Gluten-Free Living: Cooking Tips (2024)

FAQs

What is surprisingly not gluten-free? ›

gluten free.

1) Read the ingredient label. Avoid all products with wheat, rye, barley, malt, or triticale in the ingredient label. Even if a packaged food product is labeled "gluten-free," you should check for these ingredients as mistakes in labeling can happen. The only exception for this is wheat starch.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

In general, avoid the following foods if you have celiac disease: Cereals, breads, or other grain products that include wheat, rye, barley, or oats. This includes white or whole-wheat flour (including cookies, crackers, cakes, and most other baked goods), semolina, couscous, bread crumbs, most pastas, and malt.

Eliminating gluten is the only way to treat celiac disease, an allergic reaction to gluten that damages the lining of the small intestine. However, as part of a new diet fad, many people are going gluten-free to lose weight.

A gluten-free diet is based on the products which have a high glycemic index and are devoid of dietary fiber. These foods contain many simple carbohydrates and fats. These factors can give rise to nutritional deficiencies, constipation, and the development of the metabolic syndrome [82].

Surprisingly, a gluten-free diet is similar to a traditionally healthy diet—few fancy foods are required. "Fill up your plate with naturally wholesome gluten-free foods, such as vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, seeds, fish and lean meat," says Begun.

Gluten-containing ingredients to avoid: malt, malt flavor, malt extract, malt vinegar, brewer's yeast, and ingredients with the words “wheat,” “barley,” or “rye” in the name or in parentheses after the name. Examples of ingredients to avoid: dextrin (wheat), wheat starch, malt extract (barley).

What is the closest gluten free flour to all-purpose flour? ›

In contrast to tapioca flour, which is made from a starchy liquid extracted from the cassava root, cassava flour is made by grating and drying the whole root. This flour is gluten-, grain- and nut-free. It's most similar to white flour and can easily be used in recipes calling for all-purpose flour.

Add extra liquid: Gluten-free flours tend to absorb more liquid than regular flour, so you may need to add more liquid to your recipes to compensate. This can help to keep your baked goods moist and prevent them from becoming dry and crumbly.

Texture and Rise: Gluten-free baking often requires a bit of finesse to achieve the desired rise and texture. Baking soda's reaction with an acid can help achieve that necessary lift, while baking powder provides an extra boost when the batter or dough is exposed to heat.

Foods with gluten include many grains and most breads, pastas, and baked goods. Numerous condiments and processed foods harbor gluten as well. It's best to focus on the many delicious, healthy foods that you can eat. These include veggies, fruits, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, and seeds, as well as gluten-free grains.

The strongest indicator is the presence of cellulose gum on the ingredient list. As mentioned, cellulose gum is used as a thickener instead of gluten. This means you can be sure that the toothpaste is not using a gluten-based thickener, although it might not protect you from gluten in sorbitol or flavorings.

Some products like mustard and marmite usually contain gluten or in ketchup, wheat- derived vinegar may be used. Plain meat is naturally GF. However, deli meats often contain binders or flavourings which may contain gluten. Some veggie burgers and sausages contain seitan, a wheat-derived ingredient.