We’re a couple weeks into a 90-day gluten free and very limited added sugar protocol.  We’ve been working on our gut health and this is what was recommended for both of us based on lab work.  Our functional medicine practitioner/RN shared that we don’t want to cheat, even one instance of gluten sets us back to square one, so it’s critical that we know what’s in the food we’re eating.  I’ve never intentionally eaten a gluten free diet so wasn’t sure how difficult it’d be.  With the exception of jumping into this over the holidays, it’s honestly been a breeze.  The no added sugar part is much more difficult.  We can have fruit but no other sugar other than in really small amounts to sweeten recipes (a tablespoon here or there for oatmeal, vinaigrettes, sauces, etc.)

This isn’t a post touting a gluten free diet.  However, if you find yourself on one, hopefully this will provide you with meal ideas!  When you’re eliminating certain food or restricting your diet in any way, sometimes you just need inspiration for new menu ideas!

When going gluten free, you must avoid anything with wheat or wheat flour, including:

• All bread products (unless it’s gluten free, obviously, but we’re just avoiding altogether)
• Pastas
• Crackers and manufactured snacks
• Soy sauce (often contains wheat)
• Any condiments that contain wheat (hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, etc.) [you may think most Asian food is still ok, but these are the things you have to watch out for]

Alternative options that are ok to eat include:

• Rice and rice noodles
• All potatoes
• Tortillas and tortilla chips
• Tamari (gluten free version of soy sauce)
• Oatmeal
• Potato Chips
• Popcorn

Things we’ve been making:

• Thai Steak Salad
• Pot Roast with potatoes and carrots
• Whole Roasted Chicken
• Bunless Burgers & Fries
• Egg Bites
• Oatmeal with cinnamon, maple syrup, and freeze-dried apples
• Chicken Tinga Tostadas
• Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
• Chicken Fajitas with rice & beans
• Zuppa Toscano
• Korean BBQ Chicken Bowls

If you go out to eat, you want to be careful.  It’s important that you know what you’re eating and that’s hard when someone else is making the food for you!  Places / food types that can be safe:

• Chipotle – basically everything is gluten free except the flour tortillas
• Pho – just be careful of hoisin with gluten; make sure to request gluten free
• Thai – again, ask your server for gluten free menu options
• Mexican – since corn is safe, most options are fine, but again worth letting your server know you’re gluten free
• Unlimited options at many restaurants such as salads, soups, bunless burgers, etc.