The Challenge of the Gluten-Free Menu - Health

The label "Gluten Free" is making its way to the supermarket shelves, and food manufacturers are, one by one, bringing dedicated gluten-free (GF) products into their product lines. While there is a recent trend towards a gluten-free diet for non-medical reasons, many people have turned to these products out of necessity after having been diagnosed with celiac disease, or an allergy to wheat. While all food allergies are difficult to live with, there are few core ingredients that are as common as wheat flour. That widespread use as a basic ingredient can make the prospect of living gluten-free appear challenging, or even impossible. While the health-conscious may glance at the calories when they pick something off the grocery store shelf, most people spare very little attention to the list of ingredients. For those with a food allergy, however, reading the ingredients can mean the difference between a normal day and one spent being sick, or even landing in the hospital. A n umber of companies, though not all, have begun adding wheat to the list of possible allergens, alongside the better known ones - soy, peanut, and lactose. The challenge for someone with celiac disease, however, is that wheat flour is used everywhere. Cream of mushroom or chicken noodle soup, for example. Lasagna, crackers, pretzels, brownies - all use or include wheat flour as a basic ingredient. Further, wheat gluten is common as a base in first stage ingredients that are then used in the final product, and as such may not be included on the ingredient label or may be under a different name. Soy sauce, for instance, is often made with wheat, and while the ingredient "modified food starch" can mean that it was made with corn, potato or tapioca starch, it can also mean that wheat starch was used or included. Even without specific wheat-derived ingredients, food that was prepared on the same surface as a wheat-derivative can cause a serious reaction to someone with a severe gl uten allergy. Walking down the grocery isles and attempting to put together a single gluten-free meal, much less a weekly grocery list, may seem like an insurmountable challenge. While it is difficult, though, it's by no means impossible. Research and pre-planning are vital steps in first knowing what products are gluten-free and what gluten-free alternatives exist for common foods. Health-food stores and the health-food/organic section of the local supermarket frequently have a dedicated gluten-free section (or at least label known GF foods as such). Sandwich bread, because the GF ingredients do not stay fresh as long, can be difficult to find. While national grocery stores may stock limited types of GF bread for that reason, local independent bakeries are seeing the demand for fresh gluten-free bread. While they may not carry it in stock, many will take orders for a weekly or bi-weekly baking run in which they can produce high-quality gluten free breads. By knowing what pr oducts do and do not contain wheat gluten, and knowing where to get quality alternatives, a visit to the grocery store can be significantly less difficult. The possibility for cross-contamination, however, may be severe enough that it cannot be risked with foods that were prepared in a dedicated gluten-free facility. In that situation, ingenuity and flexibility in ingratiates, combined with a willingness to be your own cook, is a must-have. A bread machine can be used with a number of certified GF pre-made mixes, allowing for fresh sandwich bread. Rice, potato, corn and tapioca flours can be used in place of traditional wheat flour. It's also worth picking up cookbooks of world cuisine, as there are many cultures in which wheat has traditionally not been a significant ingredient due to its low availability. Traditional Latin-American, east-Indian and Asian cuisines are filled with recipes based around corn and rice, the primary grains of the area. Anyone who has adopted a gl uten-free diet, either for medical or other reasons, can attest to its difficulty. As a food allergy, gluten sensitivity is still an uncommon diagnosis, and while the recent trend towards a GF lifestyle for other reasons has brought some much-needed light on the subject, finding quality ingredients and alternatives to common household stocks remains challenging. Through research and pre-planning as well as being flexible in the home menu, however, it's a lifestyle that many have been able to adapt to successfully. Many forums and groups of these individuals exist across the internet and are welcome places to seek advice and assistance. By tapping those forums, as well as engaging local resources such as independent bakers and grocers, the challenge of living gluten-free can be overcome and the impact to ones day-to-day life can be easily minimized.

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