Monthly Blog From Erika Doolan: Gluten Free Restaurant & Takeaway!

Hidden Food Sources:

Baking powder – Beer – Bread – Brown rice syrup – Caramel Colour – Cereal – Dairy products: modified starch in yoghurts, cottage cheese, chocolate – Miso: barley

Modified Food Starch – Vinegar: except wine vinegars, brown rice vinegars and apple cider vinegar.

Yeast – Soya Sauce

Go through your cupboard and discard any old whole grain flours as they can spoil easily. Store your wholegrain flours in the refrigerator or freezer if you will not be using them right away. Brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, teff flour, millet flour, quinoa flour, amaranth flour, sorghum flour and tapiaoca flour are naturally gluten free. Be sure to look for a gluten free symbol on the label as some flours may be processed in the same facility as gluten containing flours and therefore can cause cross contaminated.

But what health benefits are linked to eating a gluten-free diet? Is a gluten-free diet easy to stick to? And can you still eat out and order in if you’re adhering to a gluten-free eating plan?

Recent research has found that people living in developed countries are much more likely to develop allergies than those living in less developed regions. These findings have been linked to diet – and, in particular, the over-consumption of processed, gluten-rich foods in the West.

The vast majority of foods containing gluten are processed, quick-fix foods, such as cakes, breads, pizzas and biscuits. In terms of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, such foods provide our bodies with very little, yet they are commonly calorie dense and high in saturated fats, salt, and sugar.

Going gluten-free means eliminating all foods that contain gluten from your diet. Initially, this may strike you as tricky: no more wheat-based breakfast cereals; no more sandwiches; no more cakes, scones, or biscuits!

Sometimes, when we go out to eat, we push our eating plans to the backs of our minds and over-indulge in foods we know are bad. We do this for lots of reasons: perhaps we don’t want to seem difficult or picky in front of our friends and members of staff; maybe we believe eating out should be pleasurable and decadent; sometimes we get tempted by items on the menu and often we feel that we’ve been good all week and deserve a reward.

In fact, when we put good nutrition first, we feel better than when we over-indulge. Unlike bingeing on junk, eating sensible quantities of nourishing foods leaves us guiltless, glowing, and satisfied.

Dining out whilst adhering to a gluten-free eating plan needn’t be awkward. Most Thai and Vietnamese food, is naturally  gluten-free, delicious, and healthy too.

Thailand represents food paradise for coeliacs. The traditional Thai diet, which mostly consists of rice-based dishes and features very few processed ingredients, won’t leave you bloated, gassy or uncomfortable. In fact, many of the ingredients present in Thai cooking will actually help counter the effects of a gluten binge, leaving you feeling great.

Pop into SABA Restaurant or SABA To Go and try out our delicious Gluten Free menu choices!

Coeliac disease is a huge problem in Ireland effecting more than 1 in 100 people. For more information on gluten free food, a gluten free lifestyle and financial support in Ireland check out www.coeliac.ie

Erika Doolan – Nutrition Ireland