Happy Friday everyone! I've been asked this question both via email and in person many, many times...
Q: How can you eat gluten free on a budget?
A: I find that, when people are first diagnosed, the focus is to try to find "replacement" foods, like cereals, pasta, cookies - things that are processed, quick, easy, and tasty. This was where my thoughts were at 9 years ago. I soon noticed that the GF versions of my favorite things were costly - in some cases, 300 to 400% more than the non-GF counterpart. That wasn't going to cut it for me. Additionally, I learned that, just because something is labeled gluten free, it doesn't mean it's healthy. Keeping these two lessons in mind, I got creative and started to think outside the box.
My article, The Coach's Top 23 Tips for Eating Gluten Free on a Budget on Celiac.com details many years of being gluten free while also being budget conscious (my financially-minded hubby wouldn't have it any other way!). Check it out, and please share your ideas!
Hope this was helpful.
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Old habit die hard. I'm really beginning to think my old eating habits were more of an addiction than anything (besides the fact I have Celiacs). It's funny cause the first thing you want to do is eat exactly the same thing, just gluten free. Not always a good idea 1) it's harder to adjust because you expect it to taste the same. 2) If you were eating lots of baked goods, you probably weren't getting a variety of other foods in your diet 3) The politically correct "eat piles of grains everyday" food pyramid may be a biological disaster for you even with a gluten free switch. And I could go on and on. I was lucky, I had to learn the SCD (a grain free diet) for my son first before learning gf for myself. When I finally made gf foods, they left me tired, hungry and craving sugar. I found I really need to limit the gf grains and sugar quite a bit and replace with vegetables and lots of protein, and I even need a good dose of saturated fat. Learning what your body wants isn't easy or politcally correct...but it sure is worthwhile. Life is too short not to feel good!
ReplyDeleteHey Kim - Had to stop by and see what you're up to today. Another important topic & good info, of course!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the sugar-free icing info. I was so happy to see your comment on my blog. I didn't even know that you ever stopped by. :) So glad you did.