Hellobee Boards

My DH has a gluten intolerance so we eat gf at home. We have tried to reserve gf substitutes as treats since they are usually higher in sugar/carbs (probably to add flavor) than their non-gf counterparts. Both DH and I start to gain wait and feel lethargic when we’re eating a lot of them. So I would suggest looking into low carb and paleo recipes. You obviously don’t have to stick to the other aspects of those “diets” but I find they have the best recipes that don’t use flour/bread/pasta/etc.

If you’re looking for something specific that you just can’t live without a gf alternative. Or trying to make a favorite recipe let me know and I can make some brand suggestions.

I have been unofficially diagnosed as celiac. I eat mostly gf however can get away with eating a bit here and there. It catches up to me though if I’m not careful. I don’t have specific recipes that I stick to but basically sticking to whole foods minus grains. I feel great when I’m sticking to the gf diet though!

I’ve been gluten free for a few years now. There are so many alternatives these days. The problem is that most replacement products are based on starches/rice/potato which have a high glycemic index so they spike your blood sugar and then crash it. When I finally realized that I started eating paleo style. If you haven’t done a Whole 30 before it might be worth trying out to get a baseline. But to your question- head to Trader Joe’s if you have one- they have a good gf selection.

@BadgerMom: its great and the flour blend is worth making. its kind of a pain in the butt, but i order the individual flours from amazon and mix a double batch in a large bucket. i haven't done the math to know if its cheaper than pre-mixed, but we prefer it to all the pre-mix blends we've tried (especially for pizza, which is what we use if for the most)

My partner and housemate both have celiac. The one thing that's not a repeat of things other folks have already said is not to cut out gluten until after you've had testing. If you go gluten free before testing, celiac won't show up, you won't have a formal diagnosis, and you'll have to restart gluten (and plausibly feel gross) to ever find out for sure.

@RonjaL7: I am! I have celiac disease, was diagnosed about 13 years ago (or so)... compared to then it’s much easier to find GF food now. You should have them test for celiac BEFORE you go GF or it won’t test properly.

Breads: my favorites are Udis, Canyon Bakehouse and BFree brand. Against the Grain also makes excellent rolls, baguettes and pizza shells.

Pasta: I don’t love the corn pasta, But haven’t tried it for years. It’s been so long I forget what real pasta tastes like but I just use Barilla’s GF option mostly.

GF Flour substitutes: Cup4Cup all purpose mix, and the King Arthur GF mix.

GF Bisquik is delicious! It just comes in a tiny box and is double the price of regular.

There’s tons of good products out there. I personally do not like the taste of garbanzo/garfava flour, it makes a weird soapy taste and it took me years to figure out. So note that if something tastes “off”....

Hidden gluten: soy sauce, chicken/veg stock are my two big ones. Soy sauce tends to be in marinades for meat often. Most soups are out unless you can confirm. Also malt vinegar sneaks into random places too.

Cross contamination shouldn’t be an issue for you unless you’re planning on being really strict, or if it turns out you to have celiac, but something to watch out for: things fried in the same oil as gluten, bakeries pretty much off limits with all the flour floating around, using the same surfaces/knives etc.

@Silva: have you tried Ommission beer? They make a light beer that I really like, but it’s hard to find and usually sold out in the spots I know I can find it.

I just crushed an Against the Grain baguette this week. So so good!

@hellobeeboston: Yes! Everything you wrote is point-on. BEST breads (when I do indulge) are from Udis and Canyon Bakehouse. The only pasta my family has been eating has been Barilla's GF. They barely notice it is GF (as long as I cook it long enough. ).
Going out to eat is SOOOO hard (* I always ask for a GF menu) so I'm glad you covered that as I forget to ... as well as, cross contamination. We have separate peanut butter, jam, butters, etc. for what I (and my mother in law who has celiac disease) can have versus the rest if the house and guests.