(no subject)
Gluten is like an abusive boyfriend. He hurts me over and over, and yet I love him, and find it so hard to stay away. I have been gluten free since January. Mostly this is a good thing. I no longer spend most nights doubled over from intestinal cramping. My IBS is significantly better. Although stress still sometimes triggers an attack, they tend to be much milder and shorter. I have lost about 25 lbs. since giving up the gluten. I have more energy. But there is a definite downside. I miss gluten. I miss bread, and pasta, and beer. Oh, how I miss beer. I miss being able to eat out without worrying about there being small amounts of gluten in what I ate. I miss being able to attend a party without packing food for myself. I miss meximelts and bean burritos and chinese food.
Anyway, a few friends have recently given up gluten. I found it to be a long and difficult road traveled mainly via trial and error. It occurred to me that perhaps I could save others some stress by posting my accumulated wisdom, such as it is. I am even leaving this post open to the world, something I rarely do, so that others can benefit from it. I am so awesome.
So, first things first, being gluten free means avoiding anything with wheat, rye or barley. This can be tricky, as there is hidden gluten in many foods. For example, soy sauce is usually made with wheat, french fries are frequently dredged in flour to help them brown, or fried in the same oil as breaded foods, salad dressings, sauces, cream soups, and condiments often contain gluten. Be careful of anything containing vegetable starch that is not specifically marked gluten free. It means that when eating out, you need to grill your server about how your dinner was cooked and hope they are honest with you. Many chain restaurants now have a gluten free menu. This is a good thing. The bad thing is usually contains only 3-4 items, and tends to be unappetizing. Being gluten free also means giving up most packaged convenience foods, as they invariably contain gluten. Basically, it kind of sucks, but you do what you have to.
So, gluten free products. They mainly suck ass.
Most gluten free breads have the taste and texture of cardboard and are really high in calories. Awesome, huh? Toasting helps a little, but my advice is just say no. There are two exceptions I have found. The first is Udis bread. It isn't awful. It is sold fresh in some health food stores, and has a taste and texture somewhat like a real bread. My other suggestion is Against the Grain rolls and baguettes. These are sold in the freezer section of many health food stores. They are actually good, although somewhat higher in calories than their glutinous counterparts. Both brands are very expensive for what they are, and you have to go to a health food store to find them.
Edible gluten free pasta is somewhat easier to find. You need to be very careful when preparing it to not overcook it, since it turns to an unappetizing mush far more quickly than regular pasta. There are many gluten free pastas on the market. The two brands I like best are Traders Joe’s brown rice pasta, and Bionature Organics gluten free pasta. Both are reasonably good.
Snacks and goodies are hit or miss. Glutino pretzels are good if expensive and fattening. Trader Joes flourless chocolate cake is to die for. Seriously, I would eat it even if I wasn’t gluten free. Gluten free pantry makes very mediocre cake and cookie mixes. So does Betty Crocker. The Trader Joes gluten free brownie mix is beyond awful. Trust me, just don’t go there. Carvel claims they are gluten free, but I have had stomach issues the last few times I ate there. I disbelieve. If you are into protein bars, Lara bars, Pure bars, and Soyjoy are gluten free. I highly recommend Zing bars, but they are hard to find and expensive. I found them on Amazon.
Condiments: read the label very carefully. Soy sauce can be a problem, but there are gluten free brands available. They are usually labeled Tamari. Other people claim they found them in the supermarket. I did not have luck. They do carry several brands in health food stores. Mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, and Worcester sauce are usually safe. Barbecue sauce and steak sauce often are not. Salad dressings often have gluten in them. Amazon carries a huge array of gluten free packaged foods. Some are better than others. Most are very expensive.
Breakfast foods: Kinnikkinnik makes English muffins. They are very heavy, high in calories, and kind of mediocre. Trader Joes and Glutino makes acceptable frozen waffles. They are by no means awesome, but they are not horrible. Just say no to the Trader Joes gluten free baking mix. I also did not much like the Hodgson Mill gluten free mix. The best commercial pancake mix I found was Allies Awesome Buckwheat Pancakes by 123 its Gluten Free. It is very expensive though. Through Trial and error however, I came up with my own recipe for gluten free pancake batter that is pretty darn good.
Buckwheat Pancakes
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup tapioca flout
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons sugar
Combine first 5 ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Pour onto a heated griddle. Flip pancakes when bubbles form.
My best suggestion is to try to learn to cook gluten free. It is cheaper and usually tastes better unless you are a really bad cook. For some great recipes, try this website: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/david-leites-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
And this one:
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/
It does get easier with time, but it kind of sucks no matter what.
Anyway, a few friends have recently given up gluten. I found it to be a long and difficult road traveled mainly via trial and error. It occurred to me that perhaps I could save others some stress by posting my accumulated wisdom, such as it is. I am even leaving this post open to the world, something I rarely do, so that others can benefit from it. I am so awesome.
So, first things first, being gluten free means avoiding anything with wheat, rye or barley. This can be tricky, as there is hidden gluten in many foods. For example, soy sauce is usually made with wheat, french fries are frequently dredged in flour to help them brown, or fried in the same oil as breaded foods, salad dressings, sauces, cream soups, and condiments often contain gluten. Be careful of anything containing vegetable starch that is not specifically marked gluten free. It means that when eating out, you need to grill your server about how your dinner was cooked and hope they are honest with you. Many chain restaurants now have a gluten free menu. This is a good thing. The bad thing is usually contains only 3-4 items, and tends to be unappetizing. Being gluten free also means giving up most packaged convenience foods, as they invariably contain gluten. Basically, it kind of sucks, but you do what you have to.
So, gluten free products. They mainly suck ass.
Most gluten free breads have the taste and texture of cardboard and are really high in calories. Awesome, huh? Toasting helps a little, but my advice is just say no. There are two exceptions I have found. The first is Udis bread. It isn't awful. It is sold fresh in some health food stores, and has a taste and texture somewhat like a real bread. My other suggestion is Against the Grain rolls and baguettes. These are sold in the freezer section of many health food stores. They are actually good, although somewhat higher in calories than their glutinous counterparts. Both brands are very expensive for what they are, and you have to go to a health food store to find them.
Edible gluten free pasta is somewhat easier to find. You need to be very careful when preparing it to not overcook it, since it turns to an unappetizing mush far more quickly than regular pasta. There are many gluten free pastas on the market. The two brands I like best are Traders Joe’s brown rice pasta, and Bionature Organics gluten free pasta. Both are reasonably good.
Snacks and goodies are hit or miss. Glutino pretzels are good if expensive and fattening. Trader Joes flourless chocolate cake is to die for. Seriously, I would eat it even if I wasn’t gluten free. Gluten free pantry makes very mediocre cake and cookie mixes. So does Betty Crocker. The Trader Joes gluten free brownie mix is beyond awful. Trust me, just don’t go there. Carvel claims they are gluten free, but I have had stomach issues the last few times I ate there. I disbelieve. If you are into protein bars, Lara bars, Pure bars, and Soyjoy are gluten free. I highly recommend Zing bars, but they are hard to find and expensive. I found them on Amazon.
Condiments: read the label very carefully. Soy sauce can be a problem, but there are gluten free brands available. They are usually labeled Tamari. Other people claim they found them in the supermarket. I did not have luck. They do carry several brands in health food stores. Mustard, mayonnaise, ketchup, and Worcester sauce are usually safe. Barbecue sauce and steak sauce often are not. Salad dressings often have gluten in them. Amazon carries a huge array of gluten free packaged foods. Some are better than others. Most are very expensive.
Breakfast foods: Kinnikkinnik makes English muffins. They are very heavy, high in calories, and kind of mediocre. Trader Joes and Glutino makes acceptable frozen waffles. They are by no means awesome, but they are not horrible. Just say no to the Trader Joes gluten free baking mix. I also did not much like the Hodgson Mill gluten free mix. The best commercial pancake mix I found was Allies Awesome Buckwheat Pancakes by 123 its Gluten Free. It is very expensive though. Through Trial and error however, I came up with my own recipe for gluten free pancake batter that is pretty darn good.
Buckwheat Pancakes
1 cup brown rice flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup tapioca flout
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
1 Tablespoon baking powder
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Tablespoons sugar
Combine first 5 ingredients. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir well. Pour onto a heated griddle. Flip pancakes when bubbles form.
My best suggestion is to try to learn to cook gluten free. It is cheaper and usually tastes better unless you are a really bad cook. For some great recipes, try this website: http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/david-leites-chocolate-chip-cookies.html
And this one:
http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/
It does get easier with time, but it kind of sucks no matter what.