Gluten is the stretchy substance that holds our bread together and it is one of the many proteins present in wheat, rye, barley or cereals. But you can’t find gluten in nature, as is only form when water is mix with wheat flour.
Most of us are cereal eaters and ingest a lot of gluten from our diet. But, what happens to this gluten once it’s inside our gut? This is the question that impacts our health and well being the most!
We know now that a large swathe of the world’s population is allergic to gluten. A sea of research has gone into finding out why and how gluten allergy happens but scientists are yet to determine the exact cause. What we know for sure is that the body of a person who suffers from gluten intolerance tends to react to the gluten protein by producing antibodies (IgE ) which are gluten specific.
Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance
Gluten intolerance is present in equal measures in both, children as well as adults. Persons suffering from gluten intolerance suffer from a wide range of symptoms which can sometimes be extremely severe. These include:
- Mouth ulcers
- Fatigue
- Unexplained weight loss
- Severe constipation
- Bloated abdomen
- Migraines
Gluten is Not a Friend
People who are suffering from gluten sensitivity or something called “celiac disease”, also linked to gluten, need to change the way they look at food; focusing on what they can eat, rather than what they can’t eat. Individuals who are allergic to gluten should go on a completely gluten-free diet and avoid all foods containing gluten such as: wheat and all its products from their diet.
There has been a sharp rise in people being diagnosed with celiac disease and gluten intolerance and sensitivity. There is also a lot of research about gluten-free foods and diets. Matters such as nutrition, weight loss and a wide spectrum of other health related issues have also become a matter of great concern with dietitians & physicians, the world over.
The Benefits of a Gluten-Free Diet
It’s true that a gluten-free diet can have a plethora of benefits such as improving the general health of persons suffering from gluten intolerance. Other benefits include.
- Increased energy levels
- Normalisation of cholesterol levels
- Improvement in the digestive health of patients
- If you are gluten intolerant, you can safely leave out processed foods from your diet to live healthy.
Hot Gluten-Free Recipes for Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! A hearty breakfast is a great way to kick – start a hectic day, but what do you do if you are gluten intolerant and don’t know what to eat and what to leave out?
A diagnosis of gluten intolerance does mean that you have to bring about a radical change in the way you eat. But all said and done, eliminating gluten and finding nutritious alternatives can prove to be quite a challenge. It can be achieve however, with a little bit of diet tweaking, which we will help you do.
Easy and Quick Breakfast Ideas:
- A healthy gluten-free breakfast really should be made up of protein which should ideally be sourced from low-fat meat, fish, eggs, beans etc. Mixed with a portion of fibre and some easy gluten-free recipes, we shall be talking about in this article, will keep you feeling full until lunch.
- A word of advice here: Make yourself comfortable in the world of gluten-free foods, but be sure to make the right choices and include gluten-free starches such as sweet potato, brown rice & quinoa in your diet. Always keep the size of your portions in mind. Most gluten-free foods speed up healthy weight loss but your diet should always contain essential proteins, carbohydrates and fats too.
- The idea of having a “no bread, no cereal diet” may seem daunting for those who have just made their foray into the world of gluten-free breakfast recipes, but once you learn to recognise the natural gluten-free options, the possibilities are endless!
Considerations While Selecting Gluten-Free Recipes for Breakfast
Gluten-free diet may be a “catch phrase” today, but before you begin giving yourself a lifestyle makeover and try to curb your carb cravings, you need to do some serious thinking. So put your thinking caps on and give the following points some serious consideration:
- Gluten-free foods were actually intended for patients suffering from celiac disease which is a serious auto-immune disorder that affects the intestinal tract.
- Only one percent of the total population is affected by celiac disease and only a biopsy of the intestine can determine this disorder.
- Experimenting with a gluten-free diet only because you feel less stressed, tired or bloated by eliminating glutens completely from your diet, might help initially and you may feel better temporarily. You might also lose some weight but remember, it is actually the lesser calories that are making you feel better, rather than the exclusion of gluten from your diet. However, you might end up depriving your body of some required vitamins and other essential nutrients, if you follow a gluten-free diet without due consideration.
- Stick to the basics of nutrition: Include lots of fruits and vegetables in your diet because no matter what people say, simply following the latest diet craze might leave you seriously undernourished.
- Check gluten-free labels while shopping and exercise a certain amount of watchfulness while doing so. Use gluten-free foods with caution.
Gluten-Free Recipes for Breakfast
We know it’s not easy to start churning out gluten-free breakfast recipes excluding wheat and breads. But, learning innovative and easy gluten-free recipes for keeping your diet free of glutens & maintaining a balance of the right kind of nutrients is possible with just a little discipline and thought. You should take care to make your breakfast nutritious by adding essential nutrients that may not be present in certain gluten-free foods.
Also Read: 10 Easy Gluten Free Recipes for Lunch
Use the right type of ingredients, a little bit of imagination and turn your diet into a nutritious and delicious one by helping yourself to one of the following 10 simply. Scrumptious Easy Gluten-Free Recipes:
1. Orange Polentina
The Italians have been using polentina/cornmeal ever since the time of Julius Caesar to make a million different dishes. Polentina is a deliciously smooth, creamy porridge which is usually served for breakfast. This tangy, citrusy combination of oranges & mascarpone cheese or yogurt, takes about 20 minutes to make and is an easy gluten-free breakfast recipe that is guaranteed to bring the spring back into your step!
2. Baked Eggs with Spinach & Tomatoes
Let country roads take you home with these filling, nutritious, gluten-free recipes; perfect for a lazy weekend brunch. This is a wonderful combination of nature fresh tomatoes, spinach & eggs and a sprinkling of coriander and chilli flakes is sure to take you to gourmet seventh heaven.
3. Gluten-Free Hot Breakfast Cereal
A nutritious combo of eight gluten-free grains and seeds is serve hot with a delicious topping of fruits, honey agave nectar or brown sugar. Believe it or not, even your children will be licking their plates clean and asking for more!
4. Egg Crepes with Sausage
This is another popular brunch recipe which will warm the cockles of your heart with its simplicity. It’s simply out of the world and gluten-free, made of eggs sausages and milk and is topped with a generous sprinkling of fresh herbs.
5. Easy Fried Rice
Made from rice and frozen vegetables, this is one of the nutritious gluten-free recipes that is easy to cook and tastes best if made with leftover rice for the simple reason that freshly prepared rice is soft and tends to stick to the wok. This amazing recipe that can be conjured up within just ten minutes proves the adage, “waste not, and want not “true!
6. Grapefruit, Orange & Apricot Salad
This is another one of the delicious, easy to make gluten-free recipes for those with a sweet tooth. Power packed with nutrients from fresh fruit & naturally sweetened with honey, it can put the best dessert in the world to shame.
7. Breakfast Smoothie
You may be hard press for time but that certainly doesn’t mean that you can’t put your imagination to use to improve your health. Let your mind’s eye rove with this super easy gluten-free recipes and watch your fat melt away as you try out different variations by combining berries, and a ripe and mushy fruit of your choice. All you have to do is blend the two together add a sinful dash of honey and make it taste even better.
8. Fresh Cherry Lemonade
This refreshing, light summer drink tastes as refreshing as it looks on a hot summer day. Give this simple lemonade a sensational make over and turn it into a happening cocktail by night with a dash of Vodka or rum!
9. Slow-Cooked Baked Beans
A traditional smoky comfort dish spiked with a bit of bourbon, this dish is a healthy combination of beans, sausages or bacon and maple syrup or molasses and it’s something that you just cannot do without.
10. Anytime Eggs
Oil free and nutrient rich, eggs are the gluten-intolerant lifeline. You can keep adding whatever comes to mind to the eggs in your pan- tomatoes, peppers, coriander and a little bit of that wonderful thing that they call imagination and Voila! You have one more of those fabulous gluten-free recipes that can be anywhere, anytime.
It’s much easier being gluten-free now than it was 20 years back. There is so much to choose from, in terms of gluten-free ingredients and diets. So, make the most of the choice and eat right to suit your gut.
