Where The Typical gluten-free Diet Fails - Suggestions?

[jjockers]

Reading through these forums, I've noticed a reliance on unhealthy replacement flours such as rice, potato, tapioca, millet and the like. Does anyone know of healthy gluten-free recipes solely using flours such as buckwheat, coconut, garbanzo bean, almond, flax, hemp, etc?

Below is something my fiancee wrote and I thought I'd share it here.

Where the typical gluten-free diet fails

Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load

My first experience gluten free relied heavily upon internet recipes featuring the canonical prescriptions of rice, potatoes, tapioca, millet and the like. These foods are indeed gluten free, but as I would soon experience in a diabetic crash, they are very high useless carbohydrates with little fiber and sky high glycemic index (g.i.). A true healthy celiac diet must be gluten free but I do not think it needs to be dependent on low quality genetically modified high g.i. grains to be gluten-free and pratical. Personally, I am a loose follower of the Paleo Diet since I am a strong protein and (good) fat metabolic type. I do eat beans and corn, but I like to rely on flax, hemp, coconut, almond, and garbanzo flours for myself in general since all of these are low net carb and low g.i. In my other cooking I stick to gluten-free flours which are more economical and still high fiber per carb and low fat count, such as brown rice flours, buckwheat, quinoa, blue corn meal, and rice bran.

Some basic research into my hypoglycemic diabetic reaction to the prepackaged gluten-free spice cake mix revealed the popular buzz about the importance of the glycemix index and load in diet. A great reference website for a list of g.i. of typical foods is at: Open Original Shared Link

Best Choices:

Brown rice over white rice: cook long grain organic varieties for lowest G.I. and to avoid genetically modified rice strains (GMO)

purple or red potatoes over white potatoes

fresh kernel corn or frozen corn over canned creamed corn

bean flours (garbanzo, fava, soy- except soy has many health drawbacks, etc), nuts flours (almond, hazelnut, etc), coconut flour, hemp, ground flax, quinoa (ground or flakes), rice bran, teff, and amaranth instead of white rice flour, potato flour, or white or yellow cornmeal/flour

fresh nuts and seeds

high fiber organic beans: black soy beans (low carb, high fiber and protein), black beans, garbanzos

Flax and bean flour based pizza crusts, breads, muffins, cakes, etc

lentils over rice or potatoes

*** Adding acidic foods (citrus, organic apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar), good fats (flax, walnuts, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, hemp), and fiber (include the peel!) all lower the glycemic index of your food.

[nikheil]

I find the easiest way to keep a healthy diet is to keep my portions of baked goods small. I eat a lot of veggies, soups and salads, as well as brown rice and quinoa (in their original form, as well as in the pasta form)

I keep a loaf of sugar free rice flour sourdough bread in the freezer for when I have the worst bread cravings, but limit it to a couple of slices every 2 or 3 days.

I bake my own gluten free pies, cookies and muffins. I cut the sugar and fat content by 2/3 by using blended fruit puree's, olive oil and agave nectar instead of the full sugar and butter portions. I also add quinoa flakes, hemp protein and flax protein to increase the fibre content, but I do also use high GI non-gluten flours like white rice and tapioca. This is because I make these as a treat, to be eaten in small portions (like most healthy people who have the occasional cookie or desert). So I want them to TASTE like junk food - in all their delicious sugary decadence. Even though I am type 1 diabetic, I find I can eat incorporate controlled portions of these treats without raising my bloodsugar levels.

[JennyC]

I am trying to replace white rice flour. I like to use amaranth, fava and sorghum flours. I also love to use almond meal. I do use starches quite a bit. I have no idea how to bake gluten free without them!

[kbabe1968]

I like sorghum flour a lot too - I mix it with organic brown rice flour for breads and stuff.

I think mostly, I avoid baked goods in general. I bake a loaf of bread once a month or so. And when I need a treat, I bake my own.

Flax for fiber, definitely. I add it to everything I can sprinkle the ground flax seed in for the fiber kick.