Tuesday, 10 July 2012
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I'm Starting a Gluten & Casein Free Diet - Where Do I Begin?
It’s no easy feat getting started with baking gluten and casein free. A great way to start off your baking adventures is to use some of the handy gluten free, casein free baking mixes available at your local store. A basic bread mix, pancake mix, pizza crust mix and dessert mix of some variety, will get you going in no time. These mixes are great when your child has no further restrictions beyond gluten and casein. They are wonderful when you’re not confident of your baking prowess. Mixes are also endlessly helpful when you’re short on time. Box mixes are not for everyone, however.
To help make GF/CF baking easier, we’ve compiled some great tips and tricks for getting started with scratch baking.
Start with a recipe. When just getting started, a developed recipe is the best way to have success. There are many different recipe sites and blogs dedicated to every kind of GF/CF baked good from sweet to savory these days, so why reinvent the wheel? Some wonderful sites are Gluten Free Goddess (most dairy free), Fat Free Vegan (all GF), and The Sensitive Pantry.
Find a good all-purpose GF/CF flour blend. Start simple with an all-purpose blend if you can find one that will work for your family’s needs. You will find two general types in the market- those that contain Xanthan or Guar gum, and those that do not. There are advantages to both, but we recommend buying your gum of choice separately so you can control how much you need with each recipe.
Build a small collection of flours. If a premixed blend won’t work, or you’ve graduated beyond a premixed blend, build a small collection of your most-used GF/CF flours- such as white or brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour and potato starch. Once you get going with recipes, you’ll find you use the same flours over and over again.
Do some research before skipping ingredients. Wondering what Xanthan gum is or scratching your head over guar gum? Do a little online research into the roles played by these ingredients, and any others that you don’t recognize. See what they do before skipping them in the recipe. Some you may not need, but others might be the key to your success.
Learn your substitutions. Learn what makes great substitutes for commons sources of casein (and eggs if you need to avoid those too). There are many, many vegan sites dedicated to substituting for milk products- use them. They’ll save you time and headaches. Bob’s Red Mill also has many info sheets on how to substitute flours and dairy products, call 800-349-2173 for a copy.
Don’t give up. Even the best chefs make mistakes and have failed recipes. Just because you didn’t get that cake to come out just right doesn’t mean you never will. Accept that there are bad recipes out there and there will be times when even the best recipe comes out poorly. Don’t give up!
Some Basic Recipes for the GF/CF Diet:
Delicious Gluten Free Bread (Dairy Free) from Gluten Free Goddess
Basic Gluten Free (Dairy Free) Pancakes from Ginger Lemon Girl
All Purpose Muffins (GF/CF) from Bob’s Red Mill
Thanks to Bob’s Red Mill for partnering with us on Bob’s Birthday Club, for more information www.autismspeaks.org/bobsbirthdayclub
This blog post is by Cassidy Stockton, the Social Media Specialist- Marketing at Bob's Red Mill Natural Foods.
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About the Author
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- From: autismspeaks
- Name: autismspeaks
- About Me: Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Bob and Suzanne Wright, grandparents of a child with autism. Their longtime friend Bernie Marcus donated $25 million to help financially launch the organization. Since then, Autism Speaks has grown into the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. We are proud of what we've been able to accomplish and look forward to continued successes in the years ahead.
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Comments (4)
Check out going "paleo" too - easily modified to casein free, but starts out completely grain free.
@Levanna@xanga - this is what I do. I eat Paleo with gluten free baking. I've never felt better & TMI neither have my bathroom breaks.
Use some coconut flour or other nut flour and there you have it. Stevia instead of sugar is also the way to go. Then you will have a VERY HEALTHY baked treat.
Good Stuff! :)
In the beginning stages of this diet the biggest mistake I made was going out and buying a bunch of gluten-free flour mixes and junk food (you know the kind...frozen isle crap, cookies, pizza dough, and muffin mixes, etc). It's just my opinion, but in order to really FEEL BETTER and be healthier, you can't just buy replacement processed stuff and keep eating as you usually do. Just steer clear of the stuff and eat more vegetables, fruit, and protein. If you must have bread, I like Rudi's brand on occasion. I honestly don't miss crackers or anything like that, but if I get a craving I make my own from flax or corn.
There's PLENTY of online blogs dedicated to these kinds of diets. I first turned to Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Elana's Pantry, Chocolate Covered Katie, and Gluten-Free Goddess (all blogs..google 'em). Yes, you have to eat/cook at home more often, but it's so much better for your health anyway!