Arts Entertainments

Top 5 naturally gluten-free carbohydrate sources

These are simply sorted in the order in which I like them more. I consider them quite interchangeable when it comes to quality, although of course there are differences when it comes to specific nutritional content. But we are talking about the big picture right now …

Sweet potato

-I love these. Stunning, all caramelised and naturally sweet when baked, can be cut and baked like potato chips, mashed, a high nutritional value goodness in all respects. Sweetness and fiber, all wrapped in a delicious shell. There is nothing wrong with other potatoes, I just like sweets. And remember, this list is in MY order of preference only.

Gluten-free oats

This is a breakfast staple almost every morning. Oatmeal, blueberries and egg whites with spinach. (Not mixed, although that would probably be good too. You can find certified gluten-free oatmeal in many supermarkets or health food stores, as well as order online. I also use it to make breads and muffins.

Rice. I like brown but they are all good, it depends on what you are looking for, brown tends to be a bit higher in fiber. It is chewy, a little nutty, of great texture, very versatile. You can make it tasty by cooking it up with some gluten free chicken broth and herbs, add some crumbled feta cheese, minced chicken breast, and some sun dried tomatoes, voila-dinner! Or make it sweet, cook with water, add some stevia or Splenda and cinnamon, and the rice pudding dessert is ready!

Quinoa. Weird spelling and weirder pronunciation “keen-wa” but it tastes pretty good. We’re not going to go into nutritional details here, but this one is unique in that it contains a decent amount of protein. It also contains good fiber. It has a nice tail that gives it extra points in my opinion.

Beans. I can’t put aside the musical fruit. I’m especially a fan of chickpeas in my salads and black beans with chicken, or a white bean dip that is great on veggies, or red beans in a chili, or … Okay, you get the idea. Versatile, inexpensive, and packed with carbohydrates, fiber, and protein.

NOTABLY MISSING FROM THIS LIST

-Gluten-free pasta

-Gluten-free bread

-Gluten-free mac and cheese, or anything that has more than one ingredient.

-Here’s the idea: try to keep all food options with a minimum of ingredients. Chicken Ingredient 1. Broccoli-yes, 1 ingredient. Umm … gluten free pasta? Too many ingredients to list. For the most part, keeping food options minimally processed is never a bad thing. Take a look next time you go to the grocery store and try to limit yourself to 1 or a few ingredient foods.