Let’s face it most of the results of our first gluten-free bread baking experiences were truly Wonder Bread. We looked at it and wondered, what in the heck is that? We tasted it and wondered, what in the heck is that?

We, Americans are obsessed with bread. And we, Celiac’s have taken this obsession to a new level. We will eat ghastly tasting bread-like objects to trick our minds into believing we are enjoying a good slice of bread. Why do we do it? Because we always have; habit; and because we are inundated with advertising messages that tell us that bread is good for us.

If we look back to the beginnings of mankind, human beings originally consumed a diet of vegetation and meat.

The so-called "Agricultural Revolution" (primarily the domestication of animals, cereal grains, and legumes) occurred first in the Near East about 10,000 years ago and spread to northern Europe about 5,000 years ago. What this shows us is that historically human beings lived off a diet void of domesticated cereal grains (wheat, rye, oats, barley, corn, rice, sorghum and millet).

The primate gut is not equipped with the enzyme systems required to derive energy from specific types of fiber. Consequently, unless cereal grains are milled to break down the cell walls and cooked to crystallize the starch granules (and hence make them more digestible), the proteins and carbohydrates are largely unavailable for absorption. So, until the onset of regular fire use and processing, it would have been almost impossible for our species to consume cereal grains to supply the bulk of our daily caloric requirements.

Bi-gastric herbivores (those having second stomachs) have evolved an efficient second gut with bacteria that can ferment the fiber found in leaves, shrubs, and grasses and thereby extract nutrients in an efficient manner. Humans can clearly put grasses and grass seeds into our mouths; but we do not have a GI tract which can efficiently extract the energy and nutrients.

This would serve to dispel the notion that bread or even grains are necessary for a healthy diet. And certainly not the staff of life.

One of the reasons people get depressed about eating gluten-free is that they focus on what they can’t eat. They mourn bread, pasta, pizza and the like. They are disappointed when the bread they make looks and tastes funny and falls apart in their hands when they try to eat it.

They struggle to find any edible item at their favorite fast food restaurants. They are caught in a spiral of desperation about what they can’t eat by surrounding themselves with foods containing gluten.

People diagnosed with Celiac disease, especially the newly diagnosed, get caught up in the quest for great tasting gluten-free bagels or pizza or for anything that they can eat at McDonalds. This line of thinking is a set up for failure and disappointment. A bagel is a bagel because of gluten. A bagel’s chewy texture is chewy because of gluten. A croissant is a croissant because of gluten. Remove the gluten and it’s not a croissant.

There are hundreds of bread and bread-type recipes in the archives of Glutenfreeda.com, but our philosophy is not to focus on bread. Instead, we focus our attention on foods other than bread, foods that are naturally gluten-free.

Instead of being disappointed or settling for less, we concentrate on naturally gluten-free foods that will turn out great every time. There are thousands of healthy, wholesome, authentic gluten-free foods that you can enjoy without shopping by mail order, without adjusting recipes, without purchasing a battery of strange ingredients or equipment.

The good news is you can change your eating habits to a naturally gluten-free lifestyle with healthy, whole foods and organic foods. If you read the labels on organic foods you will find minimal processing, most are gluten-free, no artificial ingredients and no preservatives.

Eating naturally gluten-free is eating healthy.

The elimination of gluten means the elimination of a lot of other things your body doesn’t need like fast food, preservatives, etc. We also know that breads and wheat and other cereal grains do supply nutrients — so how do we make sure we get these nutrients without eating wheat? By choosing foods that are high in the nutrients usually supplied by gluten breads and other cereal grains. By selecting foods that are high in B vitamins & iron and fiber.

Foods that are high in B Vitamins and iron are fish, dairy products (for those that can eat dairy), meats, legumes, nuts, seeds and just about all fruits and vegetables.

There are so many wonderful foods that are naturally gluten-free.

Think about it — rice, potatoes, vegetables, beans, meats, poultry, fresh fruit and list goes on and on and on.

Naturally gluten-free food tastes like it should! It is not hard to make things come out right because they turn out the way they are supposed to taste — authentic.

So now you know why eating naturally gluten-free is a positive way to approach Celiac Disease — but is doable? Very.

The first step is to develop a gluten-free pantry and this way you’ll have everything on hand when you want to make just about anything. Think ahead — to eat well on a gluten-free diet you must think ahead. Even if cooking is not your first love — there are ways to cook infrequently in bulk and freeze it.

Schedule some time on the weekend to make a few staples like broths and sausage. One of the items I always have on hand is homemade stocks. I know there are gluten-free stocks or broths on the market — but homemade stocks are so much better. You can completely control the ingredients, and it couldn’t be easier to make. I always buy whole chickens for whatever chicken dish I plan to make. It is more economical and I can custom cut it. When cutting up a chicken, I put the back and neck into a larger pot, fill it with water, bring it to a boil, add carrots, celery and onion, a few herbs — reduce it to a simmer and forget about it for 6 hours. I then strain off the broth and pour it into 1 and 2 cup plastic containers and freeze them. Let’s face it, when you cut up a chicken you have to do something with the back and neck. It’s just as easy to throw it in a pot as the trash.

Homemade sausage is even easier. Have the butcher at any grocer store grind pork with a fair amount of fat in it. If it’s too lean, sausage will dry out. I usually have the butcher grind 4-5 pounds and package them in 1 pound packages. Bulk sausage is nothing more than spices added to ground pork. Make different flavors like chorizo, breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, etc. and freeze then for later use.

And then the obvious — fresh fruits (lemons, limes), vegetables (red & green peppers, green onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, lettuce) eggs, meats, seafood, beans, nuts, etc.

Add variety to your diet by increasing your fish consumption (get those great omega-3’s). A lot of people we found in our classes profess not to like fish — but part of the problem is that they haven’t eaten fish that is cooked well…or fresh fish. Contrary to popular belief fresh fish is not fishy. If you buy fish and it smells fishy — it is old — do not eat it. But fish is a great way to add nutrients to your diet.

A gluten-free diet can be anything but restrictive. Celiac disease can be the vehicle that will lead you to a better and healthier way of eating and you may find, as I have that it can truly be a blessing in disguise.

Glutenfreeda

Resouces: The Late Role of Grains and Legumes
in the Human Diet, and Biochemical Evidence
of their Evolutionary Discordance

by Loren Cordain, Ph.D. Published "Cereal grains: humanity's double-edged sword." (1999) World Review of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 84, pp. 19-73.