My husband might have a gluten allergy and he is going to start a new diet. I went to whole foods and looked at alot of their gluten free products but was thrown off by some of the prices and the small amounts. any regular food he can eat with out changing everything we eat? are there any foods that are gluten free that are at regular grocery stores? any ideas/help much appreciated!
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, barley and some other closely related grains. Unfortunately, most processed foods contain gluten, either to thicken, to hide high fat content, to make up for low fat content (low fat yogurt, for example), or just in the form of pastry/pasta/bread etc.
Unprocessed food mostly doesn't contain gluten (except the grains mentioned above). So meat, fish, cheese (not grated, this is coated in "modified starch"), and eggs are major protein foods that if bought without any coating or sauce should be fine. Vegetables of all kinds, again bought without coating or sauce (and watch mashed potato, for example, which may have added flour) are also gluten free. So most frozen and canned veg is ok, apart from potato products (including roasting potatoes, which are coated in flour), though fresh is best. Fruit, nuts, dried fruit are mostly fine. Canned fruit should be ok if it's packed in syrup or juice, but not fruit pie fillings.
Your carbs will be mostly things like potatoes, corn, peas, beans, lentils, rice, millet (apparently a great substitute for couscous, though as I don't like couscous I couldn't be sure), quinoa, oats - but you need to check these were processed in a gluten free facility (most likely labeled "gluten free"), as they tend to get contaminated in the factory. And I think that's it.
Gluten free pasta is a very mixed bag, and yes, it's pricey. Supply and demand! Anyway, if you want pasta, the best brand is Orgran.
Gluten free bread is mostly horrible, you will find. Until you find one you like, fall back on Corn Thins (not the multigrain variety) by Real Foods Pty for cold uses and Rosti to use instead of toast for things on toast.
In all cases, when buying processed foods, check the label of every pack every time you buy, because manufacturers change ingredients without changing the packaging (though the ingredients label will be different), depending on price and availability. This article may be helpful: Master of Disguise - How Gluten Hides Where You Least Expect It - http://www.glutenfreedietbook.com/articles/10.html
And good luck!
Annie shows you how to make a Wheat and Gluten Free Raspberry Sponge Roll that not only looks good but tastes nice. Being a severe Ceoliac I found it hard to buy safe wheat and gluten free products and the ones that were tasted awful so I have put together recipes and this is one of them. Enjoy
