Overwhelmed With Gluten Free

[Macmuireadhaigh]

How does one go gluten free? I mean, there are so many things with gluten, and if I were to take the list of "do not" ingredients and go to the store I'd be there for ages. So, is there a list of foods for beginners that are okay? That would be much easier than checking each item's label.

 

 

[Pauliewog]

The absolute easiest thing to do is to eat whole food. By that I mean, nothing from a package. Go to the produce section and load up on vegetables and fruit. Then go to the meat section and get some eggs, meat, fish or whatever you like. Eat that and there is nothing to worry about. As an example, today for lunch I had garlic roasted chicken with rucola, gorgonzola cheese and fig salad. My dressing was a bit of sesame oil. Avoid anything processed.

[bartfull]

What Pauliewog said.

 

And if you haven't read the Newbie 101 thread yet, get over there and read it. It will teach you a LOT.

[Kassia]

My advice is to take a deep breath. This is hard (this hard for people who have been gluten-free for a while). You don't need to rush to the store. Take your time, read the Newbie section, read some blogs, and discover what being gluten-free means. The advice to start with whole foods (the actual foods, not the store!) is great. Fruits and veggies are naturally gluten-free. If you can eat dairy, much of it is gluten-free. Eggs. Meats. Beans and legumes. Rice (plain, not seasoned/packaged as you don't want to get overwhelmed with labels in the beginning.

 

The amazing thing is there are lots and lots of foods out there that are inherently gluten-free. Yes, you have to be careful and read labels (it becomes second nature), but if you take your time, you'll figure out the grocery store isn't nearly as overwhelming as it seems. And, despite what I say in the next paragraph, you don't have to invest in a lot of expensive (compared to non-gluten-free) products to eat well.

 

I suspect your grocery is starting to stock more and more gluten-free products, so as you become more comfortable, you can expand your horizons. Look on the top and bottom shelves of the pasta section to see if they stock gluten-free pasta (ask if they don't!). Check the freezer for gluten-free foods like breads and even waffles. 

[JosieToo]

What kinds of things do you typically eat? This may be more of a matter of changing to a healthier diet overall, rather than just going gluten-free. From what I've seen, the vast majority of gluten-free foods are filled with all sorts of junk. It's not stuff I would have put into my body before, and certainly not stuff I'd eat now - especially knowing the increased nutritional requirements of having Celiac disease. Perhaps try to focus on healthy, whole foods like meat, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, nuts/seeds/nut butters, low-fat dairy, and "safe" grains like quinoa and brown rice. If there are things you're really missing you can certainly supplement with gluten-free food (i.e. rice pasta, for example), but I'd focus on reducing packaged food consumption altogether.

 

I'm just starting out too. Drop me a note if you want to exchange recipe ideas!

[1desperateladysaved]

My breakfast is:

Poached eggs

olive oil, coconut oil, or butter

muffin made with nut flour and fruit.

 

Lunch:

Leftovers from the supper the day before.

 

Supper:

Meat usually chicken, beef, pork, or fish.  Rarely alpaca, bison, or elk.  I even had duck once.

Vegetable beets, swiss chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, collard greens, peas, beans, lentils, sweet potato, carrots, celery, squash, zucchini, or fennel bulb.

fruit:  strawberries, cherries, blueberries, bananas, apples, mangos, raspberries, peaches, watermelon, papaya, pear, grapefruit, plum, lemon, lime, oranges, avocado

muffin if needed

I started out intolerant to 49 of 60 things, so I learned to branch outHappy eating.  .

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