Gluten Free Inquiry

AwkwardSprinkle

I'm on a gluten free diet do to a wheat intolerance as opposed to some who do it for other health issues or as a fad diet, I'm wondering though what I might be missing out from not eating bread, and if gluten free alternatives are really good for you? Am I consuming empty calories by eating gluten free breads, pastas, and other alternatives? Or should I just stay away all together.

I'm attempting to really analyze and pick out the things in my diet that I can eliminate and avoid. Any suggestions?

nancywho

Go to the celiac website, they have a lot of information about gluten free foods. I have a friend who eats nothing with gluten in and she has done a lot of study on what foods do and do not have gluten You would be surprised what foods do have it hidden in them. People with celiac disease can have nothing with gluten in. Gluten free breads do taste different but some recipes are better than others. She used to make some for communion at church and a lot of people couldn't tell the difference.

alaskaang

As far as what you are missing out on, there really isn't anything that you get even from whole wheat that can't be obtained eating other foods. Most minerals that you would find in wheat can be obtained through rice and/or nuts. Vitamin content is really only in most wheat products because they have been fortified after processing, so vegetables and fruit are generally a better source.

Gluten free alternatives can be empty calories just as easily as anything else, though some are better than others. Some tend to be higher in calories than their traditional counterparts. Personally, other than rice crackers and the occassional treats, I prefer just eating things that are naturally gluten free.

mpcanna

Hey there! I have Celiac Disease, so I know how hard it is to find a decent bread, pasta, etc. But they are out there! It's kind of a trial and error process. I wouldn't say that you are eating empty calories unless your bread is loaded with sugar, which could be a possibility. You're best bet is to look at the food labels at the ingredients. My philosophy is the less ingredients, the better! Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of bread or pasta so I don't buy them that often. But I do love tortillas, here's a link to my favorite brand...

http://www.rudisglutenfree.com/fact_sheet/gluten-free-tortillas/

I love them! They kind of act like my bread. As far as picking things out of your diet, you can get basically get anything gluten free at the store nowadays, but you just have to watch the sugar. Because like i said before, gluten free isn't as sweet as normal flour, so they load it with sugar so it will taste the same, watch out for that. All you can do is read the ingredients. So, just eliminate all the extra sugars out of the breads and pastas, try to find one that you like (it has to taste good, otherwise why buy it?) and doesn't have a ton of sugar and yucky stuff in it. Other than that gluten free is pretty healthy for you. I don't buy a ton of store bought things, when I cook I use Pamela's which is supposed to be pretty good for you.

Sorry if this is kind of wordy. I hope that helps!