-prepared sauces, make sure your pantry is stocked with a few jars of Table B’hote sauces. With delicious varieties including Bolognese, Cottage Pie and Chilli sauces, you can be certain of a great tasting and celiac friendly meal in an instant. One final important piece of advice for anyone suffering from a gluten intolerant diet is, do not take any chances. If you cannot be sure that the product you are purchasing is suitable for your diet then do not purchase it, or take further steps to discover its full ingredients. This should now be made a lot easier as there are a multitude of products that are certified safe to eat, allowing you an easy to follow and tasty diet. For other useful resources please visit the Celiac Network. |
