Who doesn’t love a nice warm slice of homemade bread? I admit that used to be one of my favorite things to make and enjoy. Especially with some home grown jam slathered on top! But what should you do if for some reason you aren’t able to eat as much or any gluten as you used to? Where do you even start to figure out what gluten is in and how to avoid it? And better yet how do you replace it so you don’t feel like you’re eating cardboard?
First it’s good to know what gluten is and where it is commonly found. Gluten is a family of proteins commonly found in grains. There are two main proteins that comprise gluten. They are glutenin and gliadin. These are the proteins not tolerated by those that have celiac disease. It is believed by many that there is much more intolerance these days for gluten due to the fact that it has been so hybridized that it is just a former shadow of what the original wheat once used to be forming almost a “super carbohydrate” that the body has difficulty digesting. This can create inflammation in the body along with weight gain and other symptoms. Of course, I am no doctor but I am old enough to remember when the low fat phase came out and everyone was counting fat grams and it was believed that fat and cholesterol were horrible for you. And then came the age of the Adkins diet and carbs were the enemy of the day. Now it seems that gluten and grains are the present day enemy. I am by no means saying that we shouldn’t take a hard look at gluten. Intense hybridization and using herbicides such as glysophate on the wheat crops can not be ideal for the human body! So my advice would be if you are having issues with grains to abstain from gluten for a time and see if you reap any benefits to your body and your health. Your body is the barometer for what is good for YOU!
So where should you begin? First you have to become a professional label reader. Companies like to hide gluten in many processed foods. Most of these foods probably aren’t the greatest for us to consume anyway on the regular but on the occasion that you do, comb the label. Fortunately these days because so many are avoiding gluten many companies will tout the fact that they are “gluten free” right on that label as a selling point. Some of the grains that naturally contain gluten are of course wheat, spelt, barley, farina, semolina and rye. Typically the grains that are naturally gluten free are rice, corn, sorghum, buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth. Gluten is found in breads, cornbread, muffins, flour tortillas, cereals and cakes. There are many places that gluten is located that isn’t necessary “bread like” such as salad dressings, gravies, sauces, boxed ready made meals and even beer which is made from barley typically. Remove all of these things from your pantry and then ask yourself what is it that I truly miss that had gluten? You will find that many times you don’t miss half of the things you used to consume with gluten but there are a few things that you just can’t seem to live without. Be careful about overdoing the gluten free processed food because many times they are absolutely loaded with carbs and fillers and will serve to take down your health as well! Below are some of the products and recipes that I have used the last four years that have tasted the best for our family and they aren’t quite as bad as some of the mixes I’ve seen. Note: I have no financial gain from recommending any of these products they have just been the best tasting ones in my opinion.
Breads from Anna – We really love these although the price tag can be hefty they are by far the best gluten free mixes we’ve tried. They are primarily made with beans so there is not near the amount of gums and fillers as the typical mix. The apple pancakes and banana bread are our favorite
Bobs Red Mill has several good mixes. We like the Pizza mix and the one for chocolate cake for birthday parties.
Jovial foods bread and pastry mixes – these are one of the best for making your own bread at home. The mixes are not so full of fillers and have a wonderful taste. They don’t freeze the best though as they tend to get crumbly. This is one of the downfalls to anything gluten free.
For a nice graham cracker substitute here is a healthy gluten free recipe.
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