Doctors and dietitians recommend a diet free of wheat products and wheat gluten as a remedy for several kinds of medical conditions. Individuals on a gluten-free diet must refrain from eating any products with the slightest trace of wheat gluten or risk becoming very ill, and it can be a challenge to plan appetizing, creative meals that are free of gluten. Fortunately, many breakfast foods are naturally gluten-free, and many others have easy and delicious gluten-free alternatives.
Smoothies are a delicious, nutritious and simple way to begin your day gluten-free. Smoothies are versatile and can contain the juice and pulp of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. You can make them primarily with vegetables, such as green smoothies with spinach, carrot juice and celery, or they can make a delicious dessert with cocoa powder, chocolate chips, milk and frozen strawberries. Put the desired ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth, or put fruits and vegetables through a juicer to extract the juice. Pour into a glass and enjoy. For additional nutrition, add ground flax seed, gluten-free protein powder or gluten-free blue-green algae. Sweeten to taste with maple syrup, sugar or agave. For an ice-cold morning milk shake treat, add a nut milk, such as almond milk or hazelnut milk, and a handful or two of crushed ice.
Fruit salads and fruit and cheese platters make a hearty and versatile combination for breakfast. A combination of complementary fresh fruit, such as apple wedges and grapes, strawberries and kiwi slices, honeydew and cantaloupe chunks, or slices of pineapple and citrus fruit makes for a breakfast dish so fresh and filling, no one will notice it's gluten free. For added texture and variety, sprinkle chopped nuts or chopped dried fruit, such as raisins, dates, banana chips and coconut slices on top of the fruit salad before serving. If you can eat dairy products, adding chunks or small slices of different cheddar cheeses makes for a delicious addition.
While in the past, those with gluten sensitivities had to do without breakfast foods such as toast, pancakes, muffins and waffles, today, gluten-free alternatives to traditional flour-based breakfast foods are widely available. They are often as good, if not better, than the original. Gluten-free pancake and waffle mixes, cake and cookie mixes, and muffin recipes are commonly sold in specialty stores as well as ordinary supermarkets. You can order them online from a number of gluten-free food retailers. Food manufacturers also make premade gluten-free baked goods, though they tend to be more expensive than their wheat-based counterparts. You can make your own from scratch, using recipes that call for tapioca starch, rice and almond flours, gluten-free oats and sprouts instead of wheat flour. You can easily substitute the gluten-free varieties in many breakfast favorites: French toast from gluten-free bread, and gluten-free biscuits with rice flour gravy.
Don't overlook traditional breakfast foods, many of which are already gluten-free. Scrambled eggs, bacon and orange juice make for a breakfast completely free of wheat products. Add slices of toast made from gluten-free bread for a finishing touch. You can fill an omelet with a wide array of chopped vegetables, cheese, fried potato chunks and fruits, also completely gluten-free. Many breakfast cereals contain no gluten, such as all the varieties of Chex--including the chocolate kinds--as well as many of the varieties from Nature's Path, EnviroKidz and Arrowhead Mills. Serve with milk and a side of fruit for a well-rounded, gluten-free breakfast. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and willingness to think outside the breakfast box. A gluten sensitivity never has to mean living without a delicious, nutritious breakfast.
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