If you’re one of those people who need to constantly keep checking labels and worry about gluten-free products, then you must know it’s no easy task to keep all the gluten away! Especially when there are so many amazing and delicious recipes that need gluten to be made. However, that part is not necessarily true, since there are plenty of substitutes which can be made and the texture and taste will be so similar it will hard to tell the difference! Keep reading to see what we’re talking about!
“I believe that the greatest gift you can give your family and the world is a healthy you.” - Joyce Meyer
What Is Gluten?
First of all, let’s start by getting out of the way the list of foods that are already gluten-free and, therefore, need no substitutes! Gluten is a composite found mainly in wheat, but also in rye, and other related grains, such as spelt, and kamut (among others).
And gluten is a tricky thing because if you use, for example, the same machine to ground wheat and corn (which is a naturally gluten-free product), the corn will get contaminated by the wheat composite.
In addition to that:
Using the same pan and utensils to cook both regular and gluten-free food is going to get the food contaminated! If you’re willingly following a gluten-free diet, that’s not a concern for you. However, if you have celiac disease, you must be careful as consuming gluten-contaminated food will make you sick!
Naturally Gluten-Free
With all of that being said, it’s important to remember there’s plenty of food out there that is naturally gluten-free and doesn’t need substitutes! Here’s a list of some of those products:
- Corn
- Rice
- Amaranth
- Quinoa
- Soy
- Potatoes
- Vegetables (in general)
- Milk
- Eggs
- Meat
- Fish
- Poultry
- Fats and oils
Types of Flour
You’d be surprised with all the types of flour available other than the white one! We have:
- Tapioca
- Rice
- Coconut
- Chickpea
- Soy
- Quinoa
- Banana
And that’s just to name a few of the most popular ones. There are still a couple more options you can try. Each one has its own flavors and textures, but by using the right combo, they’ll give your recipe the perfect consistency and flavor.
For example:
If you want to make some pancakes for breakfast, instead of sifting one cup of regular flour, use half a cup of rice flour and half a cup of cornstarch. You’d be surprised at how well this change turns out - and it goes for basically all recipes you try! Though this combo isn’t exactly low carb, it’s still amazing!
The most commonly used flour combo:
If you don’t feel like innovating and creating new recipes each time you want to make a recipe, you can prepare a mix beforehand and save it in a container for future use. You can mix 3 cups rice flour, 2 cups potato starch, 1 cup tapioca flour and (this part is optional) a bit of xanthan gum, about one teaspoon full.
Other Substitutes
- Recipes usually require xanthan gum for creating a better texture for pastries. However, if you have a hard time finding it, arrowroot powder, although a bit more expensive, can be used for the same purpose.
- Of course, there are a couple less expensive options for xanthan gum and arrowroot powder too, but you’ll need to learn and adjust the amounts of liquid and dry ingredients in the recipe accordingly. You can try using chia seeds, psyllium fiber, and in some cases, even gelatin.
- Since you’re going gluten-free, you can take the chance and try sticking to a healthier diet as well. That means, for example, using healthier options of oil - like coconut oil, which has so many benefits - or even sunflower oil. The first one is recommended more for sweets while the second one for salty food.
- When it comes to chocolate, there’s still not much we can do except buy the more expensive choice, but even then, there are a lot of amazing recipes to try making, and that leads us to…
These Delicious Recipes
So many people are finding out they have an allergy to gluten in recent years, so we’ve started sharing a couple of gluten-free recipes that taste great and won’t make you feel like you’re missing out on the good stuff!
Check these out:
- Delicious Double Chocolate Chunk Skillet Cookie (Gluten Free)
- Fruit of the Forest Swirled Cheesecake (Gluten Free, Low Fat)
- Delicious Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup
- Zucchini Carrot and Apple Olive Oil Cake
We also have these Vegan Pot Pies, though they’re not all gluten-free, they’re delicious. And you can always try making the replacements we’re talking about here, right?
Hope you’ve like reading so far and that this has helped you! Any questions? Leave us a comment below or contact us through our Facebook page!
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