Food-Preparing to go gluten-free--AND healthy

This is the first topic that I've written by request. That's kind of awesome!

I have been asked for tips for shopping gluten-free. This is a great question because a lot of "gluten-free" products on the shelves are pretty awful--especially if you are used to lots of gluten, with high fructose corn syrup mixed in. Switching can be pretty overwhelming. My brother is the type of person who goes all-or-nothing, so when he went gluten-free he went cold turkey. My switch happened over a period of several months, partially because I was focusing on other aspects of health before I realized I was gluten-sensitive. (For more on gluten-sensitivity, read this article, although I have heard stories of many other symptoms of gluten-sensitivity.) Because this is the way I did it, this is how I will organize my tips. However, if you're like my brother, just throw everything in your kitchen out and start over ;)  In all reality, probably 90 percent of the stuff in your kitchen has gluten. Also, some people just find "gluten-free" products and stock up on them. I don't recommend this for two reasons. First, a lot of them taste awful. Second, most of them are made with grains other than wheat, and while they are better than wheat products, I still wouldn' call them healthy. You really want to cut as many grains out of your diet as possible.

If you're planning on going gluten-free, my recommendation is to make a commitment not to bring any more gluten-products into your house. For now, assuming you don't eat out more than a couple meals per week, just focus on your home. While you're eating the rest of your gluten-filled products, stock up on the following items:

• Coconut oil--I buy mine from Vitacost, and if you use this link, we both get $10 off our next order :)  You'll need coconut oil in most gluten-free recipes. Plus, there are approximately 9 million other amazing uses for coconut oil, but that's another blog. I recommend buying organic extra-virgin coconut oil, but you can do your own research and decide what's best for you.
• Coconut flour--I buy this in the bulk section of Whole Foods for $3.99/lb. Coconut flour lasts a long time because most recipes only call for a small amount, so you'll only need 1-2 lbs of this, unless you're feeding a big family or make dessert every day. Whole Foods is by far the cheapest I've found it. If you're not near a WF, look around, but if all else fails, you can purchase it online here.
• Almond flour--I also buy mine in the bulk section of Whole Foods. I think it's $5.99/lb, but I'm not positive. Some WF I've been to don't have almond flour in their bulk section. You can buy it in the baking aisle, too, in a package, but it costs a lot more. If you can't find it bulk, I recommend getting it here.
• Gluten-free baking powder. Yes, you need to make sure it says gluten-free. I think Trader Joe's only sells it around Christmas time, but I found it at Whole Foods in the baking aisle. Or maybe the aluminum-free baking soda is what TJs only sells at Christmas. Oh, I'd get that, too.  Baking soda doesn't have gluten but you really don't want aluminum in your food. It's been correlated to alzheimer's disease in some studies.

These are the three most-needed products to start your grain-free/gluten-free adventure. You'll probaby also need these:

• You'll want to stay stocked up on eggs when you're using coconut flour. It's a thirsty flour and requires lots of liquid to bake with.
• Arrowroot starch/powder. I got mine at WF but it might be cheaper on vitacost (see above link). You'll need this for PIZZA and CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES!
• I recommend a julienne peeler. It makes pasta from zucchini.
• Zucchini. :)
• Honey, depending on whether you are trying to cut down on sugar too. I use a lot of recipes from Elana's Pantry. She uses agave nectar, which I believe is NOT healthy, in a lot of her recipes. However, I've tried many of the recipes and just subbed raw honey for the agave, and they turned out great! I recommend raw honey, but it's up to you how healthy you're trying to be. Trader Joe's has a decent price on organic raw honey. Wherever you get it, just make sure to read the ingredients. A lot of bottles labeled as "honey" are actually filled with high fructose corn syrup. (Yuck)
• Parchment paper. I'm not sure what the difference between this and wax paper is, but I am told there is a difference. You will need this to bake with almond flour. Almond flour is really sticky and will stick to your pan really bad if you don't use parchment paper.

Stock up on these items, and remember, while you're shopping, don't bring anything with gluten in it home! If you're craving something, go down the gluten-free aisle at Whole Foods or your local health food store, and grab a snack. Or, better, go get some fruit! In the meantime, decide whether you're going to eat all of your old food or get rid of it, and if you're keeping it, menu-plan to use it all as quickly as possible. You don't feel the effects of eating gluten-free until you're 100% gluten-free for at least two weeks, so make a goal, such as "I'm going not have anything with gluten in my house two weeks from now." Adjust the time frame realistically based on how much food you have in your home. I'll post some of my favorite gluten-free/grain-free recipes and websites in my next post. Have fun shopping!