Category: Gluten-Free Living

Gluten-Free Travel: Barcelona

Be warned: Barcelona is a city designed for the hungry crowd. Restaurants and bars and cafes abound, and mealtime seems to stretch out all day — at one point, my husband noted there isn’t a fixed concept of breakfast, lunch, or dinner (though, if you’re looking for a full meal in the evening, note that many restaurants won’t even offer up a menu before 8 p.m., if not later!).

(See this post for a listing of restaurants where I found gluten-free options, plus a few I had on my list but didn’t actually eat at. And, if you’re visiting Sitges, a beach community about 30 minutes away by train, here’s a list of gluten-free restaurants for that city as well.) Continue reading “Gluten-Free Travel: Barcelona”

Eating Gluten Free in Sitges, Spain

Sitges is a beachside community about 30 minutes south of Barcelona via train. It is simply lovely, and we started our vacation there with a mind toward unwinding before tackling a bustling city. That was absolutely the right call, and many times during our week in Barcelona, we wondered why we hadn’t made the call to remain in Sitges and take the train back and forth…we will definitely go back! Continue reading “Eating Gluten Free in Sitges, Spain”

Is a Gluten-Free Diet Bad for You?

Lately, I’ve been seeing articles and headlines that suggest a gluten-free diet is unhealthy or even harmful. Digging into those articles reveals facts the link bait headlines don’t: essentially that a gluten-free diet is no more healthy or unhealthy than any other diet.

As we all know, being gluten free — and I do not believe one can be anything less than 100% gluten free — means avoiding all forms of wheat, barley, and rye. This means the whole grains, grains mixed into other products, flours, thickeners, whatever form these grains take. If you are gluten free, particularly for health reasons, none of these grains, in any form, should ever be ingested. Continue reading “Is a Gluten-Free Diet Bad for You?”

Gluten-Free Labels on Naturally Gluten-Free Foods

You’ve heard the jokes about gluten-free food labeling. You’ve made the jokes! “Why does it say gluten free? It’s a corn tortilla! Of course, it’s gluten free.”

In theory, this is true. The very short list of ingredients in a traditional corn tortilla do not include items that include gluten. Masa, water, salt. Simple.

Yet I make it a point to buy corn tortillas with gluten-free labels. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Labels on Naturally Gluten-Free Foods”

Those Weird Cravings Blues

I was minding my own business, driving and listening to the radio. Along came a story that was ostensibly about one thing, but focused on another. Specifically, Cubanos, the amazing Cuban sandwich made from ham, cheese, pickled, and crispy pressed bread.

At the end of the piece, all I wanted was this delicious sandwich. Weird because I’m not that crazy about ham. Moments later, another food-related story caught my attention. This time, loving attention was paid to bagels. Cue cravings. Then I saw a billboard for a Big Mac…

I haven’t eaten a Big Mac in, oh, twenty years. I’ve never really thought they tasted that good. Suddenly, it looked delicious to me. Continue reading “Those Weird Cravings Blues”

More on Recipe Management

Last week, I discussed Plan to Eat, a website I am using for recipe management, meal planning, and a shopping guide. This week, I wanted to explore a few other options that friends on Twitter use to manage their food lives.

Ultimately, the system you use depends on your own lifestyle. I collect recipes and cook a lot, so having a system that manages both the aggregation of recipes and meal planning is essential. Another key feature for me is the ability to get pretty granular with cuisines and key ingredients. Continue reading “More on Recipe Management”