Gluten-free foods are something that everybody around all over the world are on a hunt for. If you ask us why are people on such a lookout, well, healthy life is the answer. Following a gluten-free diet is helps improve your cholesterol levels in a right way, it improves your digestion, even your energy levels see a significant rise, and most importantly it keeps you away from all sorts of unhealthy foods like processed foods, breads, fried foods etc. However what one fails to understand that eliminating gluten (which is a protein) form your diets will actually rid you off certain essential nutrients as well. Therefore, one needs to find substitutes for all the lost nutrients. A gluten-free diet can apparently affect the overall nutrition intake of your body.
Okay, all this being said, we want to throw some light on foods which are gluten-free and those which appear like they are gluten-free. Confused? Even we were while trying to figure out answers to our gluten-free queries. Now, that we have our doubts clarified. We’d only love to pass on the gyaan to you all.
What Is Gluten-free Anyway?
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What we want you to know is that if a product at the supermarket reads “gluten-free” it cannot be believed so because there is absolutely no way a product can be 100% gluten-free. There will be a small percentage of gluten in it. The reason we cannot trust the label “gluten-free” that easily is because there is no government regulation or any kind of government body for enforcing this. However, in the year 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did lay down certain regulations which would define the term “gluten-free.” And this was solely for the food manufacturers only, who were allowed to term their products as gluten-free if and only if their products consists of gluten which is lesser than 20 parts per million (ppm) (1).
As consumers, we often turn ourselves into paranoids as we cannot really understand such facts unless and until they are laid down in front of us and explained to us. In the josh of finding gluten-free foods we end up avoiding a lot of healthy foods such as rice and potatoes and even oats. FYI! They are all gluten-free. And we end up not noticing facts like the beer we love, the dietary supplement we swear upon, they might contain gluten in them. This is what we mean when we’re saying that there are foods with gluten which is hiding in plain sight and we just cannot distinguish between or notice.
To make things easier here’s a list of foods which surprisingly contain gluten in them (2). And we were sweet enough to even find you a replacement for all of them so that you don’t panic right away. Let’s read together now.
1. Granola Bars
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Yes, we know that it’s made of oats and have “healthy food” written all over it. But, the truth is that not all granolas are made of just oats. Some have a tiny quantity of wheat gluten mixed in them. Therefore, read the ingredients label before you buy one.
Replacement: Just have a bowl of oats or a pumpkin pie oatmeal which is honestly very yummier.
2. Spelt Bread
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Isn’t this considered to be an ancient grain which is so healthy that it helps to keep our bones strong and improves blood circulation too? So, it has to be gluten-free, right? Wrong! It’s not gluten-free.
Replacement: Don’t worry there are other ancient grains which make gluten-free flours like almond flour, teff, and even coconut flour.
3. Protein Bars
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“Wait, what?” — if this is running in your mind, well, yes, sadly protein bars do contain gluten. They are used to give it that right consistency.
Replacement: The best way to indulge in protein bars in to make them at the comfort of your homes. Use almond butter with banana and make one. We tried it and it was yumm!
4. Vodka And Beer
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Okay, you must’ve had an idea about beer (hello barley!) But we bet you didn’t know about vodka. Technically vodka is made from gluten-containing grains.
Replacement: Don’t worry there are beer and vodka manufacturers who are trying to make brews with gluten-free alternatives like grapes, potatoes, and corn. And yes, gluten-free alcohol is becoming a thing now.
5. Couscous
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Yes, it makes for a really good healthy dish. But is it gluten-free? No! This ancient-looking staple grain is actually made from coarse grains which contain gluten in it. Therefore, it’s a complete no-no for those who suffer from gluten intolerance.
Replacement: You have plenty of option — black rice, brown rice etc.
So, what else can we do to save ourselves from all the gluten that is hiding in plain sight? Well, let’s just stop eating all the nutritionally bankrupt which are packaged into deceiving containers and sold to us. Let’s find places where we can source real natural food from real people (we mean the farmers). Let’s buy from them and cook it up ourselves. This will help improve your family’s as well as your health. Will you do it? Let us know in the comments below.
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