Category: Blog

Is A Gluten-Free Diet Unhealthy?

There is no doubt that the gluten-free diet is trendy in some circles. And with every trend, there must come a backlash. Experts (and I use the term extremely loosely) opine. Other (loosely-defined) experts counter. And so it goes.

Unless you are celiac, or fall on the celiac spectrum (which includes various types of gluten intolerance), you do not have to be gluten free. As I discussed in a previous piece, many people have a gluten-free diet recommended to them to deal with inflammation issues. The caveats I noted still apply. Continue reading “Is A Gluten-Free Diet Unhealthy?”

Gluten-Free Ingredient Crush: Sweet Potatoes

As I meal plan and cook, I find myself falling in love with certain ingredients (see: everything I’ve ever written about lentils), and using them in lots of creative ways. Gluten-Free Ingredient Crush posts will focus on those ingredients, and how they can amp up your gluten-free meals.

Recently, I wrote about sweet potatoes, and my love of this veggie has only increased. As a child, my only encounters with sweet potatoes came at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Then, as part of a huge meal featuring more side dishes than I can comprehend to this day, the sweet potatoes were cooked in butter, covered with brown sugar, and, honestly, were left off the dessert table more from tradition than anything. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Ingredient Crush: Sweet Potatoes”

Reducing Inflammation

The one thing I didn’t realize before gluten and I broke up forever was how swollen my body was, just from gluten. You will often find people who lose several pounds right after eliminating gluten from their diets — this is mostly due to the water they’ve been retaining, and, frankly, should be a clue to many of us about what impact gluten-containing ingredients have on our diets (see Tip of the Week below). Continue reading “Reducing Inflammation”

Gluten Free Doesn’t Have to be More Expensive

Last week, I clicked on an article talking about how much money being gluten free costs a person. My eyes widened, my head hurt, and I sighed out loud. Since I was in my office, sighing was better than screaming. Because articles like this miss the point.

Okay, truth. Yes, if you buy gluten-free processed foods, you will pay a premium. No question. No argument. Depending on your source of data, you will pay a decent double- or triple-digit percentage more for a gluten-free version of a food than the non-gluten-free version. So, yeah, that makes your GF diet expensive. Continue reading “Gluten Free Doesn’t Have to be More Expensive”

There Is No “Easy” in Gluten-Free Baking

Every day, my inbox and Twitter feeds are filled with delicious-looking gluten-free baked goods. While I remain in awe of those who have the time and energy to create these wonderful foods, I also remind myself of this: making these foods is not easy. It’s not foolproof. And, unless you bake a lot, it’s not all that cheap.

Wheat-based breads, cakes, cookies, and more rely upon gluten for elasticity in the dough. Baked goods rise. Gluten is protein that is sticky, elastic, and strong. Unfortunately, gluten-free alternatives require a lot of additional effort to mimic — but never quite achieve — those qualities. Continue reading “There Is No “Easy” in Gluten-Free Baking”

Are Oats Gluten Free?

Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer: Yes, however….

Farmers practice something call “crop rotation”. This is just another way of saying that fields are planted with different crops at different times. This is good because it helps add different nutrients to the soil while reducing the chance of bacteria, bugs, weeds, or other problems associated with a single crop to take hold. Variety is good for soil and crops. Continue reading “Are Oats Gluten Free?”