Focus On What You Can Have

One of the things that many people I have talked to cite when explaining why they are reluctant to try going gluten-free, even though it may help resolve long-standing health issues, is that they are afraid of giving up their favorite foods, or that if they go gluten-free, they will be doomed to a lifetime of eating boring, unappetizing food that doesn't taste good.  Fortunately, this is not as big of a problem as you might think.

First, gluten-free alternatives exist for many foods, and in some cases are as good as or better than the regular gluten variety.  Shortly after we discovered the boys couldn't have gluten, for instance, I entered a batch of gluten-free sugar cookies I had baked in the Great Allentown Fair in the regular sugar cookie category, and won a ribbon (it was for 3rd place, if I recall correctly).  In other words, my gluten-free sugar cookies, while maybe not the very best ones of all those entered in the fair that year, were good enough to be in the top 5, even though they were competing against cookies made with wheat flour.  Since then I have discovered a snickerdoodle recipe from the same cookbook that tastes just like the ones I remember my mom making when I was a little girl.  There is brown rice pasta on the market now that is very good, and while maybe not identical to pasta made with durum semolina (the wheat variety used to make most pasta), it is certainly close enough that there is no need to give up your favorite pasta dishes.

Second, rather than focusing on what you can't have anymore, I find it helps to focus on what you can have.  When looking for tasty gluten-free meals, I have found it helps to look at cuisine from parts of the world where they eat primarily rice or some other non-gluten-containing grain.  Thai cuisine, for instance, features a lot of rice-based dishes, including noodle dishes made with rice noodles.  Similarly, sushi can be a delicious gluten-free alternative, especially if you bring your own small bottle of tamari when eating at restaurants.  Cuisines and dishes that don't use gluten in the first place are wonderful on a gluten-free diet because you don't have to change anything, so you don't feel like you're giving anything up, or missing out on what the meal is "supposed" to taste like.  People used to ask me how I got my young children to eat ethnic foods like sushi or Thai or Indian cuisines.  I always replied that unusual foods from foreign places look a lot more appetizing when you can't eat the same junk as everybody else.  What would you rather have?  A glum hamburger patty with no bun (which is really like giving up half your meal) or a plate full of Pad Thai?  My not-so-little-anymore boys go for the full plate every time.

Third, a lot of pre-packaged gluten-free food is not only massively expensive, it's really rather hideous.  This does not mean you have to resign yourself to a lifetime of horrible food.  What it does mean is if you want to eat well, you're going to have to become familiar with your kitchen.  It's easier than you think, and making things from scratch instead of buying them already-made not only produces much tastier food, it is much less expensive.  Our family has found that despite a tight grocery budget in the last year, we are eating better than we ever have, simply because we spend the money we do have on ingredients, especially fresh local meats, dairy, and produce, and prepare our own foods from scratch.  With this in mind, I highly recommend equipping your kitchen with two very important, very versatile appliances:  a good, powerful food processor (preferably one with a nice deep shaft so you can puree soups in it, among other things) and a KitchenAid stand mixer.  (I'm sure there are other brands of stand mixers on the market, but KitchenAid is the classic.)

Next post:  A few resources for gluten-free cooking and living