Gluten Free Is Not Hard
Posted by Mike in GF Product Review, GF Recipes, Mike's JourneyDec 10th, 2009 | 8 responses
Someone made the point today that there is a lot of whining going on about gluten free being so hard and not being able to eat anything. Come on people, it isn’t that hard! It is only as hard as you make it. Sorry, but you can’t eat a ten course meal with everyone else and not tell the dining staff about it, but you can find simple ways to avoid gluten.
I continually preach: Keep it simple! Especially, for those of you who are just starting out. If you can stick to basic foods, whether you are at home, or out to eat, then it isn’t so bad.
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Image from pattymemorial.org
Think about your usual grocery store layout. Shop the outside walls of the grocery store. That is a little trick I learned that applies to eating healthy and unprocessed foods. This also applies for us gluten free folks- just skip the baked goods, obviously. Pick up some vegetables, fruits, nuts, meat, cheese, milk, and eggs. Keep it simple. You know these items are naturally gluten free! If you want to get crazy, wander to in the inner isles of the store for some condiments or rice… or maybe your store’s gluten free section is also in the middle. Build your meals around these basics, then start adding in other things you know are gluten free.
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When cooking at home, for me, everything revolves around those simple foods. For example: I was suddenly starving this afternoon, so I quickly defrosted, cut, and cooked some chicken. Then put tomato sauce on some corn tortillas. Melted some cheese on them. Since I was really hungry, I scrambled a couple eggs. I put them all together, and in 10min. I had a great lunch! I was so tempted to go to Chipotle and spend $8, but I liked this more and it maybe cost $1.50. See, it doesn’t have to be hard or expensive.
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A while back, I received some great sauces and dressing from San-J and Wild Thymes.
They both make some great gluten free products. These have been a life saver when it comes to making it feel like I am eating a new meal every day.
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Does eating the same foods get boring? NO. Remember Bubba from Forest Gump… “shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried…” (I love that movie)
I have found some easy ways to cook just the same few foods many different ways to keep it interesting. Add soy sauce and make a stir-fry. Add hot sauce for buffalo chicken. Add BBQ sauce. Add some rice, corn tortillas, and hot salsa to make Mexican. My favorite: use corn meal to bread your chicken! I could go on forever… “…pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich…”
8 Responses to “Gluten Free Is Not Hard”
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Good job Mike! The best way for a celiac to eat is simple. Go for the fresh naturally gluten free stuff and don’t forget to get your fiber. Of course, an occasional treat is great.
I think the tone of this article is super condescending. I was very recently diagnosed with Celiac and it’s very overwhelming to me. It IS difficult to second guess everything you eat. It IS difficult to skim labels for things you never knew to look for. It IS difficult to explain it to your friends and family. It IS difficult to feel like you can’t attend outings or holiday parties. It’s not whining and it’s unfortunate that you trivialize it the way you do with this entry.
@Crys
I do agree with you- Starting out is very hard, and that is what I talk a lot about in the rest of by blog.
Although, I strongly believe it is about mindset. I came firmly to that realization one day. If you always have the attitude that it is hard, then it is going to be hard and will be reflected to everyone you talk to.
Just get back to the basics. Buy, cook, order, and eat just the basic foods that you don’t have to think twice about. It is only as hard as you make it. K.I.S.S.
Mike
PS: Sometimes I write articles that inspire people, like yourself, to think, respond, and get involved. Taking an extreme viewpoint somewhat like this one, is one of those times… but I do believe in this.
@Denise
Very True! Fiber is sooo important and is often completely overlooked. Soon, keep an eye out for an article about celiacs and fiber!
Mike – Our teenager who must stay on a gluten free diet was planning to attend college out of state and to live alone for the first time (cook for himself etc). So to make things easier for him we started to put together instructions, recipes with photos, etc. Friends asked that we put it on a website – so we are happy to announce that http://www.gfhomecooking.com is now on line for all to see who must stay gluten free. Hope this makes things easier for those who just found out (like Crys)that they must be gluten free and for us who have been gluten free for awhile – enjoy the recipes. Elaine
Great article! My middle (of 3) son and I were diagnosed Monday. I have to agree with you… it hasn’t been hard at all. Sure, googleing everything to make sure it is gf is kind of a pain, and our grocery shopping trips have taken a little longer than usual because I had to make a few calls, google a few things (love that smart phone!) and even call home to have someone verify that something wasn’t on the “bad” list, but honestly, not hard.
So far, we have attended a birthday party where there was lots of food, my son has spent the night at two different houses (both times with a cooler bag of “safe” food) and tomorrow he will attend a Christmas party with a plate of GF cookies for everyone and a baggie of his own stash (so no chance of cross contamination.)
The bottom line is that for my son and I, this is the rest of our lives. We chose to embrace it and just do what we have to do.
Krista – You may want to try the Kriss Kringle cookie recipe for your sons Christmas party – fun to make and they taste great – http://www.gfhomecooking.com –
new website – read why “gf” – enjoy the recipes. Elaine Happy Holidays.
Thanks for the recipe, Elaine. They look great! We have so many holiday parties coming up, so I will definitely be making these often!