Gluten-free cooking is only as complicated as you choose to make it! How about
fresh, grilled chicken with basmati rice, onion and peppers, served with a crisp salad?
How about fresh carrot and coriander soup served with gluten-free quick bread? How
about gluten-free peanut butter cookies? Even if y ou are a complete novice in the
kitchen, all of the above are great way s to begin honing y our skills and eat well as y ou
learn!
There are essentially three ways to approach gluten-free eating ...
One – cook from scratch using naturally gluten-free foods as much as possible.
Two – cook y our favorite foods at home using gluten-free substitutes in y our
regular recipes (and perhaps gluten-free pre-prepared foodstuffs occasionally to
speed up the process).
Three – avoid cooking and eat gluten-free ready meals, frozen dinners, and
processed foods such as canned soups instead.
The choice of approach is ultimately yours but many people find that the
transition to gluten-free eating often leads them to the kitchen as they begin to realize
that the only way to know for sure what they ’re eating is to prepare meals for
themselves using fresh and trusted store cupboard ingredients.
It’s a common my th that it’s expensive to cook meals from scratch and even
more so to cook using gluten-free ingredients. The truth is that while you may incur
some extra expenses through the need to restock your pantry and replace some
kitchen utensils, all of those expenses will quickly be recouped as soon as you get into
the swing of preparing quick and easy gluten-free meals at home.
Foods that are
naturally gluten-free are generally not expensive but when gluten-free substitutes are
used in foods that normally contain gluten, costs can rise by comparison. This means
in terms of affordability and also in gaining the maximum health or weight-loss
benefits, a diet centered on naturally gluten-free foods is the way to go.
For example, fresh meat and fish are often on offer at supermarkets and this provides the
opportunity to stock up by buy ing extra and freezing what y ou don’t need for another
day. Fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive in local grocery stores but with a
little leg work or internet research you may be able to find much cheaper sources in
your area in the form of fresh produce markets.
Depending on where you live, local
farm shops are often a valuable source of fresh produce at a fraction of supermarket
prices, provided you get used to the idea that fruits and vegetables come in all shapes
and sizes, not just the uniform shapes you find on display on supermarket shelves!
