Gluten Free Gourmet

Gluten free diets have recently come into favor for their positive health benefits. Many who have made the move from a gluten rich diet to gluten free fare have been able to enjoy improved health physically and emotionally.Few, however, are excited about the prospect of giving up many of their favorite foods. Gluten free cuisine had long been considered bland and boring. Parents of children with celiac disease will tell you that their children refuse to eat their veggies much less embark upon such a strict regimen. Others complained that the diet is cost prohibitive as fresh food is often pricier than the processed and fast foods most of us consume daily.

Today anyone can switch to a gluten free diet without sacrificing flavor and without breaking the bank. Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Start gradually. Instead of cleaning out the pantry and fridge, decide to start with one gluten free meal per week. Choose a night when you won't be likely too distracted or disuaded from preparation. You can find many delicious and kid friendly gluten free recipes on several healthy food websites. Choose a simple but tasty recipe and don't make a big deal of it. If you tell the family they're eating healthy they might balk.

2. Change your vocabulary. Gluten free is another way of saying gourment. Five star Michelin restaurants focus on freshly grown and locally produced foods and eschew processed and gluten rich foods. If you pass up the bread basket and pasta entrees at any gourmet eatery you will find most menus are gluten free! Fresh fruits, vegetables and lean proteins make up the foundation of haute cuisine.

3.Read the label. Most of know that breads, cakes, pastas and other wheat flour based foods are made with gluten, but you might be surprised to find it in your soup, gravy or salad dressing. Check gluten free sites for suprising places gluten is used and change your shopping habits the next time you are at the market. My favorite hidden gluten product were some toothpastes!

4.Think fresh not fake. Cereals,cookies, breads and pastas made gluten free are often pricey and may disappoint. Try using other grains in your cooking and baking while experimenting with commercially sold gluten free products. Oatmeal, barley, buckwheat, cornmeal and rice are good places to start and least alien to the average american diet. You can experiment with more exotic sounding flours and grains when you become adjusted to a gluten free lifestyle.

5. Create new gluten free family favorites. Try cornbread stuffing in this year's Thanksgiving turkey. Instead of pumpkin pie fill your home with the aroma of a simmering Baked Indian Pudding (tastes a lot like pumpkin pie only better!). Live with a beer lover? Try Anheuser Busch's sorghum based Redbridge Beer for a full bodied gourmet brew.

Gradually done and with a haute cuisine attitude you can make the move to a gluten free lifestyle and painlessly so. For a real treat and fhose with healthy bank accounts check out a gluten free vacation at the Chateau de Villars in Dodogne, France. See? I told you gluten free is really gourmet!