These Replacement Items Support a Gluten Free Diet

Grains like wheat, barley, and rye contain a protein called gluten. Unfortunately, some people cannot process this protein properly.They could be diagnosed with celiac disease or they could have a diagnosed gluten sensitivity. When that is the case, they must follow a gluten free eating plan.

Hearing the words “gluten free diet” can strike fear into the heart of someone who loves bread and pasta. The thought of dietary changes invokes a variety of emotions from fear to anger. It can feel very overwhelming to make the changes in the beginning.

A gluten free lifestyle is not a sentence into the realm of boring and bland food.There are options available to replace the familiar items that can no longer be eaten. Simple swaps and creative thinking make a gluten free lifestyle easily manageable. Here are a few ideas for replacement foods to help make living a gluten free lifestyle a little easier.

1 - Veggie Noodles

Pasta lovers need not fear. There are options to make pasta accessible to someone living a gluten free lifestyle. Spaghetti squash, zucchini, and even cauliflower can be used to make favorite pasta dishes without the gluten. There are also a variety of pre-made gluten free noodles available. Many of those are made from rice or beans, so they are packed with nutrition as well as being more like the texture of traditional semolina pasta.

2 - Non-wheat Flour

Flour is the main ingredient in baked goods from cookies to cakes and bread to biscuits. With a gluten free lifestyle traditional wheat flour is off the menu. There are some good options for replacing all purpose flour in recipes. Almond flour, coconut flour, brown rice flour, and buckwheat flour are just a few of the available options. Oat flour can easily be made at home for use in baked goods. With some of the options, starches like cornstarch or tapioca starch might have to be used to help with the texture of the baked item.

3 - Tortilla Options

Anyone who enjoys wraps or tacos knows that tortillas are a staple. When flour isn’t an option, it can seem like those favorite foods are lost. The good news is there are swaps for tortillas too. The simplest swap is to use a corn tortilla instead of a flour one. Lettuce, spinach, and even collard greens give additional options. These are especially good for wraps.This is a good place to get creative. Maybe try a banana leaf or a different green. Also, making homemade tortillas is a relatively simple process, so trying some non-wheat flour applications would also be an idea.

4 - Crouton Alternatives

Eating a salad just seems more satisfying with the crunch of croutons. There are ways to increase the flavor of a salad and add crunch without the gluten that comes with croutons. A great way to add crunch and flavor to a salad is with nuts. Peanuts, almonds, cashews, and pecans are all good choices that add slightly different flavors and lots of crunch and protein. Another option is roasted pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or even sesame seeds.

5 - Pizza Crust Ideas

Gluten free pizza crusts are now widely available for purchase. Some other alternatives to a traditional crust is a cauliflower crust, or a crust made from spaghetti squash. For a French bread pizza, zucchini slices are similarly sized to the crust. Using some of the alternative flour sources and experimenting with homemade crust can be a fun twist on pizza night. Or, perhaps, a crustless pizza or an upside down pizza that uses cheese for the base would be fun options to try.