Once again I have to start off this post by apologising for not writing for a while - summer travels distracted me from my blog, but (un)luckily the sun and warmth are no longer around to tempt me away from my computer...
As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been following a gluten-free diet now for quite a while, as I have heard from multiple sources that it can help with rheumatoid arthritis, and just generally make you feel better. In this post, I thought that I'd cover some of the foods I've been eating and what I think of them!
Cereals
There really isn't a great selection of gluten-free cereals out there, and many of those that I have found are very bland and tasteless. I did, however, go to Whole Foods Market in Piccadilly Circus (http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/piccadilly) and found Rude Health Puffed Oats with Honey, which were surprisingly delicious. Despite the fairly meagre selection available, starting my day gluten-free really makes me feel a lot less full and bloated than I used to after a bowl of cereal, which is definitely a plus.
There is a fantastic and ever-growing range of gluten and wheat free pasta available - just look in the free-from section in your local supermarket. I tell you that once you try a bowl of gluten-free pasta you will feel so much lighter than you normally would after a carb-filled meal. There is no difference in taste to normal pasta, but a massive difference in how I feel within myself, and I really think that I had an intolerance to wheat or gluten because my stomach and digestive system feel a lot happier now!
My favourite pasta is Rizopia brown rice pasta, which is gluten, egg, dairy and wheat free, and still manages to taste good. It's very light and easy to digest, and overall an absolute winner.
Rice & Grains
Rice and grains such as oats, millet and quinoa are gluten-free and a great source of fibre and vitamins. Obviously, being a health blogger, I'm talking about brown rice here - it contains B vitamins, vitamin K and is low in fat, so it's a great thing to incorporate into a gluten-free diet. Quinoa is also one of my favourite grains, and I'll sometimes have it instead of rice, or mixed into a salad.
I have tried a huge array of gluten and wheat-free breads, with varying degrees of success. Paleo bread, which I tried in California, was absolutely disgusting. It was wheat, dairy, gluten, grain and taste-free, and was horrifically crumbly and clawing when you ate it. Along with that, even when it was toasted it has slightly damp and moist texture which was simply a little disturbing.
Soya bread is rather good - it tastes very wholesome, but again can be slightly clawing in the mouth unless you put some sort of spread on top of it, then it's absolutely fine.
In general I now eat the brown gluten and wheat free sliced bread you can find in your supermarket's free-from section. It tastes pretty much like normal bread, but falls apart rather easily so I try and eat it fairly quickly, or toast it when I eat it. There are so many different types of gluten-free breads, and it all comes down to personal taste, so go and explore your supermarkets and local health stores and find one that suits your tastebuds!
Baking gluten-free can be a bit tricky, but I now use rice flour instead of regular flour, which is fantastic and better for you. There are also a huge number of websites which are dedicated to gluten-free recipes, and which will help you to enjoy any type of food you want, and still stay gluten-free!
So that's just a quick guide to going gluten-free, and some of the options out there to help you feel like you're not missing out on anything! I hope it's been helpful and I'll be back soon!
Nati xXx
