She, like most, associated GF with other "diets", such as the Atkins Diet, or Ideal Protein (which is just a repackaged version of Atkins) which eliminates all carbs. Going gluten free means eliminating wheat, wheat cousins like barley and rye and most oats, not ALL carbs. Rice, potatoes, corn and grasses do not contain gluten. Great news for us southern girls, who wouldn't survive without some gumbo or red beans over rice every now and then.
What the heck is gluten anyway? http://www.mnn.com/food/healthy-eating/stories/what-is-gluten Check out this article, cause I couldn't have said it better myself.
Another misconception was that she would have to shop at only specialty health food stores for gluten free groceries. It's getting easier and more affordable to find GF foods in your regular grocery. However the point is not to substitute all the junk food, but to get rid of it. Gluten free brownies, cookies and cakes are great for birthday parties, but they are still brownies, cookies and cakes, full of sugar and fat. Aim for naturally gluten free foods like veggies, Lots of Veggies!, fruit, rice, beans to make up the majority of your diet. Then substitute as needed, there are a few staples even I can't go without.
I will admit that the first few trips to the grocery store will take at least twice the time of your normal grocery isle dash, you will have the urge to search every isle for gluten free items, and check every label of your typical purchases, praying that you don't see the word "flour" anywhere in the 85 ingredients listed on the back of the box. And when you find an item that is "Gluten Free", you will put it in your buggy, regardless of what it is, if you've ever eaten it before, if your kids will eat it or if you can even pronounce it. You will also notice that your final checkout total is higher than normal because you have purchased all 47 GF items in the store in an attempt to "replace" the 2 loaves of bread, 1 box of cereal, 2 bags of potato chips and 1 box of cookies that are typically first on the conveyor belt. And I know all of this from experience. Umm, except for the cookies and chips part, of course ;)
The good news is after a few trips like that, you wise up and just avoid most of the packaged stuff and basically all of the center isles in your grocery store. Which IS THE POINT! All nutrition "lifestyles", vegan, paleo, clean eating, organic, GF, casein/dairy free. etc. have two things in common, eating mostly plant based foods and cutting out the processed, artificially flavored, red dye number 5, petroleum byproduct, test tube, hormone injected, toxic space food!
Nowadays, a typical grocery trip for me goes something like this... Starting in the produce section, I fill the buggy about 1/2 full of fruits, veggies & hummus. Then I bypass the bakery. I used to actually put my hands around my eyes like blinders as I went through, but now I just walk, VERY briskly with my eyes on the deli section. A quick stop at the deli for Liam's GF Ole Farmers ham, then a sharp left into the chip isle for a few bags of Mission Tortilla chips. An immediate U-turn takes me to the hormone free chicken breasts and ground turkey, shrimp, fish and Liam's GF Jenny-O hot dogs. A little further down I dip into another isle to grab a few bags of whole grain rice, quinoa and dried beans, make a loop to the next isle for vinegar, olive oil and organic canned tomatoes and black beans. Another loop gets me to the Heartland GF Rice pasta. The rest of the isles get ignored as I head to the dairy section. Sometimes, I peak into the cooler for vegetarian meals and grab veggie burger patties, and Van's GF waffles (This busy mom needs a few convenience foods too). In the final stretch of dairy products I grab 3 1/2 gallons of Silk almond milk, 2 original and 1 dark chocolate, and a few packs of Go Veggie! Cheese. In and out in 20 minutes or less, with a buggy full of groceries that didn't cost me a fortune.
Which leads me to the final stigma that goes along with any healthy lifestyle choice. *Whiny voice*, "But eating healthy is soooooo expensive". UGGGHHH! If I had a nickle for every time I heard that..... Sure, if your trying to "replace" you're normal boxed and bagged snack foods with the GF, or organic, or dairy free version you can expect to see a higher grocery bill. BUT, as you eliminate those boxed and bagged items, you will see your bill start to decrease. Why???? Because, per pound, fruits, veggies, beans and rice are the least expensive things in any grocery store. The meat, dairy & packaged goods are what drives the cost (and the scale) up.
After just a few days of eliminating gluten, thus eliminating the majority or processed, packaged foods, my client reports more energy that she's had in 15 years. And for the first time, we are looking forward to the next weigh in. Gluten free may or may not be right for you, but I would encourage everyone to go a few weeks without it and see how you feel, it may be just what you need. And don't worry, after you get used to this new way of eating, you can treat yourself every now and then with that hot piece of french bread with your gumbo or a slice of little Suzie's birthday cake. It's not about punishing yourself, but giving your body what it needs for a healthy, happy, productive lifestyle.
Because I live in a relatively small town in South Louisiana, gluten free convenience food options are limited. Larger cities will most likely have a much better selection in major chain grocery stores as well as more specialty stores. Here's a list of some GF foods available at our local grocery. Some of these I've also highlighted above.
Fruits, veggies, rice, beans, seeds and nuts are all naturally gluten free, so eat up!
Bob's Red Mills GF Flour, Oatmeal & mixes (Walmart & Berry Town produce carry it, but I often find them at Big Lots, of all places, for less. Some of their products are not GF so read the package carefully)
King Arthur GF Baking Flour
Bisquick GF Pancake & Waffle mix
Van's Toaster Waffles
Kellogs GF Rice Crispy Cereal & Chex Cereal
Glutino Breakfast Bars, Pretzels, Crackers, etc.
Heartland GF Pasta (There are other brands but this is by far our favorite, it's most like typical pasta. My kids like it better than the whole grain we used to buy, before I knew better)
Annie's GF Macaroni & Cheese
Rudi's GF Sandwich Bread & Tortilla Wraps (A little hard to find, but the country white will fool most people, it's much more like typical sandwich bread than other brands. Try Berry Town Produce & Whole Health Market in Ponchatoula)
Ole Farmers Deli Ham (Only at Walmart at the Deli Counter)
Jenny O Deli Turkey (at the Deli Counter) & Hot Dogs
Mission Tortilla Chips (most tortilla chips are GF, but watch for the flavored versions, the seasoning usually is flour based)
Keep these stocked...
Use these sparingly...
Here's a link back to earlier posts when I first began my GF diet. And a few recipes. http://fitfunctionalmom.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2013-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=3
