TIPS FOR EATING WITHOUT WHEAT

You have tested weak for wheat, and yet wheat is a large part of so many modern diets! How can you survive? Firstly this may not be permanent, but for now here are some tips!

Alternatives

Gluten Free

Try not to revert simply to gluten-free products as these are heavily processed and can be high in sugar and starchy substitutes. These can have a negative impact on your health if eaten regularly. Instead try to look for different ways of eating instead of buying direct substitutes.

Spelt

If you have tested ok with spelt it is a great alternative. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat, and we can usually tolerate it a lot better than modern wheat which is a hybridised plant. Try using spelt flour as a direct alternative to wheat flour. Better is wholegrain, and it can be used to make cakes, bread, yorkshire puddings, sauces (or use cornflour), biscuits, etc. You can even get spelt pasta! Make sure any spelt products do not also contain wheat!

Here are some healthy alternatives:

FLOUR – spelt flour, oat flour, rice flour, almond flour (or ground almond), coconut flour, etc. It is better to use whole food flours and mix these yourselves for consistency rather than buying a gluten free flour with a lot of ingredients. If you do go for gluten free flour, look for the one with least ingredients!

BREAD – oak cakes, rice cakes, ryvita (some varieties contain wheat too, the Ryvita Sesame is good!), breads made with spelt, rye, oat, etc (check it does not contain wheat too), sprouted breads, corn tortillas, lentil chapati

PASTA – spelt pasta, gluten free (check for unhealthy/lots of ingredients), organic konjac pasta (Slim Pasta), other grains such as quinoa (pronounced keen-wa), millet, etc

COUSCOUS – barley couscous (available from Waitrose, Ocado and some other supermarkets), brown basmati rice, quinoa

Try having a different approach to snacking. Make a rice / quinoa salad and keep it in the fridge to have a few spoons as part of a healthy salad lunch. Use crackers where you would normally have bread for sandwiches, have potato or vegetable patties instead of toast for cooked breakfast, etc.

CEREALS – porridge, Mesa Sunrise, gluten free muesli/granola, anything oats are great for breakfasts!

EATING OUT – it is often easier to say you are gluten intolerant as this is better understood!

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