"So what can you eat?"

When friends and family hear that I've given up gluten, casein/dairy, soy, industrial meat/poultry, and artificial/heavily processed sweeteners, the most common response is, "So what can you eat?"  Here is the answer for those who may need a reminder.

Any of the following, organic when possible, unless otherwise noted:
  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Nuts, seeds, and their butters
  • Beans and lentils
  • Whole herbs and spices
  • Non-glutenous grains: 
    • rice, including the glutenous kind (1, 2)
    • quinoa
    • amaranth
    • millet
    • buckwheat
    • sorghum
    • teff
  • Organic, grass-fed meat, poultry, and eggs
  • Oils:  Coconut, canola, and extra-virgin olive
  • Sweeteners:  Honey, agave nectar, maple syrup, stevia, cane sugar
  • "Milks":  rice, almond, hazelnut, hemp, cashew, coconut
When I plan my meals, I try to keep to recipes that include these ingredients naturally rather than trying to find gfcfsf substitutes for the foods I can't have.  For example, choosing different variations of fresh salads, fruit and veggie smoothies, marinaded chicken with rice or other gf grain of choice, etc. is easier to keep gfcfsf then, say, pasta alfredo, cheeseburgers, or cheese enchiladas.  While it's possible to keep the latter recipes gfcfsf, you will have to look harder for substitute ingredients and they may not turn out a little different from the way you are used to.  That said, here is a list of some good, readily available substitutes for common ingredients.

As for restricted ingredients, here is the list in web and .PDF format compiled from various sources (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8).  Don't be surprised (and try not to get too frustrated) if most products in a standard grocery store (i.e. Fry's, Safeway, etc.) have at least one restricted or questionable ingredient on the ingredients' list.  If you stick to whole beans, lentils, nuts, oils, and gluten-free grains; fresh produce, herbs, and spices; and clearly labeled meats, you will be fine.

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