My Favorite Gluten Free Replacement Foods

There are many, many gluten free products out there. Most of these products are meant to replace glutenous foods. There are gluten free breads, cakes, cookies and pretzels. You can buy gluten free pie crust, gluten free pizza crust and even gluten free bread sticks. Sadly, most of these products suck.

The secret of gluten free eating, for me, is to eat foods which are naturally gluten free. Meat, vegetables, potatoes and rice always taste good. Corn tortillas have become a staple of my diet. There is nothing better than a steaming bowl of grits on a cold day.

There are exceptions to my gluten free rule, however.

-Almost every day I have crackers and hummus for lunch. My cracker of choice: Kame Rice Crackers. I don't love the wasabi or soy flavors but the original and sesame varieties cannot be beat. Kame rice crackers can be found in the cracker aisle of most grocery stores, most grocery stores in New York anyway. www.kame.com

-As far as I'm concerned, the ONLY gluten free bread worth eating is Udi's. The white bread ACTUALLY TASTES LIKE WHITE BREAD! I bought the whole grain variety this week and it is also delicious. A lot of the bread out there is incredibly heavy (think dry fruitcake) or incredibly bland. Udi's is light and bready and, at around five dollars, is relatively inexpensive as far as gluten free breads go. I don't know how they pull it off. I don't eat a lot of bread but when I do it's gotta be Udi's. Unfortunately Udi's is a bit difficult to find. So far I've found it at Whole Foods and I know Fresh Direct sells Udi's. There is a store locator on the website.

-One of my favorite gluten free menus is at Nizza on 9th Avenue in Manhattan. The pasta there is a-mazing. I found out they use Le Veneziane pastas. This is the only gluten free pasta I've eaten that even comes close to the texture of wheat pasta. It is fantastic and, I think, only has two ingredients: corn meal and water. Even gluten gluttons like this pasta. The drawback, again, is that the pasta is difficult to find and can be pricey. You can buy it on Amazon and Quattrobimbi. I found Le Veneziane at a small Italian importer near my neighborhood in Brooklyn for about $2.75 a box. So it is out there, finding it just requires some research.

Lucky for me, I never was a carb lover. I don't care too much for cake or cookies and I never ate a lot of bread. This probably made the gluten free thing easier for me.

Gluten Free Is For Me

A couple of year ago, when I first got sick the second time around, the doctor decided to test me for Celiac Disease. One portion of the test required that I stop eating gluten for a few weeks. It was painful but gluten and I took a break. In the end I failed the Celiac test but I did feel a bit better at the end of those gluten free weeks.

I went back to eating gluten (it's so hard not to!) and realized what a difference it made. Without gluten my migraines were fewer and farther between. I also found the temporary mental paralysis I usually felt after a meal was missing when I was off the gluten. I decided, after a short fling, it was time to break up with gluten for good.

Giving up gluten is not easy. It's especially difficult with Crohn's as some of us must also give up dairy, fried foods, raw fruits and vegetables, etc. For me though, it's a no-brainer. Giving up gluten is a small price to pay for weekends free of migraines and more productive afternoons at work.

I'm certainly not as vigilant as someone with Celiac Disease must be but I do realize how crucial it is for someone with Celiac to completely eliminate ingestion of wheat. I always order from the gluten free menu if there is one available but I will order gluten free dishes off of a regular menu if there is no other option.

Speaking of gluten free menus, there is an increasing number of restaurants that take their gluten free menus very seriously. Many restaurants flag gluten free plates to make sure there is no accidental contamination. Some send gluten free orders to the table with a manager. There are a lot of gluten free dishes out there that are less than delicious but it's comforting that so many are making such a valiant attempt.

A gluten free diet is commonly believed to improve the quality of life of those diagnosed with Autism. Wikipedia lists Parkinson’s disease, Multiple sclerosis, Seizures, Cognitive problems, Type 2 and Type 1 diabetes, Down syndrome, Rheumatoid arthritis among those conditions which may improve with a gluten free diet. Some believe Crohn's related intestinal damage limits one's ability to digest gluten similar to Crohn's related lactose intolerance. I personally saw no improvement in digestion when I stopped eating gluten. I did, however, experience fewer migraines and less brain fog and that's enough for me.