Our Gluten Free Restaurant Choices
There are at least 85 American restaurant chains whose websites promise gluten free options. These restaurants are our convenient options for finding ‘safe’ Meals — they are located all over the nation, they have websites that help you find restaurants, and they are operated by large firms that have huge legal departments and quality control personnel charged with making sure that individual restaurants will not make promises that they can’t, or don’t intend. to keep.
These 85 potential gold mines are listed on my power page “Gluten Free Restaurant Choices” page. Since I know that you will want to return to this list regularly, I have placed the same link in the sidebar on the right side of this page. The restaurant links in printed in blue are ready-to-use. You will need to use google or one of the other search engines to find the others. I’ll get all the links in place as soon as I possibly can.
The Gluten Free Child v. the Classroom Valentines Party
Virtually every elementary classroom has a Valentines party. There are many uncer- tainties in the life of a child, but every gluten free child and every parent knows that this is a good time to send a treat to scho0l. When preparing a ‘treat’, I think it is best to send something truly different, not one of the standard goodies doctored up to be gluten free. For example, you could send gluten free cookies that imitate traditional Oreo. But children will compare your cookies to the wheat-based ones and many of them will decide that they prefer “the real thing”. However, if you prepare these banana split cupcakes, the kids will probably enjoy them — they taste great and there is nothing to compare them to.
Here’s a list of gluten free candies that might be helpful in planning your gluten free Valentines celebration.
Valentines Day … Gluten Free Romance
When a couple works together to prepare Valentines Day dinner, romance is in the air, even when one or both of the partners lives gluten free and neither is an expert cook. Here are three suggestions:
In this video, chicken is the main course. The meal tastes a lot different from the image that sometimes enters the mind when we talk about gluten free food, heart-healthy food, and food that is relatively easy on the budget. Watch the video alone and impress your partner with your cooking skills or watch together and cook as a team. I wish You-Tube had been available during my bachelor days.
This article will empower you to prepare “Chicken Francese”, which translates as ‘Chicken in the French Manner’.
My last suggestion is especially interesting because if because it comes — not from a cooking site — but a site dedicated to living well on a budget. Experience a “recession romance” in the form of a couple-cooked meal. (Be aware that the other recipes on this site are not gluten free.)
Gluten Free Dog Food
The arrival of our new four-legged family member peaked my interest in this topic. A senior citizen who has lived gluten free for twelve years and a puppy who seems to enjoy eating everything she can get her paws on have very little in common, but I did some research anyway.
Chinese New Year Gluten Free
The Oriental “year of the snake” celebration begins on evening of February 10th, includes 15 days and nights of celebration, and is relatively manageable for people who live gluten free. Finding appropriate soy sauce, most of which is actually wheat-based, may be your only serious issue. Click on the up-dated version of my 2009 Chinese New Year article which includes a recipe for a soy sauce substitute and a link to purchase single-serving packets of gluten free soy sauce.
Gluten Free Superbowl
Superbowl Sunday is not an official holiday, but it is definitely focuses on people, food and enthusiastic celebration. The emphasis is on the TV, not the food. That makes things simpler for everyone particularly those who live gluten free. Here are three sets of recipes that everyone — including wheat-eaters and the celiacs who will be watching the game and enjoying the snacks with them. (Click here for the second and the third sets.)
Gluten Free Events and Expositions
These events serve America’s gluten free community by providing classes, workshops, samples of gluten free food, and opportunity to talk with others who live gluten free. Each entry includes the date, the city in which the event occurs which is also a link to the website that will provide more information. Continue Reading
Celiac Disease and Shingles
Thanks for your concern about my current problem with shingles. I’m glad to be feeling better and deeply appreciate your concern! I’m not comfortable writing about this topic because I am comparing a twelve year old case of celiac disease with a six week old case of Shingle and in which I do not yet have relief from all the symptoms. I am heaven-knows-how-far from the control over the situation.
Are shingles and celiac disease connected? Short answer = yes. Both have hundreds of possible causes and and an equal number of effects. Celiac disease has one sure cure (lifelong adherence to the gluten free diet.) I’m hoping that shingles are equally lucky.
Coconut oil seems to be a valuable home remedy. Rubbing it on the affected areas reduces my discomfort but certainly does not eliminate it.
I’ll keep you posted. Keep in mind that nothing I say about celiac disease and/or shingles is not to be considered medical advice. I do not have the education, the credentials and/or the desire to dispense advice.
Gluten Free New Years Resolutions
“My New Years resolution is to read ingredients lists carefully whenever I purchase groceries or other foods.” A great idea but unlikely to succeed. Let’s talk about why. But first of all a reminder that there is absolutely no requirement that resolutions my start on January 1 and end on December 31. This article appears today because people are concerned about resolutions during the first few weeks of January.
‘Reading ingredients lists’ is a great idea, of course, but let’s try to turn it into a practical resolution that will actually be followed. Try this: “Whenever I am shopping for food that is not naturally gluten free, I will use a hand magnifying glass to read the ingredients list and reject all items that include toxic ingredients”. A very good resolution if you are the type of person who can stand in the middle of a crowded supermarket with a magnifying glass and a food package in my hand, read a list of words on a package that was not designed for easy-reading, and remember all the terms that suggest that a food item might contain gluten. Congratulations if you are that sort of person. I know that I would fail miserably unless I wrote a more detailed resolution. Let’s try this: “When I am shopping for gluten free food, I will (with the help of a hand magnifier), read the ingredients list on each package and reject any items that include wheat, barley, rye, rye, malt, (etcetera)”. I will carry my list of unacceptable ingredients with me, perhaps taped onto the cover of my magnifying glass.
I think this resolution will work, especially if I add this: “When I arrive at home, I will double check my purchases (with the help of the magnifying glass) and donate my ‘mistakes’ to our church’s food bank.”
I think I can do this, particularly if I write down my resolutions, revise them as I wish to do so, but never simply run way from them. I can make my revisions at any time, discontinue them if I decide they are not serving me well, but never ignore or wander away from them. Let me know how this works for you! Happy New Year!
Gluten Free Options at Dunkin Donuts and Elsewhere
‘Dunkin Donuts’ is testing gluten free products in Massachusetts and Florida. I’m thrilled whenever I learn that there are (or even “may be”) more opportunities for people who live gluten free. I’m discouraged when I stumble onto this information in articles that provide no useful data to the people making the tests. For example, I got my information while browsing The Huffington Post web-site. I tried to confirm it by going ton the Dunkin Donut site, but found no reference to this matter. I’m concerned when I feel like the right hand does not know what the left hand is doing. I get really nervous when these shenanigans involve my gluten free lifestyle. would learn so much more if they would simply go their site (And perhaps other sites) and ask the simple question “how many of you are potential customers for this product?”
Gluten Free Twinkies
Gluten free twinkies are still available, at least for people who are willing to make them at home. If you are particular about the traditional shape you will need to purchase one or more “canoe pans” from a local supplier.
Here are three recipes. Strictly speaking, none of them are gluten free. Each recipe calls for a box of cake mix of a specific size — It does not seem to matter which grains are involved. Therefore, shopping will not be difficult. Since the titles of the articles are almost identical, I will simply refer to them as this one, that one, or the third one.
Enjoy your snacking!
Launching Gluten Free 2013
I’m kick off my 13th gluten free year with this wonderful video. ”Les Mis” blew me off my feet when I first saw it in London during the 60s and I am eager to see the the film just as soon as I’m able. Yes, I am sick right now. The problem has nothing directly to do with celiac disease, but there are definitely similarities that qualify it for inclusion in this blog.
Last Minute Gifts for People Who Live Gluten Free
“Last Minute Christmas“ actually has its own website. It is based in Britain but you may find interesting ideas there. I searched the Hickory Farms site and found nothing of would satisfy my need,
Gluten Free Holiday Humor
Relax and enjoy this comic look at an unforgettable moment that is part of every every celiac’s experience:
Gluten Free Pizza at Chucky Cheese
Chuck E. Cheese offers a gluten free pizza that is prepared in a dedicated facility, packaged, and shipped to restaurants. It remains sealed until the customer is ready to eat it using a disposable pizza cutter. The price is the same as for a conventional pizza.
A Gluten Free Christmas Calamity
This calamity has nothing to do with my gluten free diet! I’ve developed ‘shingles’, which is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox in children. Shingles is not contagious, but my office is located in the same hallway as a pre-school, and I am able to afflict the kids with chicken pox. No way am I going to cause a pre-schooler to spend Christmas in bed! So, I am stuck at home. I might as well get some work done. I’ve managed to cut down on the number of pain killers I need so I am now coordinated enough to type.
Choosing Gluten Free Food
The gluten free diet was designed to help persons with celiac disease to cure damage to their intestinal tracts, get the nutrients their bodies required, and avoid unpleasant reactions in their gut. Since gluten free food expensive, difficult to find, and unappetizing — there was not motivation to ‘go gluten free’ other than to treat celiac disease.
Things have changed dramatically in the past decade. People ‘go gluten free’ for a variety of different reasons, many of which make no sense from the point of view of point of view the only objective of the gluten free dieis to control celiac disease. The term ‘gluten free diet’ means different things to different people. The rules for gluten free living are not consistent.
Our government’s refusal to adopt an official definition of ‘gluten free’ has aggravated this problem but is certainly not the only reason. In the absence of general rules, we must make personal decisions. At this time of year, we might think of them as personalized resolutions. The beginning of the new year is a great time to make those resolutions. Here are three decisions/resolutions that seem appropriate for me:
1. I will avoid products made in a facility that also processes wheat, barley, rye, or oats. I will absolutely not purchase foods processed on ‘shared equipment’.
2. I will not worry about caramel food coloring. I am aware that it is possible to use wheat gluten to prepare this item, but I also know that this extremely rare.
3. I will give preference to manufacturers who have an excellent reputation in the gluten free community and depend on our good will for their success. Examples of this would be The Gluten Free Pantry, Pamela’s Products, Bob’s Red Mill, Udi’s, and others.
This obviously, is not a complete list. I’d like your suggestions. During the week between Christmas and New Years, when the focus is on ‘New Years Resolutions”, I will publish your ideas and include more of my own. My web address is gfceliac@gmail.com.
Naturally Gluten Free Holiday Desserts
It is essential — but not easy — to live gluten free during the holiday season. It’s a good idea to eat naturally gluten free food wherever possible. Why, you ask? Don’t we have enough to worry about? Yes, we do, but we must remember that food can be labeled ‘gluten free’ even if it contains 19 parts-per-million gluten. During the holidays, most of us eat much more than we usually do, and those pesky parts-per-million can add up to a severe ‘glutening’. Naturally gluten free desserts are relatively easy to prepare and easy to enjoy.
These five articles present a total of 109 recipes for naturally gluten free desserts. There are duplications, of course, but it is possible to prepare and serve desserts that contain zero gluten. Since the titles of these articles are almost identical, I’ll invite you to read “64 recipes“, “20 recipes“, “15 recipes“, and/or “10 recipes“.
Favorite Christmas Recipes Go Gluten Free
These holiday treats are fully compatible with our gluten free lifestyle and with our desire to share our Christmas traditions:
Kwanzaa and Gluten Free Living
Kwanzaa is the only holiday new enough to have an official website. It is a celebration of our African-American culture. It is NOT designed as an alternative to Christmas!
Food Safety for Celiacs
Our focus is on gluten-contamination, but we are concerned about all forms of food contamination. The Food and Drug Administration issues ‘recalls’ on foods that contain dangerous bacteria or other harmful contaminants. Locate the section labelled ‘Food Safety Widget’ in the sidebar.
Award Winning Gluten Free Grocery Stores
Consumer Reports recently identified America’s ten best supermarkets. The ‘top 6′ were supermarkets that provide gluten free shopping lists to their customers. That was not one of the official contest criteria, but it certainly encouraging to see that result. Here is a summary of what was said and how it applies to us:
Is This Gluten Free
Is ( fill in the blank ) gluten free? That is probably the most-often-asked question in the gluten free world! The answer is almost always “Yes, if you take a few precautions”. I’ve written dozens of articles about various problem products — here is a partial list. Click on the name to read about the product to read about it. To return to this article, click on the title ‘Is This Gluten Free’ in the widget titled ‘Gluten Free Food and Ingredient Choices’.
NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS TOTALLY OBSOLETE. IT HAS NOT BEEN DELETED BECAUSE THE SEARCH ENGINES WILL KEEP SENDING PEOPLE HERE. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE ARTICLE YOU REALLY WANT TO BE READING.
chewing gum| chocolate | granola | fiber supplements | fondue |
grits | ice cream | laxatives | margarine |
MSG |pepperoni | pink slime | soy sauce
tofu | tooth paste | tortillas | rugelach | vinegar | yogurt
Home Made Gluten Free Gifts in a Jar
Most people welcome personalized hand-made gifts tailored to the individual needs and interests. These ‘gifts in a jar’ will be appreciated. The idea is fairly simple: select one of the seventeen items in this list, assemble the ingredients, and pack them in a festively decorated glass jar.
Enjoy Thanksgiving
Have a joyful Thanksgiving. If you haven’t already so, this may be the day to link to my article “Gluten Free Winter Holidays … Questions and Answers” which provides about about celebrating a Thanksgiving, Hanuka, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Years Eve, and Superbowl Sunday.
Holiday Leftovers and how to Enjoy Them
How do you deal with the food left over after your celiac friendly feast? I’m asking this question now, because I sincerely hope that you have better things to do during this celebration dayy than reading this blog. Here are some links that may be helpful:
This article provides pointers on the safe storage of leftover food. This is one of the first you need to deal with after the feast is over.
This article promises a “trio of tasty turkey recipes“. Some of these recipes could certainly be modified to use with other types of meat. (I’m curious about why the articles that I read assumed that you would have left over turkey but nothing else.)
This recipe has the intriguing title “leftovers nachos”. It encourages you to be really creative!
One common way to clean the leftovers out of the refrigerator is to pack them into lunches. This article contains no specific recipes, but it does include a number of tips for doing this effectively.
If you need more ideas, read my article called “What to do with Thanksgiving Leftovers” and/or this article called “Luscious Holiday Leftovers“.
Well, there you have it: we’ve shopped, cooked, partied, shared time with family and friends, and now we have dispatched the leftovers. I hope this information has helped. Enjoy the holiday.
Gift Certificates for Gluten Free Restaurants
These gluten free restaurants offer gift certificates which are appreciated by people who live gluten free. In many cases they also save you money by providing bonus cards, normally a $20 ‘bonus card’ when you purchase a $100 gift certificate. (I’ve used an * to identify the restaurants that offer bonus cards.)
Bonefish Grill* | Carrabbas Italian Grill* | Legal Seafood | Melting Pot |
Old Spaghetti Factory* | On the Border | Outback Steakhouse*| PF Changs*
Ruby Tuesday* | Ted’s Montana Grill*
Gluten Free Thanksgiving … the Attitude of Gratitude
Our gluten free diet may protect us from physical distress on Thanksgiving Day, but the holiday will be a total waste of time if we are not in the right frame of mind. Several writers have dealt with this topic on the internet this month. I’ll list the articles by title and link you to them.
“Grateful” | “Thankful for the Gluten Free Community” | “Thankful for a Gluten Free Feast“
“Seventeen and Gluten Free” | “The Thankful Celiac” (my reflections on this subject)
Click here for answers to more questions about celebrating the winter holidays gluten free.
Gluten Free Winter Holidays … Questions and Answers
I love Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and Superbowl Sunday, but I realize the challenges for people who live gluten free. We must “celebrate defensively”. Our answers are on the internet and many are on this site.
The Gluten Free Guest in a Wheat-using Home
This is the second of two articles concerning people who live gluten free and are guests in a home where gluten free food is not normally served. Yesterday’s article was aimed at the wheat-eating host or hostess. Today’s article is directed at the celiac house guest. Ideally, everyone involved has read and discussed both articles.
Hosting a Gluten Free Visitor
Many of us will spend time this holiday season in homes that are not gluten free. Our hosts will almost certainly do their very best. Here are four articles that may enable them to support you. It is highly unlikely that your wheat-eating friends read this website so I suggest that you forward these links to them. Be sure to read the articles yourself and be prepared to answer questions!
“What to Do with a Gluten Free Guest“
“Showing Hospitality to a Gluten Free Guest”
“Notes for People Hosting Gluten Free Guests“. This is my article.
Gluten Free Stuffing or Dressing
These three videos show you how to prepare dressing or stuffing for your turkey or other turkey, duck, or goose. FYI, the words stuffing and dressing are often use interchangeably, but dressing is cooked outside the turkey and stuffing is (as you might expect) stuffed into the bird.
The Thankful Celiac … 2012
This month I will be enjoying my thirteenth gluten free Thanksgiving. I’ve written about being a thankful celiac yearly since started blogging in 2002. Every year I have more and more reasons for joy.
I have two sons and their wonderful wives plus five grandchildren all of whom have tested negative for celiac disease. If those diagnoses had been different they would have been in wonderfully competent hands. My sister tested positive for celiac disease last year but has everything under good control.
I do not feel ‘diseased’ in any meaningful sense of the word. There are some foods I need to avoid and some restaurants I can’t visit. That’s it! How many people with chronic diseases can say that?
I have no celiac-related medical bills.
I will eat well this Thanksgiving. My guests will eat gluten free free with no sense that they are being served ‘diet food. That would have been impossible five years ago.
I am highly motivated NOT to stray from my diet. I make mistakes, of course, but the simply thinking about the pain and embarrassment of a gluten reaction conquers temptation . My relatively severe case of celiac disease keeps me honest.
NOTE: The last point is there for two reasons — it lists something that I am thankful for, and it gives me courage when I am tempted to try possibly-unsafe food. Yes, temptation happens!
Main Dishes for Your Gluten Free Holiday Feast
Turkey is by far the most popular main dish at holiday meals, but there are certainly other possibilities. Click on the name of the main dish to watch video demonstrations of these dishes being prepared. I have recommended two videos for each main dish — click on the name of the food to view one video — click on the word ‘another’ to watch the nother demonstration. I have listed the dishes in alphabetical order to avoid possible prejudice.
lamb (another) | prime rib (another) | turkey (another)
Gluten Free and the Holiday Season
The ‘season to be jolly’ begins this week for wheat-eaters as well as for people who live gluten free. Our Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s Eve, and Super Bowl Sunday celebrations center around food, people, food, and gifts. Our status as people who live gluten free will affect what we do and how we celebrate. We will be at parties with people who are totally unaware of our dietary situation, particularly if we are relatively new to gluten free living. We will need recipes (when we are the host) and strategies for staying ‘safe’, avoiding embarrassment , and trying our avoid our hostess. We will also need to approach the holiday season with a very special attitude. Since the recipes and cooking techniques are the easiest to write about, I’ll start there.
During the 2010 holiday season, I pieced t0gether several videos to provide a step-by-step guide to preparing a gluten free dinner, using a videos designed to enable fledgling cooks to prepare a complete holiday dinner. I labeled the articles “Thanksgiving dinner” but of course, the same menu is useful at almost any holiday. Click here to begin the series.
That series of articles was great for relatively inexperienced cooks, but many people would prefer to have more options. Turkey is the most commonly served main course, but there are certainly other options. Click here to view video how-to demonstrations on how to cook and serve ham, goose, duck, prime rib, and rack of lamb as well as how to make them the main course in your holiday feast. In the next few days I will write similar articles about holiday side dishes and desserts.
choosing a restaurant, cross-contamination, Gluten Free Restaurants
Cross Contamination and Your Gluten Free Restaurant Meals
Problems at allegedly gluten free restaurants are almost invariably caused by cross-contamination. Here are some strategies that may improve you chances for having a great experience.
♦ Do lots of homework before visiting the restaurant but don’t reveal your knowledge to the restaurant staff. Ask lots of questions, and be prepared to walk out of the restaurant if you do not get appropriate answers.
Celiacs Facing a Natural Disaster
The disastrous storm on the East coast reminds us that no one — including people who live gluten free — are immune to natural disasters. I suggest that you reread the article I wrote about my family’s survival plan. Also, I recommend this article called “How to Prepare a Gluten Free Emergency Kit“. One of the best articles I’ve ever read on this subject came out just before the Y2K disaster scare when no one really knew if the international computer ‘system’ could survive the transition to the 21st century. I was pleased to see that the article is still on-line, although many of the links are no longer functioning.
Gluten Free Cooking, gluten free kitchen
Your Gluten Free Kitchen
If a kitchen serves anyone who lives gluten free, all the users must agree on strategies to keep the gluten free food ‘safe’. The simplest approach is for everyone to agree to live gluten free, but that may not be realistic and will often increase food costs for the wheat eating users. On the other hand, the person living gluten free has very little room to compromise. Everyone involved needs to deal with several issues:
♦ Will baking with wheat flour be done in this kitchen? If so, the flour can remain suspended in the air for many hours. This will affect everyone who lives gluten free and there is no simple solution.
♦ If wheat-based and gluten free cooking are to occur at the same time, there will need to be separate utensils for each type of cooking. This will involve flour sifters, colanders, spatulas, cooking spoons, muffin tins, frying pans, and cutting boards. An alternative to this would be to cook all the gluten free food first and make certain that everything is thoroughly prior to the next meal.
♦ Two toasters will be needed. It is virtually impossible to clean a toaster well enough to remove all possible cross-contamination.
♦ Double-dipping may have severe consequences. Wheat eaters and celiacs will margarine tubs, peanut butter jars, etc. In some cases, the problem can be solved by using ‘squirt bottles’ for things like catchup.
Here are two guides for assuring that your home kitchen is ‘safe’. Check out “What is Gluten Cross-Contamination?” and/or “How-to Tips for Gluten Free Kitchen Safety“. Cross-contamination is also a big factor in determining whether your restaurant meals are gluten free. That will be the topic of my next article.
cross-contamination, Gluten Free Cooking, Gluten Free Food, Gluten Free Shopping
Cross Contamination in Gluten Free Products
Reading the information on a food package is your first defense against cross contamination (click here to read the introduction to this series on cross contamination of gluten free foods.) Here are specific things to look for:
Gluten Free, Living Gluten Free
Gluten Free Halloween … Last Minute Ideas
From a celebration planners point-of-view, the spookiest thing about Halloween is that there are more than 27 million references to it on the google search engine. This is my 22nd effort to write about it. TMI (too much information) makes our task more difficult.
However, since Halloween will be celebrated next week, I thought that I should say something. So I updated my best article on the subject. You may wish to check it out. I’ve also linked you the best suggestion I have ever read about how to fill a trick-or-treat bag. The article is about Easter baskets but the principle is exactly the same.
Fortified and Enriched Gluten Free Food
Some people argue advise ‘going gluten free’ because much gluten free food is seldom enriched or fortified. In looking into this matter, I discovered that
Proteins and the Gluten Free Diet
Proteins are major component of all diets, including the ‘My Plate Diet’ which has replaced the Food Pyramid as America’s official diet. Meats are the most common source of proteins, but in this article I will talk about less expensive sources of protein. Here is anoverview on the subject of high-protein gluten free foods.
Here are several suggested articles — choose the titles that may met your needs: “Ridiculously High Protein High Fiber Gluten Free Muffin Recipe“, “Everyday High Protein Gluten Free Breakfast“, “Power Bars“, and Gluten Free Dairy Free, High Protein French Toast.
This is the last in my series on the ‘My Plate Diet’, a relatively simple but healthy balanced diet. With very minor adjustments, this diet is appropriate for people who live gluten free. When we are first diagnosed with celiac disease of gluten intolerance, our only goal is to fill our stomachs with ‘safe’ food. But soon our horizons broaden, and we can begin to think about following a balanced diet. The ‘My Plate Diet’ is an appropriate option. Click here if you wish to review or reread my series of articles.
Grain and the Gluten Free Diet
Living gluten free does not require that we avoid all grains. By avoiding wheat, barley, and rye, we can participate fully in the ‘My Plate’, the modern replacement for the traditional ‘Food Pyramid’.
Have a look at these overviews of these two overviews of what many experts refer to as the ‘ancient grains’. (Click here for the second article.)
You may enjoy these recipes for “Toasted Grain Pilaf“, “Whole Grain Strawberry Muffins“. and “Gluten Free Multi-Grain Waffles“.
Gluten free bread will provide most of the grains in your ‘gluten free / my plate’ diet. I have written many articles on this subject. To look at them, type the term “gluten free bread” in the search box in the upper right corner of the page.
This is my fifth article in a series about the gluten free version of the ‘My Place’ diet. This diet replaces the ‘My Pyramid’ diet which has provided guidance to millions of Americans in past years. Click here to read the introduction, here to read about fiber in the diet, click here to read about the vegetable group, and here to read about the fruit group. The final post in this series will be an article about ‘proteins’,the last of the food groups involved in the diet.
Fruit in the Gluten Free Diet
Fruit is an important component of the healthy diet, whether that diet is wheat-based or gluten free. Fruits can be included in desserts and in salads which makes the homemaker’s task a bit easier, but it is still essential to serve a large variety of fruits in an an attractive manner.
Check out this article “Healthy Fifteen-minute Fruit Desserts“ and/or this one called “35 Sumptuous Dessert Recipes“. You may also want to try this very-well collection of “Summer Fruit Dessert Recipes“.
Here are two collections of recipes for fruit salad. The first is from Betty Crocker and the second is titled “Classic Gluten Free Fruit Salad“.
This article is titled “Healthy Kids Snacks” and includes 90 suggestions, not all of them ‘safe’.
When choosing commercially prepared fruit snacks for children, consider the cautions described in this article. As you can imagine, a picture of a fruit on package does not guarantee that the contents are either gluten free or healthy in any other respect.
This is the third in a series of articles describing the essential elements of a healthy diet and providing suggestions about how to follow this diet without compromising our gluten free life style. I used ‘My Plate’, the program designed by the Department of Agriculture, to enable all American’s to eat a healthy diet. You may wish to reread my introductory article or my articles on high-fiber and vegetables. My next article will be on ‘grains’ and the final article will be on ‘proteins’.
Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free Recipes
Vegetables in the Gluten Free Diet
Experts recommend that about of each of our meals consist of vegetables. That’s great news for people who live gluten free — vegetables are ‘safe’ unless they have been contaminated by gluten-toxic ingredients. It’s good news for anyone living on a budget — vegetables are relatively inexpensive. The troubling news is that vegetables have a really bad reputation — many people find many vegetables very unappetizing. Fortunately, this problem can be corrected by using great and ‘presenting’ the vegetable dishes in an appetizing manner. One expert sums up the situation by advising us to provide “Lots of different vegetables served in lots of different ways.” Here are some suggestions for doing that:
Check out this article called “Twenty Kid Friendly Veggies“. I’m not sure if these twenty items should be called ‘recipes’ or ‘ways of presenting’ vegetables. Many of these items would appeal to me just as much as they would to children.
Here are more ideas for attractive and unusual ways to prepare vegetables — “Vegetable Quiche with Gluten Free Almond Crust, “Top Ten Grilled Vegetable Recipes“, “Asparagus Fritata“, and “Zucinni Fritata“. To round out this list, consider “My Top Seven Recipes for Kids“.
This is the third article in my series on the My Plate diet, the regimen designed to be the basic diet for all Americans. In addition to my introductory article, I have written about the importance of fiber as well as this article about the vegetable group. Tomorrow’s article will deal with fruits. The last two articles will deal with proteins and grains. There will be links to these as soon as I actually publish them.
Gluten Free Diet, Gluten Free Food
High Fiber and the Gluten Free Diet
An adequate intake of high-fiber foods is important for everyone, including people who have chosen to live gluten free. A good place to start is by watching this short (2:45) video “Common High Fiber Gluten Free Foods” and studying the transcript that is included on the site. Then click on the Betty Crocker website (you may need to enter the terms “gluten free” and “high fiber”) and you will see dozens of well-photographed and clearly-explained recipes.
Live Gluten Free on the ‘My Plate’ Diet
Is our gluten free diet truly healthy in all respects? Each of us should be asking that question. Very few people need (celiacs or otherwise) need an athlete-in-training diet, but all of us can follow the “My Plate” diet without consuming gluten-toxic food.
The “My Plate Symbol” was designed to replace the “Food Pyramid” program which was the Department of the Army’s recommendation for several years. “My Plate” is not designed for athletes-in-training but it is OK for most of us. I suggest you read this article if you need a quick introduction. I wrote this article to provide
more details. This article talks about the ‘My Plate’ diagram and what it symbolizes.
As you can see, the ‘My Plate’ diet divides the diet into four sections — protein, fruit, vegetables, and grains, and I am planning articles containing recipes for each section. The diet emphasizes high fiber, and high fiber gluten free recipes will be tomorrow’s topic. That will be followed by an article on fruit and an article on vegetables. The last two articles will cover ‘grains’ and ‘proteins’. No links yet since I have not yet actually published the articles.
Gluten Free Children, Gluten Free Cooking
Kids Gluten Free Comfort Foods
These gluten free recipes will will be welcomed by children who live gluten free. In each case, I have provided two choice. Let the kids decide for themselves which goodies they will enjoy.
gluten free chicken nuggets (or try this recipe)
gluten free corn dogs (or try this recipe.)
gluten free lasagna (or try this recipe)
gluten free macaroni and cheese (or try this recipe)
favorite foods, Gluten Free Cooking
Is Sourdough Bread Gluten Free?
Sourdough bread is gluten free if you are willing to bake it at home. There is even a blog dedicated to it. Here are three recipes for gluten free sourdough bread. Since titles are all basically the same, I’ll just refer to them as #1, #2, and #3. I was not able to discover any ways to purchase gluten free sourdough bread.
Does fermentation destroy gluten or turn it into a non-problem? The only honest answer to that question is “maybe”. Click here for more information.
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