I am gonna quote from the book called "The what to eat gluten free and what to cook cookbook on a gluten free diet" by Nutristionist Fiona Hunter.
" Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley and in foods made from grains, such as cakes, pastry, bread, and pasta. Gluten has qualities useful for cooking and baking, including elasticity, an ability to hold water and a tendency to hold shape and harden in high heat."
Where is it found?
"Main sources of Gluten
- All biscuits, breads, cakes, crackers,pastries, pizza base, rolls and cookies made from wheat,rye or barly flour.
- Wheat noodles and pasta
- Wheat based breakfast cereals
- Any meat or vegetable or cheese covered in batter or bread crumbs
- Soy sauce
- Ice cream cones
- gravies made with wheat flour"
What about oats?
Oats are a protein that is similar to gluten but don't seem to cause as much trouble. It really depends on the person. So maybe try them in moderation. But remember that oats are often contaminated with flour because of the processing at the factory so make sure you buy gluten free oats.
This week it would be good to get rid of the obvious sources of wheat in the house. Pack up the breads, pastas, cereal, crackers and cookies.When you are done cleaning them out its time to find some replacements. When you are first starting out I would recommend sticking to buying gluten free products for the first little while. The if you notice you really are seeing improvements and want to stick to the diet then I would tackle baking. It's a bit of a challenge and can be time consuming. I will share more on baking once we have covered the basics.
It took me a long time to figure out what gluten was and all the places it's found. It took a while for me to wrap my brain around it. So rather than just cutting cold turkey I think going slowly and really understanding what it is is better. These are the main sources of gluten but it isn't everything. There are also other hidden sources of gluten which I will cover later on. So bear with me.
To make shopping easier I have included some photos of the products that we enjoy which can be found in the whole food section at superstore. Except the rice cakes are near the chip aisle. (Which I have no idea why.
Anyways that is what we buy. Feel free to try whatever apeals to you. Happy purging and shopping friends. If you have any questions,concerns or topics you want me to cover I will try to answer them. I am no expert but just 1 year into my journey in gluten free. If you have products that you find and love please share them in the comments section.