Living with gluten intolerance can induce a fair bit of FOMO. While everyone else can freely enjoy their cake, bread, pizza and beer, you’d have to trade off ‘enjoyable food’ for ‘digestive issues and other uncomfortable symptoms’. And that’s just not fun. But you can still enjoy your food without feeling like all the tastiest snacks are now off-limits. It’s just a matter of looking elsewhere.
Here are a few options for those of you who are having to navigate your diets while avoiding gluten freshly. The best part? They’re not tasteless cardboard replacements – each substitute is tasty and nutritious.
Almond Cake
It’s true; cake isn’t a complete no-go zone. A classic almond cake can satisfy your sweet tooth without any gluten ruining your fun. Almond cake uses ground up almonds as it’s base as opposed to regular flour. The rest is pretty standard baking. This results in a marzipan-like flavour that enhanced further with your favourite icing on top!
Lettuce Sandwiches
A little less exciting than our previous recommendation, but let me explain. Gluten-free bread is pretty expensive, so a replacement makes sense, especially for those on a budget. Consider replacing the bread altogether, with lettuce leaves. Not only is it gluten-free, but the leaves are also far more nutritionally dense and stock less than half the calories. It’s a win-win.
Rice-Flour Pasta
Think pasta is off the menu? Think again. You can enjoy Italian food again with this clever alternative. Check out your local grocery store, and you’ll notice a variety of different rice-pasta options. Failing that you can easily make your own rice-flour pasta. Go ahead and explore this delicious option, that opens a bunch of dietary opportunities for you.
Cauliflower Pizza Dough
Pizza can be brought back into your life with the use of a cauliflower, almond and egg base. This option is probably better suited to the adventurous chef, but don’t let that stop you. While it takes a bit more preparation than a regular pizza, it’s very similar in flavour. Which will be a pleasant change for those who haven’t been able to enjoy pizza without adverse reactions.
You don’t have to avoid all your favourite foods when living with gluten intolerance, just gluten itself. We now have more alternatives and substitutes than ever, available at regular supermarkets. Give a few of these a try (especially the Almond Cake!), and you might be surprised at how well they turn out. Gluten intolerance is only an issue for those unwilling to explore the alternatives.
