5 Tips To Help You Through The Winter Holidays Without Gluten
Well the Winter holidays are here again, and as we all know, this is a time when we are prone to overeat. Some of us, even though we don’t want to, are politely persuaded by family and friends to eat all sorts of festive treats. Generally the Winter holidays have a tradition of being jam packed with baked goods, sugar, white flour, starchy vegetables, trans fats and other tasty, but not so healthy ingredients.
Gluten Intolerance
If you are gluten intolerant or have recently discovered that you have an intolerance, then the holiday period may be challenging for you. Nevertheless, there are ways to avoid excessive intake of gluten products and there’s also an opportunity to invite your family to join you in consuming a healthy and tasty gluten free Christmas spread. We must admit that winter holidays are much easier to organise now that we know which ingredients to avoid and how to substitute them.
Even the most complicated recipes, which usually contain wheat products or white flour can easily be replaced with gluten-free flour. There is also the simple solution of buying ready made gluten-free products. Many of the bakeries and health food stores offer all kinds of holiday treats for gluten sensitive or gluten allergic people.
Modern Day Understanding
One great advantage of the modern world is that we live in an era where global knowledge is readily available at our fingertips and we’re able to find an interesting and tasty recipe on the internet in a matter of minutes. With the help of this information being so accessible there is a growing awareness and understanding of gluten intolerance, this enables us to explain to our hosts or family members about the condition. Based on their own research, and discovering the potential inflammatory properties of gluten, many people have decided to voluntarily avoid gluten products even though they have not been diagnosed with a gluten intolerance or gluten allergy. The trend in healthy living plays an influential role in this movement.
Top Tips
Let’s look at some great tips that will help you navigate your way through the turbulent “oceans” of holiday parties, family dinners, gatherings and general eating around Christmas time.
1) Most ham is gluten free. Make sure that you read the ingredients on the label or if you are at the party and the ham is already served sliced and nicely decorated just eat the middle part because most of the hams contain glaze on the surface which might contain traces of gluten.
2) Traditional mashed white or sweet potatoes are usually gluten free. If your family recipe suggests adding white flour to this famous side dish, try to change it this year. The best mashed potatoes contain only cream or butter and a pinch of salt in addition to the potatoes themselves.
3) The most popular Christmas dinner star is the roast turkey, if it’s prepared with vegetables and herbs, then there’s no reason to avoid it. The only problem with the turkey preparation is when the chef decides to use bread sauce made with white flour or starch. This makes the Christmas turkey less digestible than if you substituted the bread sauce with a healthier version based on yoghurt, mustard and honey.
4) Cookies that are made without flour are a big hit on the internet. If you search for gluten-free cookie recipes you will find a huge number of combinations which actually taste as great as standard Christmas cookies. Be creative and make your own recipe. You can start with good old macaroons, which are made of egg whites, almonds and a filling which can easily be adjusted to avoid gluten ingredients.
5) Most of the traditional Christmas drinks, such as wine, sparkling wine, punch and eggnog are all gluten free. It is worth making sure that the drinks are homemade and double checking on the ingredients (as some sneaky gluten traces may work their way into the glass). There are some commercially made products that contain gluten and your host or family member has been using them, you can always check the packaging.
Be Vocal
If you’ve only just discovered your intolerance, an explanation to your friends or family would always be met with understanding. You can still show your appreciation for the food on offer, even if you are restricted from eating everything due to your gluten-free diet.
In summary – like any other time, during the holidays you should check the contents of the foods that you consume and specifically look for these ingredients: wheat, rye, barley, oats, wheat starch, wheat protein and gluten. You might be surprised how easy it is to prepare a holiday feast without any ingredients containing gluten. After preparing a tasty gluten-free dinner for Christmas you might inspire somebody for a great New Year’s resolution. A healthier approach to nutrition and family gatherings.
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