Share best tips/site for gluten free?

[Alicia64]

I'm finally joining the gluten-free folks. I have a health issue that might get better if I eliminate gluten.

If you have great recipes or a podcast or a helpful site, I'm all ears.

Thank you!

Alley

[MEmama]

I tried it for a while to see if helped an issue I have (it didn’t, but I hope it helps yours). I didn’t find it difficult, honestly; it seemed like most things we normally eat could easily be made gluten free. Of course Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have tons of GF foods and ingredients, but even our local grocery store carried really everything I needed.

I think I used Pinterest for some recipe ideas, but mostly I just adapted our usual meals.

Good luck— I hope it helps!

[Alicia64]

1 minute ago, Seasider too said:

IME the easiest thing is to not try to find substitutes for your gluten-containing foods (ie, bread, cereals, baked sweets). Look for naturally gf foods instead - lean protein, lots of veggies, healthy fats and fruits for sweet cravings. 

Good luck to you - I have had a remarkable improvement in health by eliminating gluten. (I have eliminated other things, too, but gluten is the most significant in terms of its effect in me personally.) 

 

Thanks Seasider! How long did it take eating gluten-free to see a health change. Can you share what changed?

[Pen]

I also find it’s easiest to just eat foods that aren’t gluten containing .  Pretty much no bread, cake, cereal.  

ETA: if rarely I want a bakery item I buy it ready made or as a gluten free mix.  If I make pasta type stuff for a meal I put my topping  over vegetables.

we aren’t utterly a gluten free household like for celiac. I’m the only one trying to avoid it

Edited August 14, 2019 by Pen

[gingersmom]

We like www.minimalistbaker.com and www.skinnytaste.com

[scrapbookbuzz]

IMPORTANT: understand that your biggest expense will come when you try to replace your gluten-laden favorites with a gluten-free substitute.

Also, not all gluten-free flours are equal. Some are downright disgusting. And some are wonderful! I prefer Pamela's brand which can be found online
AND in stores.

Looking up Paleo recipes will be very helpful as the paleo style of eating is naturally grain free, thus no gluten.

It takes some adjustment but you CAN do this! And I think you will find you'll feel MUCH better!

[City Mouse]

Walmart has a lot of Great Value brand gluten free items, but no one store seems to carry them all. I sometimes buy online. 

Mostly we just figured out how to make our standard meals gluten free - use gluten free pasta or substitute rice or potatoes. We pretty much only use gf bread for packed meals away from home as DS has never been a huge fan of sandwiches. I make my own spice mixes from online recipes. Mission makes GF tortillas and most corn tortilla products are GF. I have tried out lots of different mixes over the last few years with mixed results. I pretty much stick to my regular recipes now with Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour now. I make my own Chex mix with GF ingredients.

Junk foods probably defeat your purpose of going GF, but Cheetos are GF and most Lays, and some flavors of Lucky Charms are GF. 

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I agree to just not eat gluten-containing foods, rather than attempt any complicated substitution recipes.  They will NOT taste right (at first) and you'll be left unsatisfied.  Think rice, potatoes, quinoa, etc.  Something like Whole30 recipes would be healthier and more satisfying than a GF cookbook or blog.  

There is a gluten-free cracker in the U.s. .... can't remember the brand name for the life of me but someone in this thread will!  They have a sea salt one that is just amazing- eat it with your tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad for a delicious meal that is soooooo much better than any GF bread could ever be!  

There are a handful of dessert recipes which DO satisfy even the gluten-eaters in the world:

Flourless Chocolate Cake

Cook's Gluten Free Chewy Sugar Cookies - just use any old GF flour mix, check ingredients to see if you need the xanthem gum called for or if your mix already contains it.  At Christmas, add the zest of 2 oranges and a big handful of craisins to the batter for a different option!  

Cream Cheese Pound Cake - same advice as above

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

1 hour ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

There is a gluten-free cracker in the U.s. .... can't remember the brand name for the life of me but someone in this thread will!  They have a sea salt one that is just amazing- eat it with your tuna salad, chicken salad, egg salad for a delicious meal that is soooooo much better than any GF bread could ever be!  

 

 

Milton's!  Miltons gluten free crispy sea salt crackers.  The answer came to me!  

[aaplank]

Gluten Free on a Shoestring has great recipes!

[73349]

Assume all packaged foods have at least cross-contamination, if not actual wheat or barley ingredients, unless they declare otherwise (and with oats, possibly even if they do; I only buy products with oat ingredients if they're certified GF). Soups, condiments, popcorn, beans... it's everywhere. It drives me batty, but I have found "may contain traces of wheat" or "processed in a facility that also processes wheat" on everything from nuts to dried fruit to baking soda, of all things. Remember that anything with "malt" in its name should be assumed to be barley unless it says it's not. "Natural flavors" can contain undeclared barley (but not wheat, because it's a mandated allergen).

Check medicines also (e.g., regular Advil is fine, gel-caps are not).

Assume that restaurants will make mistakes unless they are vetted in the Find Me Gluten Free app.

If there are people in your house who are not going to be gf at home, figure out what to do to prevent mix-ups (like their eating your snacks or getting crumbs/flour in ingredients), such as using separate areas and/or marking gf vs. non-gf foods in an easy-to-spot way (like stickers). Beware of brands that make a gf and a non-gf version of the same product, such as Van's or Amy's: it's very easy to grab the wrong one, especially in stores that shelve them together.

If you're used to a quick sandwich for lunch, try something like this salad, on cucumber slices, instead.

We like Siete almond flour tortillas, but they don't hold up all that well, so we pack them separately if not eating at home.

King Arthur Flour's gf recipes are fairly trustworthy. I can't make the soft pretzels work quite right, though, so I make them into little pretzel bites.

Edited August 14, 2019 by whitehawk

[BarbecueMom]

4 hours ago, Monica_in_Switzerland said:

 

Milton's!  Miltons gluten free crispy sea salt crackers.  The answer came to me!  

These are on sale at Costco this month, if anyone is looking for them.  I grabbed a bag this afternoon while I was there.  Oh my... they are tasty with slices of havarti.