5 Alternatives to Gluten for use in your Everyday Meals!
Just because you and your family have decided to go gluten free doesn’t mean you have to make drastic changes to your cooking. There are gluten free alternatives for all meals! We’ve compiled a list of 5 family favourites that contain zero gluten, taste great and are easier on the tummy!
1) Cereal. The day would not be off to the best start without breakfast, and you don’t have to be without your favourite breakfast cereals! There are many gluten free options out there. For the younger members of the family, Tesco have gluten free “Choco Snaps” (think Coco Pops). The cereal is made up of puffed rice, sugar, cocoa powder, glucose syrup and salt. Because they contain no wheat these are suitable for your little ones gluten intolerance! For the maturer breakfast eater, get your Weetabix fix with Nutribex Gluten Free Cereal. The main component in this cereal is whole grain sorghum. So, what exactly is whole grain sorghum? A member of the ancient grain family, it is very mild in flavour and light in colour. It closely resembles wheat, hence its use in gluten free cereal, and is extremely high in fibre!
2) Bread. Possibly the most common ingredient in every lunch box, and just because you’re excluding gluten from your diet does not mean you have to give up those tasty lunch time sandwiches! Tesco offer a complete “free from” range, a delicious white bread included. So what’s in it? This bread includes tapioca starch, derived from cassava roots which are naturally high in carbohydrates, hence its popularity in gluten free baking! Tapioca is slightly sweet in taste, and is one of the purest forms of starch. It is a low-calorie, sugar free alternative to gluten.
3) Pasta. Everyone’s favourite carb, pasta doesn’t have to be left behind when going gluten free! Instead of the traditional pasta, reach for buckwheat pasta. Never heard of it? Buckwheat is extremely beneficial to your diet. A good source of manganese and copper, magnesium, dietary fiber and phosphorus, buckwheat is also very high in protein. It has also been credited with improving digestion, helping to prevent diabetes, improves heart health, and contains disease-fighting antioxidants.
4) Pizza. Friday night rolls around and you’re looking for a quick and easy gluten free meal for all the family, cue Goodfella’s gluten-free pizzas! What makes it gluten free? Rice flour is used in the base rather than traditional wheat flour. Not only is rice flour gluten free but it is known to help maintain healthy liver function, contains less phytonutrients than wheat and is very high in fiber!
5) Biscuits! What is life without a cheeky biscuit every now and again? Going gluten free does not mean going without this tasty snack! Again, Tesco’s “Free From” range offers an alternative in their belgian chocolate wafers. Containing soy flour which is a great source of protein, soy flour also contains iron, B vitamins and calcium.
