I have been gluten free since February. It all started with ruling out Cystic Fibrosis and ruling in Fibromyalgia. Long story, but need-less-to-say, I was looking for alternatives to drugs for pain management.
Enter my friends at Valencia Wellness who recommended I try The Blood Type Diet. For Blood Type “O” people, this diet restricts corn, dairy and gluten. You try avoiding anything with corn or corn products like corn syrup. You will soon find that EVERYTHING has corn starch or corn syrup in it. Through this diet, I actually found that avoiding gluten was the easiest part of the diet and what I continue to this day. Gluten, as defined on Wikipedia.com, is a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin. These exist, conjoined with starch, in the endosperms of some grass-related grains, notably wheat, rye, and barley. Gliadin and glutenin comprise about 80% of the protein contained in wheat seed.
What I can eat instead of wheat and gluten is potatoes, rice and quinoa. If you are adventurous in the kitchen like I am, there are loads of things you can do with rice, nut and quinoa flours. From cakes, to cookies to bread, all can be made without wheat flour. Stores like Whole Foods and Bristol Farms have special sections for Gluten Free products including cake mixes, cereal, breads, tortillas and more.
More and more restuarants are catering to the Gluten Free crowd. When I visited Claim Jumper in Stevenson Ranch recently, they provided me with a special menu just for Gluten Free guests. For your information, their french fries are coated in crushed croutons! Who knew?
Thai food is great for GF eaters because they use rice noodles in many dishes. The Basil, my favorite Thai Food in town, makes a killer Pad Thai with rice noodles, bean sprouts, carrots and peanut sauce. You just have to watch out because soy sauce is made with wheat and used in many Asian dishes. Tamari, the liquid that runs of miso when it is fermented, can be substituted for soy sauce in most recipes.
At Dawn’s Dinners, I’ve started labeling my dinners as GF if they are. Right now in the freezer, I have several soups and a few meals including chicken Parmesan and moussaka that are GF. You must try my GF chocolate, chocolate cookies. They are to die for! $10 per dozen.
