Going gluten free can be overwhelming, but this beginner’s guide to gluten free will help make gluten free easier for those new to gluten free eating.
I started my gluten free journey back in the fall of 2009. That means this year marks sixteen years of eating gluten free. Gluten-free eating for me has been life-changing.
After an upper endoscopy a couple of years ago, my GI doctor, who I have seen for over twenty years, said he couldn’t believe he was looking at the same GI tract that he did back in 2009.
I won’t go into all the details, but in 2009, my health was a mess. My vocal cords and esphogus were damaged after years of acid reflux that we nothing would control. I had tried all the medications. I had tried all the special diets. I had cut out all the things they tell you to, but nothing worked.
That is until I want gluten free.
I have been tested twice for Celiac disease, and it was negative. However, the gluten-free diet changed my health so much that I have not eaten gluten in sixteen years.
Yes, I have gotten gluten a few times from cross-contamination, but I have not purposely eaten any gluten in years. It isn’t worth it for me.
My story is that gluten free eating changed my health, but I know that it is not for everyone. Not evereyone’s life and health will change from eating gluten free. A gluten free diet is challenging. It isn’t easy, but for many people, including myself, it is so worth it.
Gluten Free Eating Can Be Easy and Delicious
One of my main goals here at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures is to help you make gluten free eating easy and delicious.
Gluten-free baking and cooking can be overwhelming and complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.
Gluten free food can also taste great. Those inside out chocolate cookies in the picture above are gluten free.
That pasta in the picture below is made with gluten free pasta.
Changes In Gluten Free Eating
When I first started eating gluten free in 2009 there were very few gluten free foods at grocery stores and not a lot of information online.
2009 was in the early days of blogging and food websites. There were a few out there like Shirley at Gluten Free Easily, but the gluten free world looked totally different back in 2009.
Today there is a huge amount of online information, cookbooks, websites, and sociaal media accounts dedicated to gluten free eating and cooking.
There are also so many more options at the grocery store. In 2009, my small town Walmart did not have a gluten free section of their store. In fact, they didn’t really sell any products labeled gluten-free.
If I wanted gluten-free options, I had to drive quite a way to a store like Whole Foods. And even Whole Foods had limited gluten-free options in 2009.
Today it is entirely different. You can find gluten free foods at almost any grocery store.
However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t still hard to eat gluten free. It might be easier to find gluten-free products, but the gluten-free world can still be hard to navigate.
For years, I have talked about doing posts that would be a beginner’s guide to eating gluten-free.
This fall, I am finally getting it done.
Over the next two months, I will share several posts with information and tips on eating gluten-free.
Today we are starting with a beginner’s guide to gluten-free.
The Grieving Process of Going Gluten Free
I started eating gluten free in the fall of 2009. In early 2010, my oldest daughter developed a severe tree nut, peanut, and sesame allergy.
In less than six months, our family’s food life totally changed. Not only did I start have to start eating gluten free, but we also had to remove all nuts, peanuts, and sesame from our house.
All the food changes at our house made 2010 a very challenging year for our family.
Several people told me that it was okay to grieve our food loses. I will admit that it sounded strange to grieve food, but the more I thought about the more I realized that it was exactly how I felt.
I was grieving all the food we couldn’t have.
We shouldn’t grieve forever. We have to move on at some point, but when you first have to start eating gluten free, and you realize how many of your favorite foods are not longer safe to eat, it is okay to be sad.
You will miss those foods, but know that it does get easier. You will figure things out.
Focus On What You Can Have
My number one tip for someone new to eating gluten free is to focus on the foods that you can have. Don’t focus on all the things that you can no longer eat; focus on all the things you can still eat.
Starting a gluten-free diet can be overwhelming. There are so many foods that you can no longer eat. It can feel impossible to find food that is safe, but there are so many foods that are naturally gluten-free.
Meat, potatoes, rice, dairy, vegetables, fruit, and corn are all gluten-free. If you read labels, you can easily find foods like corn tortillas, potato and tortilla chips, ice cream, cheese, bacon, and so many other things that do not contain gluten.
Making a list of your favorite foods that do not contain gluten will help you find safe foods when you are craving all the foods that you cannot have.
Learn To Read Labels
Reading labels is a must when you are gluten free. Brands and companies change and what is gluten free now, may not always be gluten free.
There are also many items that you wouldn’t think contain gluten, but they do.
Grocery shopping will look a little different when you eat gluten free. It takes a little more time, but it is worth it.
What Does Certified Gluten Free Mean?
When reading labels you will often see the label Certified Gluten Free. This means that the food has been independently tested by a third party for gluten.
What Does Gluten Free Friendly Mean
Gluten free friendly is a term you often see when the food is gluten free, but there is a high risk of contamination with gluten filled food.
For example there is a coffee shop that I meet friends at that has gluten free muffins and cookies. However, they are in the case, right next to the regular gluten filled muffins, cookies, and pastries.
That means there is a high risk of crumbs etc. getting on the gluten free food. That means I avoid the food there. I don’t want to take the risk when it comes to gluten free friendly.
Gluten free friendly can also mean that the item is gluten free but it was not baked in a dedicated gluten free facility or kitchen. So again the risk of contamination is high.
If you are very sesitive to gluten, gluten free friendly might not be a good fit for you.
Eating Out When Gluten Free
Eating out gluten-free can be a challenge. I love the app for my phone called Find Me Gluten Free. It makes finding gluten-free restaurants so much easier.
It shows the gluten-free restaurants in the area. It shows reviews and comments on others’ experiences there. If you read through the comments, you can see how safe people thought the food was and if they felt they got cross-contamination there. There is often a menu listed as well.
There is a free version and a paid version. I don’t eat out often, so the free version works perfectly for me. But if you eat out a lot or travel a lot, the paid version would probably be worth it.
There are several apps for your phone that focus on gluten-free restaurants, but Find Me Gluten Free is my favorite.
Are Oats Gluten Free?
Gluten free and oats is a bit complicated. Oats are “naturally” gluten-free; however, there is a high risk of cross-contamination. Oats are often grown next to or with wheat, barley, and rye.
They use the same equipment to process, transport, and store them. Because of that regular oats are not considered gluten free.
In order to get truly gluten free oats, you have to buy gluten free oats.
There is also an issue with many people who have to eat gluten free not tolerating oats well. That is because the protein in oats is similar to the protein in gluten and that can cause problems for some people who eat gluten free.
The Celiac Foundation has a great article on the topic oats and the gluten free diet.
Beginner Recipes for Gluten Free
Before I share recipes, let’s start by talking about gluten-free flour blends. No one flour can replace regular all purpose flour. It just doesn’t work that way. It takes a combination of flours and starches to get anything close to the results that a regular flour will give you in a recipe.
Whether it is a homemade blend or a store bought one, finding a blend that you like can be hard. Gluten free blends are where you realize how much science really is behind cooking and baking, especially gluten free cooking and baking.
After years of expirementing with gluten free recipes my two favorite gluten free flour blends are: Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.
Now let’s talk easy recipes to make when you are new to gluten free cooking.
Chocolate Chunk Cookies using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend
My favorite Peanut Butter Cookies using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend
Martha Stewart’s Buttermilk Pancakes using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend.
Peanut Butter Baked Oatmeal using gluten free oats
I will share more recipes and specific gluten free prodcuts and ingredients that I use all the time in baking and cooking with you soon.
More Gluten Free Information
Look for more gluten free tips and ideas over the next few months.
I would love to hear your tips for going gluten free in the comments.
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