Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Top ten tips for being gluten free

Check this out! My husband wrote this last night and posted it on http://www.taste.com.au/ which by the way, is an excellent website.

It's an awesome post that I wanted to share with you all, from the husband of a Coeliac, not an actual Coeliac. He talks a lot of sense, and has some great tips:

Great to see some solid advice for those who are new to the world of Gluten Free or have been diagnosed with Coeliac Disease. My wife is Coeliac and we both like to cook. It didnt take long to realise how little this needs to restrict you and in fact has helped us become more creative in the kitchen. Here are the top tips we have found

1. Join the Coeliac Society they can give you all the facts and assistance you need to get started. They also supply a great ingredient reference book.

2. Read up on what Gluten Free actually means and get smart on what ingredients and products need to be avoided. You dont need to hang around health food stores or the health food section of the supermarket. You can find gluten free products in the normal aisles if you take a look at the label and they are usually cheaper and better tasting.

3. Feel lucky you are in Australia - it has the best labeling policy in the world. If a product contains gluten it has to state that it contains it. So if it is an Australian labelled product and it doesnt mention gluten/wheat/barley/oats/grains etc then its gluten free! It doesnt have to say gluten free. Again the more reading up you do then you will understand this.

4. Gluten Free is a rapidly changing and improving market. Keep checking all types of stores for new products and try everything. We recently found some amazing GF products in a local IGA which was surprising.

5. Pasta - this can be a tricky one to replace but new brands are coming out all the time. One of the best is the cheapest - San Remo. Again just keep trying the different brands and eventually you will find something close to the real thing.

6. Bread - this is the tough one. There are many types of so called "Gluten Free Bread" which are barely edible and look more like cake with a funny chemical smell. Pick up a loaf and smell it. If it smells bad then you can guarantee it tastes similar. Dont give up hope there are some good brands out there and new ones are arriving all the time. Try Naturally Gluten Free and Choices Gluten Free

7. Someone has already made this point but it's a good one - just make naturally GF food then you are not substituting anything

8. Flour/baking - yes you can mix different flours but for me White Wings GF plain and self raising flour is fantastic so we just bake and add it to recipes as normal.

9. Keep looking online there are plenty of great websites and blogs around.

10. Enjoy it - GF cooking means using fresh quality ingredients which tastes so much better than the processed packged or take away rubbish and if you crave a pizza and a beer then try http://www.crust.com.au/ and buy some O'Brien's Lager from Dan Murphys Good luck! Jon

Not bad from a Northern Irish boy who was brought up on gluten!

4 comments:

  1. Totally agree with both of you! Especially the reading up, so many people tell me I can't have potatoes and rice and I get so frustrated - especially when in cafes - educate your staff please people!

    There's another 'lighter' pilsener style Gluten Free Beer out called: The Glutaner which I really like - along with the O'Briens!

    :)

    The Gluten Free Scallywag

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  2. Jon talking sense? hehe
    Great post for glutenous and gluten free alike.

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  3. Jas, it depends if its pre-packeted potatoes as they often contain gluten in the flavouring they add.
    I was trying so many times to tell a waiter that starch in potatoes doesnt contain gluten and that I can in fact have them and he wouldnt have a bar of it. Unbelievable. I got it when I was 11yo, Ive only had it for 18years....what do I know....
    He didnt understand the difference. So frustrating.
    Also, for all reading this, I have Diabetes. Have had since I was 4yo, so 25years now. There have been very strong reported links from each of these diseases to the other.
    It makes life hell, it really does, so please make sure you get regularly tested for Diabetes. No matter what your age is.

    Wes

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  4. Hi there, Lovely to hear all the comments and to know I am not alone. You're right about the strong link between gluten intolerance and diabetes. But did you know that an undetected food intolerance can trigger many illnesses - including asthma and arthritis. At the age of 37 I was diagnosed with arthritis and was on some horrendous medication which was worse than the pain in my fingers. In desperation I visited a nutritionist and she discovered I had multiple food intolerances including gluten. I had probably had them for years. I had thought bloating and flatulence and a bit of pain was normal after meals! Within 8 weeks of my elimination diet (I was also intolerant to soy, dairy, lamb, ginger, brocolli (believe it), wheat and almonds, the pain had receded so much that I was off my medication and could once again do the buttons up on my daughter's blouses. Not only this, buy my young son had asthma and after finding he was intolernant to dairy and many fruits, he is now cured. No more puffers, steroids or emergency calls. My tip is to make sure you have checked you don't have OTHER food intolerances along with gluten. Most people aren't just intolerant to ONE food, but a few. And unless you're a celiac, gluten intolerance and other food intolerances can be cured. Get tested with an IgG test (the others are not accurate) or use a proper food elimination diet. After my amazing success with my arthritis and my son's asthma, I got together with a nutritionist and we did a lot of research and put together a diabetes program too (my mum is now following it). We also created a food ID Kit to find food intolerances and our website has more info on other illness that can be triggered by food intolerance. These include being unable to lose weight, ezcema, ADHD, headaches and more. We have a gluten intolerance health program which is a 12 week online program giving advice on gluten free 20 minute recipes for all the family (over 200 of them), how to travel or eat out with gluten intolerance plus what exercise is best for your condition and which alternative remedies are best for your condition. Acupuncture and bikram yoga was best for arthritis and homeopathy is great for asthma by the way. Any more questions I'd be happy to answer them. Taryn

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