Doing without gluten in your diet might seem difficult at first if you were tested IgG positive for gluten.
However, there are many healthy and delicious foods that are naturally gluten-free! These foods include fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, milk and dairy products as well as beans, legumes and nuts.
Naturally gluten-free foods
All of the following foods are naturally gluten-free: corn, rice, wild rice, millet, brown millet, teff, buckwheat, amaranth, quinoa, soy, sesame, flaxseed, hemp, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, nuts, milk, eggs, meat, fish, poultry, legumes, fats, oils, etc.
Plus, a whole variety of gluten-free flours is offered for baking and cooking nowadays.
Many of these grains can even be found in your local grocery store, some of the lesser-known ones can only be found in specialty or health stores. Common gluten-free flours include almond flour, amaranth seeds flour, buckwheat flour, rice flour, quinoa flour, corn / maize flour or millet. Gluten-free flours can be used for baking, but keep in mind the following: Increase the amount of liquids you use and immediately process pasta or cookie dough to prevent it from drying out.
Gluten-free alternatives
Pasta, semolina, bulgur, couscous, etc. do contain gluten. But if recipes or dishes ask for any of those ingredients, they can be replaced by other foods. Here are some suggestions:
- Pasta: It can be replaced by rice, buckwheat, millet or corn noodles.
- Bulgur: It can be replaced by rice as well.
- Couscous: Quinoa is a good substitute.
- Bread: There are many gluten-free breads nowadays – or bake your own.
- Granola: Make your own gluten-free granola mix.
- Beer: Many places now offer gluten-free beer.
Note:
When eating the “wrong food” the immune system produces specific IgG antibodies which can lead to inflammatory processes. The symptoms appear on a delayed basis, up to three days after the consumption of a trigger food, making it virtually impossible to identify a trigger food without testing.
