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Thursday, September 20, 2012

REVIEW ON GLUTEN FREE ITEMS

What is gluten again? In Latin, gluten "glue", holds together wheat products such as breads, it gives in its elasticity, and the ability to rise and form. Now I'm not going into technical aspects of gluten, however gluten in foods can be an intolerable thing for people with diseases such as celiac.

So if you can't eat glutenous foods, what kinds foods should you avoid?

- white flour
- duram wheat
- graham flour
- triticale
- kamut
- semolina
- spelt
- wheat germ
- wheat bran

Foods made from wheat includes most of the time:

- pasta
- couscous
- bread
- flour tortillas
- cookies
- cakes
- muffins
- pastries
- cereal
- beer
- oats
- gravy
- dressings
- sauces

Gluten Surprises foods that may contain gluten:

- broth in soups and Bouillons cubes
- bread crumbs and croutons
- fried foods
- imitation fis
- lunch meats and hot dogs
- matzo
- most chips and candies
- salad dressings
- self-basting turkey
- soy sauce
- rice and pasta mixes

Check labels to be sure there is no gluten in the products you are about to purchase

So what's a good source of gluten free foods?

- amaranth
- arrowroot
- beans (kidney, black, soy, navy, pinto, etc.)
- buckwheat
- corn (look for pure corn tortillas)
- flax
- gluten free baked products (made from corn, rice, soy, nut, teff and /or potato flour)
- kasha
- millet
- potatoes (sweet potatoes are best)
- quinoa
- rice (brown or wild rice)
- sorghum
- soy
- tapioca

AMARANTH is sold in most natural food stores.

How to cook? 1 cup of whole grain amaranth, with 2.5 cups of boiling water for about 18-20 minutes. Do not over cook it becomes sticky or gummy. In has a mild and sweet nutty flavor. It' a hard thing to substitute this with white rice, but if you do have an ailment, try this.
















ARROWROOT is sold in most supermarkets, it is a fine addition to your gluten free lifestyle. It is a good thickening agent for soups, gravies, and dressings. Instead of using AP flour which contains gluten, arrowroot is a perfect substitution. Have a cup or so of arrowroot slurry to thicken liquids.







ORGANIC CANNED KIDNEY BEANS I personally don't have the time to soak and beans overnight and cook them, fine if you do, despite this, I purchase good quality canned organic beans from companies such as Eden and it is non sodium, so these are a great alternative to help you get your proteins.

* same goes for the other beans, search for organic beans in cans or find them dried in bulk sections at your local health food store.



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