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Going gluten-free is actually quite popular now. Some do it because they are diagnosed with a gluten intolerance and others because they simply feel better avoiding the stuff. Either way, you’re apt to pay big bucks finding all of those replacements for your favorite gluten-containing goods.
We’ve done experiments in going gluten-free, though no one in our family has ever been “officially” diagnosed. If you are considering avoiding gluten I thought I’d share a few ideas for doing so while on a budget.
Consider Sourdough or Sprouted.
This may not be for those with severe celiac disease, but for those who are simply considering if avoiding wheat will help them feel better I recommend trying some long-fermented sourdough products.
The long fermentation (rising stage) combined with the lactobacilli and natural yeasts present in the sourdough starter make the wheat much easier to digest. Our family has found that simply making our own sourdough products has not only saved us money on all bread goods, but leaves us feeling better as well.
My favorite resource for learning to work with sourdough is Wardeh’s awesome ebook The Sourdough A to Z ebook. In it you will find everything you need to know about making a starter, baking just about any bread product you can imagine, and even tweaking things for a gluten-free sourdough product.
Sprouted grains are also notoriously easier to digest and you can find a good source of sprouted flour here.
Choose Nutrient-Dense Grains.
Most gluten-free products you find in the store are simply full of unhealthy starches and sugars. When making gluten-free products at home consider some nutrient-dense baking alternatives like…
- Coconut flour (see sources)
- Almond meal (see sources)
- Buckwheat flour (see sources)
- Oat flour (make sure it says gluten-free because oats can often be contaminated in the processing stage)
- Bean flours (see sources)
All of these are good whole grains and can be used in sourdoughs, soaked, or unsoaked baked goods. Coconut flour and almond meal are two of my favorites as they are not only grain and gluten-free, but they are also low in carbohydrates. You can find recipes using these in my cookbooks.
Change The Way You Eat.
Many people find that as they get further away from wheat they are able to also get further away from baked goods in general. I can only speak from our own experience, but when our family is eating minimal grains and plenty of good animal products, produce, and lots of raw and fermented foods we feel our best.
That is not to say there isn’t a place for bready goodness. But I notice that we use it as a filler or a crutch to make meal prep easier, faster, and cheaper. And, frankly, that’s not a good enough reason to be eating the stuff.
What are your tips for saving while going gluten-free?
I like your newsletters and read them regularly but I had to comment on yours today.
The first section says:
“Consider Sourdough or Sprouted.
This may not be for those with severe celiac disease”
I have to say this is misleading especially to those who don’t know much about it or are new to the gluten-free diet. “This MAY not be for this with severe celiac disease,” should be changed to “This IS NOT for ANYONE with Celiac Disease.”
Sourdough bread and sprouted breads are made from wheat, barley and/or rye, all of which cause damage to someone with Celiac Disease. The following is from the National Foundation of Celiac Awareness.
“1/30th of a slice of bread can cause significant, sustained intestinal damage in individuals with celiac disease.”
I appreciate your doing a post on gluten-free foods but it would help to have and state the facts correctly.
Actually, the post did mention GF sourdough products. It would be easy for those unfamiliar with GF sourdough to immediately assume the post meant sourdough wheat, rye, etc. But you CAN make your own GF sourdough breads. I don’t because it isn’t worth my time.
I did see that part. I was just talking about the first portion of that section. People don’t always read everything and the first part is misleading. Family members of Celiacs or the newly diagnosed may get the wrong information from this.
but it tastes so good;)
See the correction;)
Thank you for your focus on saving money while being gluten free. So many people think that it is extremely expensive to be gluten free and aren’t interested in hearing some alternatives. I am newly diagnosed with a gluten intolerance and have been an avid couponer for 20 years. My grocery bill has only increased slightly with my new diet and I love the whole foods and less packaged foods that I am eating!
The main thing is going back to nourishing foods — and those are often cheaper than the proceed stuff;)
In additon to being gluten intolerant, chemials and the way food is refined and processed also bothers us. We eat a 90% organic diet. We grind organic spelt for flour. We have a komo flour mill. Can I use this mill to grind beans or rice into flour? I have learned to bake exclusively with spelt flour. How do I substitute in bean flour?
Tip #1: Don’t buy anything that is specially packaged as Gluten Free, except as a special treat. Many GF packaged items are way too high in sugar to be healthy, as well as being very processed.
Tip #2: More dried beans, potatoes, and soups.
Tip #3: Buy foods that don’t need an ingredients list, prepare from scratch at home. (If done in larger batches, this doesn’t need to be time consuming.)
What do you mean that don’t need an ingredient list? Can you explain?
I think she is refering to whole, real, unproccessed, unpackaged foods. Such as whole grains, fresh veggies & fruits, fresh unprocessed meats, etc. Take it home & prepare it yourself.
BTW Gluten Free Sourdough is awesome!!! We do not eat much grain these days, but we do have GF sourdough cakes ( which do not taste sour) , pizzas, tortillas, cornbread etc. Monetarily speaking, it costs us a whole lot less than purchasing ready made and the taste is soooo much better. And truthfully, we enjoy the time honored way God intended food to be prepared. It causes us to join together as a family in food preperation and slows us down from our fast paced days at work and school. Not everyone’s cup of tea, I know, but our family thrives on it.
Would you be willing to share the recipes for these GF sourdough products? I have had terrible luck making GF products from scratch, and have nearly gone grain free because of it. I would love to learn to successfully make GF baked goods.
Sure, just be aware that it takes more time. I should clarify that statement. You have to plan ahead as you can’t just decide on a whim to bake a cake and do it an hour later. I was up at 5:30 am today baking a GF sourdough chocolate cake for my hubby (his lunchbox sna for the week). I had to feed the sourdough starter Sun am, get the sourdough sponge going before bedtime Sun night, and got up Mon morning and added in all the rest of the ingredients, then baked. Not tons of my time involved, just pre-planning.
I first want to say, that even for the gluten intolerant, regular gluten containing sourdough is not a good idea. It may seem great at first, but due to gut damage, it will still block iron absorption, and in the end make you sick again eventually. Please, if you have an issue with gluten, stay away from it.
That said, for those that want to make pancakes for breakfast and want stay away from the binders and the bean flours that cause gastric distress due to being raw, there is a simple solution.
Take any old regular pancake or waffle recipe, and replace the flour with rice or ivory teff flour.
You can choose to use honey in place of the sugar if you like as well.
Then, triple the egg amount in the recipe.
Proceed to make you pancakes.
It really is that simple! And they are perfect in texture and taste.
I have been gluten free for about 4 months now since I was diagnosed with celiac. It has been an easy-ish transition because I never bought into the hype I had to “have” the GF products. If you’re trying to be GF, and you buy all those GF breads, pastas, cereals, frozen meals and convenience foods you’re going to spend a fortune. I did break down and buy a GF pizza that was $6.99 and TINY. And it didn’t even taste good.
But if you realize you can cook from scratch and still eat VERY WELL on a GF diet you will not spend more money. Sure, fresh veggies and good meats cost money, but we should ALL be eating that stuff anyway, not processed junk
Loved your article, kudos on a good job.