If you want to have a well-balanced diet, you should be aware that gluten and rice are not usually an ingredient of your standard food. This might sound strange and even disgusting but you’ll be glad to know that it is not. Gluten and rice are commonly found in foods like pizza, pasta, cakes, cookies, bagels, burgers, hot dogs, seafood, and even egg whites. If you’ve been avoiding gluten and rice gluten free food, you will be pleasantly surprised to learn that there are many substitute products that can help you enjoy your favorite meals. You just have to be careful when shopping for them and you can find gluten-free and rice gluten free substitutes at pretty much any grocery store or health food specialty shop. Here are some of the most popular substitutes:
- Gluten free pasta – There are many different brands of gluten free pasta but it is important to note that the usual brandy pasta is not really a substitute because they still use flour. It is best to avoid regular pasta in favor of the instant and homemade brands that are healthier and more economical. Look for long grain brown rice that is higher in the vitamin Bs and iron. Then, make sure to add some nutritional yeast, garlic, and onion to your dish. This is how you get a delicious, healthy, and budget-friendly pasta meal that is also gluten and rice gluten free.
- Rice – For your stir-fry, you can try substituting rice flour with rice flour. That way, you won’t have to worry about having a huge mess all over your kitchen. All you need is a teaspoon of your preferred spice and mix it into your batter. Then, just cook your rice gluten free on top of your traditional food. You can add it to soups, salads, and a variety of other dishes.
- Rice cereal – Did you know that rice is actually a staple in many people’s diets? It’s not uncommon to find people skipping breakfast just so they can have a bowl of rice for the day. While the flavor may be there, it’s often missing something. Adding rice gluten free to your diet is easy and will help give you the nutrition that you’re looking for without any of the high-gluten ingredients found in normal rice cereals. Add it to your morning oatmeal or your nightly porridge.
- Cooking rice gluten free – Even if you like to cook, it’s not as easy as it seems. There are a lot of tricks and techniques to mastering the art of cooking rice gluten free. For example, you can completely cook your rice by adding it to boiling water while it’s still at a high degree of liquid state. It will prevent the starch from solidifying which prevents it from working its way down the digestive tract. Then, gently fold it over the other side until all of the starch is removed leaving you with rice that is perfectly smooth and has no lumps or bumps.
If you’re not the artsy type, there are more convenient methods to prepare rice that are free of gluten. You can make a great rice salad by cutting up a couple of cups of uncooked brown rice (my personal favorite) and adding to a vinaigrette or mayonnaise and mixing well. Or, you can make a rice pilaf with uncooked long grain rice that can be served with vegetables or fish. I would recommend trying both methods to see what you like best, but both are easy enough that you could do it on your own. Enjoy your new addition to your diet. It can be a great change of pace from traditional wheat grains.