When most people think about the word Gluten-Free (GF) they think about not eating grains, however, this is a misconception! A GF lifestyle includes many grains like almond flour, corn, quinoa, and buckwheat. However, these grains are less refined than other carbs, therefore, to bind them together it takes many different ingredients like Xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder, and guar gum. These are called bonding agents and are often used in GF baking and cooking.
Don’t be alarmed!!! These bonding agents simply help thicken GF items so that they don’t fall to pieces. Think about baking cookies, the flour is what helps bind together the wet and dry ingredients, without it the cookie would turn to mush. Your typical white or wheat flour is used as a bonding agent in food all the time, like to thicken pancake batter. Since white and wheat flour are not an option for GF individuals, the bonding agent is needed.
Eating GF requires avoiding refined carbs (which are my favorite) like bagels, pasta, and bread. But GF doesn’t mean endless salad bars for the rest of your life! Many foods that are incorporated in our diets already are naturally GF including meats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. When you think about it that’s not a HUGE change after all (even if you’re a carboholic like me)!
When looking for GF items, avoid foods containing graham flour, matzo flour, orzo, panko, wheat bran, wheat germ, wheat starch, spelt, semolina, flour, wheat flour and rye. GF guidelines also dictate avoiding preservatives. Preservatives and processed foods often contain gluten. Some of the most common food additives to avoid are MSG, modified food starch, and dextrin.
It can be hard to know where to start and what to avoid when choosing to go GF. I recommend researching and reading books about eating GF. Slowly transitioning into a GF lifestyle is the best way to learn how to adapt to this new way of eating. Start by making a list of everything you are avoiding and begin cutting out refined carbs. The little changes make all the difference, like changing your breakfast cereal to a GF brand like Cheerios.
GF means changing the way you think about food without missing the foods you love!
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