Gluten-Free Diet Menu Plans

Gluten-free meal planning is daunting at first, whether it's because of a diagnosis of celiac sprue or a lifestyle choice. Gluten is a natural protein found in wheat, rye, barley and spelt, but it also hides in many commercial products made with at least one of these grains.

Once you learn to double-check ingredient lists, you can think about meals in a gluten-free quintet: meat, corn, rice, potatoes and vegetables. This way, you'll struggle less with what's wrong for you and move on to good habits.

Breakfast and Lunch

Often the most hurried meals of the day, breakfast and lunch can be especially problematic. Toast, bagels, crackers and most cereals (including oatmeal and farina) are off limits, and prepared sausages may have gluten in them too. Good quick foods for you are eggs, dairy products, cold-cooked meats, salads, fruit and corn or rice-based cereals. But be careful even about these. They can be sweetened with malt, which is very often gluten in disguise.

Dinner Dangers

The biggest hurdle to a gluten-free diet is getting used to the absence of a lot of easy-to-prepare, filling dinner foods like noodles, crackers and bread. Anything crumbed is also off limits, as are pizzas, sandwiches and tacos wrapped in flour tortillas. You can substitute gluten free pastas made from corn or quinoa and make your own bread with new gluten-free flours. It also helps to embrace the other starches at dinnertime: corn-based polenta and spoon breads, various types of rice and, of course, potatoes.

You also still have to assume that most canned soups, gravies, sauces and powdered mixes--like an instant rice preparation, whose rice alone is fine--will contain gluten.

What About Dessert?

People going gluten-free can sometimes miss cakes, pies, doughnuts and cookies. More gluten-free pastries are coming out on the market, but you still have to learn to put other sweets first. Dark chocolates are one answer, as are any flourless cakes or tarts based on ground nuts.

Don't overlook ice cream, sherbets and fruit preparations. And mix the fruit into yogurts, or fry or bake fruits dotted with butter. Toss fresh berries with sugar and then blend them loosely with whipped cream to make a dessert once called a fruit "fool."

You're the Cook

Going gluten-free almost requires that you cook from scratch, perhaps more than you used to. Here are a few things to keep in mind: Fresh fish fillets, thin cuts of meat, vegetables and eggs all cook quickly for any meal. Try incorporating tomatoes, tomato juice, mushrooms, peppers, milk or Parmesan cheese into your cooking. These foods are natural sources of glutamate (no relation to gluten) and will provide a lot of flavor and nutrition without a lot of effort.

Your Best GF Friend

Gluten-free all-purpose baking flour is one of your greatest helps in the kitchen. It lacks wheat flour's quality, but in small portions it will adequately thicken liquids. With it, you can still make meat gravies, thicken stews and make good cream sauces to spoon over vegetables or to serve as the base for souffles or sweet dessert puddings.