Eating plan and ideas for how to follow a grain free diet.

When first starting a grain-free diet it can be a little freaky to have all your staple foods suddenly taken away. The following meal suggestions for breakfast, lunch and dinner show how easy it is to eat a varied, interesting and nutritionally complete grain-free diet.

 

Breakfast

You are only limited by your imagination and your cooking skills to have a super-healthy, nutritionally balanced breakfast.

OPTION 1 - 1 or 2 eggs, any way, on thick buckwheat pancake or toast if you have made the bread

OPTION 2 - Eggs and wilted greens like english spinach with mushrooms and grilled or roasted tomato's. Can serve with toast if you have made the bread or use Deeks bread, but it is not necessary. If you need slow release carbs and dont have the bread, try sweet potato (roasted from night before or as a mash) as a base.

OPTION 2 - Smoothie - blend frozen mixed berries or banana with soy, almond or other nut milk or goat or cow milk if you can have it.

OPTION 3 - Quinoa Cereal - Cook 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of water, 1/2 finely sliced apple and good pinch of cinnamon until water is absorbed and qrains are cooked. Serve with a dollop of organic cream. You can also try the rolled quinoa to make more like a porridge.

OPTION 4 - TOAST! Yes, you can have toast if you make my grainfree bread.

OPTION 5 - Fruit Loaf - You can have an amazing fruit and nut toast if you make my fruit and nut bread.

OPTION 6 - Kasha (buckwheat porridge) - really great with drizzle of honey.

OPTION 7 - Grain-free museli (puffed quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, toasted or raw chopped nuts of choice, coconut (also you can toast or have raw), dried fruit of choice like sultana's, apricots and goji berries, seeds like sunflower and pepita's. Add your milk of choice.

Lunch

Lunch can be a bit harder if you are on the go and can't just stop and grab a sandwich. You need to be prepared. Most of the dinner suggestions can also be used at lunch. Taking a packed lunch with you to work not only ensures you eat well (remember you are after a nutritionally balanced meal and variety always makes life more enjoyable) but saves you money as well.

OPTION 1 - Salad Wraps made from Crepe recipe of choice filled with avocado, sliced cucumber, capsicum, rocket, baby english spinach leaves, tomato. Season with sea salt and pepper or a drizzle of vinaigrette dressing. You can add any left over roast meat or chicken, or cook up sliced mushrooms and onion and make a warm mushroom and salad wrap. Options are endless.

OPTION 2 - Sandwich of choice using grainfree bread or thick buckwheat pancake as a bread substitute. The bread rolls are fantastic and my preferred choice if I need to pack a lunch.

OPTION 3 - Large Salad with Tuna, Chicken, Roast meat, salmon (tinned or smoked) or beans. Meal tastes completely different by varying the protein source and details like dressing, capers, finely sliced red onion, shallots, salad leaves, herbs. You could do Option 3 every day of the week and have a different meal each time. Make your own dressing as commerical ones nearly always have hidden grains.

OPTION 4 - Last nights leftovers (unless you are doing a strict candida diet)

OPTION 5 - Quinoa Salad - spices, roasted pinenuts, currents, parsley, roasted sweet potato and capsicum or other veg of choice like diced cucumber and tomato. Diced chicken or chickpeas, Lemon and Olive Oil and you are good to go.

OPTION 6 - Soups are great in winter.

OPTION 7 - Take-away - you may get lucky and find a good quality cafe or takeaway that serves healthy food, make their own dressings from scratch and you can chat to the chef/cook to make sure the ingredients are "clean" and uncontaminated by grains. Be careful with this option - read labels, ingredient listings and ask questions especially if you are super-sensitive.

OPTION 8 - Keep a small tin of tuna and/or beans or fruit and nut mix or other long-life food in your car/bag for those times when you are stuck.

Dinner

Rule of Thumb - have a protein source with either lots of lightly steamed vegetables or a large salad. Add interest to the vegetables by adding herbs, lemon juice, tomato based sauces, homemade gravy etc. Can add a carbohydrate such as potato, sweet potato, quinoa, buckwheat pasta or other grain-free pasta. Its easy!!!!

FOR EXAMPLE...

OPTION 1 - Roast dinner - roast meat of choice and veggies

OPTION 2 - Curry or casserole (any recipe you currently cook, just substitute any flour or thickener with potato flour) served with Quinoa instead of rice.

OPTION 3 - Spaghetti Bolognaise or any other pasta sauce served on a bed of "vegetable spaghetti" (eg: cut carrots, zuchinni so they are long and skinny and beans and asparagus and lightly steam) or use Mung Bean Vermicelli or 100% buckwheat pasta/noodles (read the labels).

OPTION 4 - Use your imagination !! You can have ANYTHING YOU USUALLY HAVE - just use the SUBSTITUTES if you have to. Once you start looking, you would be amazed how many "normal" recipes are grain free and sugar free.

For dessert or to satisfy a sweet tooth have fruit and cashew cream or check out the other sweet recipes for ideas.

You can also make anything from the Lunch List above.

 

Last Updated on Jun092011