Frugal Foodie: Starting a Gluten Free Diet

After a few months of research, I’ve decided to start my family on a gluten free – casein free diet. Gluten is a protein found in certain grains such as wheat, rye and barley, while casein is the protein found in milk products. Both of these proteins can cause severe allergic reactions in people who have sensitivities to these foods and there are recent studies which seem to indicate gluten and casein can exacerbate certain conditions such as asthma, ADHD and autism.

Both my youngest son and husband suffer from asthma. In addition, we suspect that my daughter and youngest son have a condition known as Sensory Processing Disorder. Similar to autism, SPD is a little known and little understood neurological disorder in which the brain doesn’t process sensory input correctly. SPD is a hidden disability in that you would never look at either of my children and think they have anything wrong. Prior to identifying this condition, however, SPD had (and still sometimes has) devastating effects on our family. That’s why I’m willing to make the sacrifice in changing our family diet for the strong possibility we can improve our kids’ lives.  

Steps to Starting a GF/CF Diet

1)      Become a Label Nazi:   Gluten and casein are in a lot of every day foods such as bread, cereal, milk, ice cream and yogurt. Both proteins are also often hidden ingredients in foods that you wouldn’t expect: lunch meat, seasonings, chicken broth, baked beans and sausage, to name a few. That’s why, to successfully implement a GF/CF diet, you have to become a label nazi. Never assume, always read the ingredients.

2)      Be Proactive in Finding Alternatives:  It’s a rare kid who is going to happily give up favorites like ice cream, macaroni and cheese, or chocolate so it’s important to be proactive in finding alternatives to favorites. I suggest putting together a list of your families favorite treats and creating a list of potential replacements. For our family, I’ve found GF/CF pizza, chicken nuggets, and mac-n-cheese as well as made a list of rice and coconut milk ice cream substitutes available to make faux milk shakes. Having this list can help make it easier to introduce the diet to your family.

3)      Focus on Simple Whole Food Meals:  Planning your meals around simple whole foods like lean proteins and fresh veggies can also help make transitioning to a GF/CF easier. By avoiding complicated sauces (which often require dairy) and prepackaged, processed foods, you avoid the possibility of encountering hidden gluten and casein. 

4)      Create a Meal Plan: Of course I advocate meal plans in general as a money-saving tool, but a meal plan can also make eating a GF/CF diet easier to implement as well. Creating a list of 15 dinners and an assortment of potential breakfast and lunch options will make sure you aren’t scrambling at the last minute for a good meal option.