Step 1: Know the enemy by sight
The first step is to find and eliminate gluten-containing foods from the menu. There are so many of them.
The obvious ones that everyone knows about are:
- cereals (wheat, rye, barley, semolina, bulgur, spelt, couscous and spelt);
- products made from wheat: flour, bread, biscuits and pastries, pasta, breakfast cereals, baby flakes.
And if everything is clear about flour and cereals, many people are not aware of some gluten-containing products.
For example:
- store-bought dairy products containing additives and thickeners (cottage cheese, yogurt, curd cheese, milk powder, bulk cheese),
- semi-finished meat and fish products (especially deep-fried),
- dumplings, pancakes, dumplings,
- ice cream (not only because of the waffle cone, the ice cream itself often contains gluten),
- sausages, preserves, imitation seafood ("crab meat" and "crab sticks")
- chips, bread and biscuits.
Wheat gluten and protein can end up in food colorings and additives. Therefore, seasonings and soup cubes, sauces (soy, ketchup, teriyaki, tomato paste, many other sauces where flour is used for thickening), chocolate, coffee and alcoholic beverages (beer, vodka, whiskey, with coloring or flavoring, or aromatic additives).
Recommendations
- Read labels carefully. Look out for traces of gluten in the preparation. If possible, choose products labeled "Gluten-free" or "Gluten-free", these can be found in the diet section of supermarkets.
- Use whole foods for cooking: fresh meat, seafood, eggs, vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts and oils.
Step 2: Replace gluten with healthy alternatives
Flour from cereals and legumes - instead of wheat.
- Flour for bread, pasta, pastries, pancakes and desserts can be made from grains, nuts and legumes.
- Flour made from buckwheat, rice, chickpeas, soy, flax, corn, and almonds is excellent for these dishes. It is easy to make yourself, just grind the ingredients in a special mill.
What you should know about making flour
- To get the most out of homemade flour, we recommend soaking the seeds and nuts in advance and then drying them in a dryer. This reduces the concentration of phytic acid in the seeds, which interferes with the normal absorption of minerals from plants.
- It is better to grind the flour in small portions just before cooking. This helps to avoid oxidation of the seeds and preserves all the useful substances.
Breakfast is not just oatmeal and sandwiches
- There are many equally tasty alternatives: homemade yogurts from a fermenter, potato pancakes, smoothies and colorful bowls, pancakes and pancakes from buckwheat or rice flour.
- For breakfast, you can make healthy green buckwheat granola in a dehydrator or cereal in a mill.
- If you find it difficult to imagine your morning without porridge, then buckwheat, rice, millet, gluten-free oatmeal, amaranth and flax will help you.
Legumes and cereals - instead of pasta
- For lunch, you can eat gluten-free legumes or cereals (rice, quinoa, polenta, millet, amaranth, buckwheat, cornmeal) as a side dish.
- You can replace the usual pasta with rice, buckwheat and bean pasta, or you can make pasta with gluten-free flour.
- Meat and fish can be breaded in crushed corn flakes, and the dough can be made from chickpea or rice flour.
- Gravy and sauces can be easily thickened with potato or corn starch.
- Instead of soup cubes and store mixes, try homemade seasonings: dry vegetables and herbs in a dehydrator, or grind them in a grinder or blender. You get a natural aromatic spice. Powder made from dried mushrooms or meat adds a rich flavor to broths and sauces.
Snack is gluten-free
- For a snack, try homemade potato chips or gluten-free bread in the dryer.
- By drying pieces of meat and fish, you can prepare natural and satisfying dishes.
Desserts were not cancelled
- Use nut or rice flour to prepare them.
- Instead of store-bought cream, use coconut cream or homemade coconut yogurt made from yeast.
Good alternatives to store-bought sweets are fruit chips and lozenges, as well as healthy candies made from nuts and dried fruits (without oatmeal).
Step 3 Organizing gluten-free baby food
- Prepare the same dishes, only with gluten-free flour and grains (pasta and grain options have already been discussed above).
- Try making pancakes, crepes or cheesecake with coconut, buckwheat or rice flour.
- Dumplings and dumplings can also be made from rice-based flour.
- Crushed nuts, dried fruits and cocoa can be used in a blender to make sweet bars, biscuits and candies (and you can even make it into a joint game, e. g. you can make cookies of different shapes from coconut and banana).
- Don't forget the vegetable and fruit chips (instead of shop biscuits), marshmallows and natural ice cream.
Gluten-free recipe ideas
| Menu 1 | Menu 2 |
Breakfast Lenk with fresh fruit |
Breakfast Green buckwheat granola + boiled egg |
Dinner Pumpkin soup with flax bread and avocado salad |
Dinner Homemade borscht with cashew sour cream Stuffed cabbage rolls with soy and lentil sprouts |
Afternoon snack Fresh vegetables with homemade hummus |
Afternoon snack Gluten-free avocado bread |
Dinner Zucchini pasta in tomato sauce with herbs |
Dinner Risotto with curry chicken legs and cashews |