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Do
you know the difference between a gluten allergy & a
gluten intolerance? This is an important question to ask as
these two challenges affect our health in two completely different
ways.
First
& foremost ~ with The Natural Foodstore at your doorstep, gluten
free foods are now in plentiful supply, made with good health in
mind. Your eating will change without too much difficulty but your
health will change dramatically for the better.
what
symptoms are we looking for:
tummy
bloating, constipation or diarrhoea, nausea, skin rashes,
difficulty in breathing, lethargy
or tiredness, general unwellness or irritability
to name a few. And remember, these symptoms may occur up to 48 hours after you have eaten
the food that may be affecting you. If you have any of
these symptoms, something is not working well for your health. You
have now recognised there is a problem & it is timely to
find out what the problem is & how you can deal with
it.
coeliac
disease: pronounced
seel-ee-ak
is a
medical condition & is a permanent intestinal allergic response
to dietary gluten. In untreated coeliac disease the lining of the
small bowel (intestine) is damaged. This causes a flattening of the
tiny, finger-like projections, called villi, which line the inside
of the bowel. The function of the cells on normal villi is to break
down & absorb nutrients in food. In untreated coeliac disease,
the lining of the intestine becomes inflamed & leads to
deficiencies in vitamins, minerals & sometimes calcium,
proteins, carbohydrates & fats.
determining
if it's an allergy:
the best way
to determine if you have a gluten allergy, is to have an endoscopy
with your doctor. Please make an appointment to visit them as soon
as possible to start your pathway to wellness. Coeliac disease is
dealt with through your diet. Please feel free to come to The
Natural Foodstore to use our resources as we can help & support
you.
If you do not
have an allergy, you may be gluten intolerant. Your symptoms may be
similar but your challenge is not as severe or life threatening as
Coeliac Disease. You have simply eaten too much processed wheat
products & a diet change is all you need to do. The Natural
Foodstore is the best place to learn about what changes you can make
& the difference you will feel after a few weeks is nothing
short of amazing!
meal
planning:
is
your best way forward with intolerances & allergies. The Natural
Foodstore has a wonderful array of books, information, foods &
of course knowledgeable, friendly staff to assist you.
The
importance of meal planning is simply being prepared. This isn’t any
different to doing your usual weekly shopping apart from knowing
what you need to buy. Have a shopping list, take it to the
supermarket with you (yes that is important!), & buy what’s on
the list. If you do not generally shop this way, it may be a
challenge initially but don’t worry … you will find it so much
easier once you have adopted the pattern. We live in a world of
habits & it is always possible to change those habits when we
want to enough.
where
is the creativity?
Sticking
to a shopping list may be a tad boring sometimes but do your binge
buying & be creative with fresh fruit & veg! This can be a
really fun part of shopping because we buy what looks magnificent,
what is good value, in season, on sale, good seconds & what we
feel like buying right there … right then! And many of us know that
is a fun way to shop. If the kids are with you, get them to choose
the fruit & veg & yes, they do need to eat it but when they
choose, you have so much more chance of getting them to eat these
beautiful fresh foods.
gluten
free meal planning:
The
wonderful thing about being prepared for a gluten free diet is you
have all of the foods you need to make a glorious meal or a quick
snack … just the way it should be.
Things
you need in the cupboard are:
- White
rice flour
- Brown
rice flour
- Rice
flour blend – ensure this is a good blend – see below
- Potato
starch
- Tapioca
flour
- Pure
maize cornflour
- Quinoa
or amaranth flour
- Gluten
free pasta
- Gluten
free pizza bases
- Gluten
free Baking powder
- Gluten
free stock powder
- Gluten
free fish & soy sauce (tamari is a good gluten free option for
soy sauce)
These
ingredients will form the basis of your gluten free cooking. There
are a lot of recipes & books to pull information from – The
Natural Foodstore has a great array of books & information like
gluten free flour guides to help you on your way or to give you more
options.
New
additions to our library are “more gluten free” and easy by Robyn
Russell
This
is the second book in this range & the recipes & information
are invaluable. Robyn gives a great recipe for a good gluten free
flour plus a multitude of great recipes. One of our favourites
is:
Pantry
Apple Pudding
Ingredients:
- 800
gr bakers’ apples (tinned or cook your own)
- 1
teaspoon mixed spice
- 100
gr softened butter
- 100
gr soft brown sugar
- 2
eggs
- 95
gr rice flour blend
- 25
gr ground hazelnuts
- 2
teaspoons gluten free baking powder
- ½
teaspoon xanthum gum
- 1
tablespoon plain Greek-style yoghurt
- ½
teaspoon vanilla extract
Method:
- Place
cooked apples & mixed spice into the prepared dish & toss
lightly to mix.
- In
a mixing bowl using electric beaters, beat the butter & sugar
until creamy, then add the eggs one at a time beating well after
each addition.
- Beat
in the rice flour, ground hazelnuts. baking powder & xanthum
gum until fully combined.
- Add
the yoghurt & vanilla, beating only until incorporated.
- Spread
the batter over the apples, smooth the top & bake for5 30-35
minutes or until evenly browned & the cake is cooked
through.
- Serve
warm with cream or vanilla bean ice cream.
Serves
6.
Another
wonderfully easy & interesting Gluten Free book is:
Healing
Foods, Cooking for Celiacs, Colitis, Crohn's & IBS by Sandra
Ramacher - grain free, gluten free & sugar free
$34.95
For
more beautiful & simple gluten free ideas visit us in
store.
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