Every roommate I've ever had can tell you I'm a breakfast junkie. I used to eat cereal for any meal of the day, often twice a day because it was just so delicious and easy! Then I found out my LIFE was literally ruining my life.
After learning I’d have to break up with gluten for good, I mourned the loss of my mom’s homemade pancakes. I’ve worked in coffee shops for years, and I was saddened by my new resentment of every pastry case I walked past. But most of all, I was anxious about having to critically consider which foods to put in my body instead of just snacking on Pop Tarts all day.
So, I rallied my gluten free resources and made a shopping list of staple breakfast items. The following products are things just plain make me happy!
-
Bob's Redmill GF Oats
Fact: Most oatmeal is coated in wheat flour to prevent clumping when cooked, so I gave away all the Quaker Oats sitting in my cupboard and restocked with Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Oats.
Oatmeal is a great food staple because it can help reduce blood pressure, lower your cholesterol and your risk for type 2 diabetes. However, the soluble fiber responsible for these benefits, Beta-Glucan, does not do much in the way easing celiac symptoms.
-
Bob's Redmill GF Corn Grits / Polenta
I keep this stocked for the days when I don’t feel like eating oatmeal. It’s great with just a bit of brown sugar and milk. You can add butter if you feel like indulging, or if you’re trying to add weight back on (weight loss is actually a very common symptom of undiagnosed celiac disease.)
When I was in college I’d buy Malt-O-Meal and Quick Grits for practically $0. It can be frustrating to now spend $7.40 on a food staple that used to be so cheap, but I rest easy knowing it’s safe for me and free of additives. It also has a much more interesting texture than my old hot cereals because it’s far less processed!
-
Chex Gluten Free Rice Cereal
Yes, it is celiac safe! Just be sure you purchase the rice or corn variety and not the multi-wheat. My current favorite is HoneyNut, a great replacement to my old go-to breakfast pal, Honey Nut Cheerios.
- Siggi's
Icelandic Yogurt
I cannot say enough good things about this product! Siggi’s
describes the origin of icelandic yogurt, or skyr, on their site. If you’re not lactose intolerant then you simply must try this product. I ate
Nancy’s yogurt for years, but it was hard to eat enough of the sour stuff to get a good dose of protein and probiotic. I always felt like I was forcing myself to eat healthy when I bought Nancy’s and I’d try to cover up the taste with granola and fruit. Skyr contains 2-3 times more protein than regular yogurt and the flavors are stunning! My favorites are “Pomegranate & Passion Fruit” and “Acai & Mixed Berry.” I can eat less of it because it’s essentially a condensed yogurt, and I know I’m still getting all of the probiotics my tummy needs. I buy this product at my local Whole Foods.
- Fresh Squeezed Juice!
I still hate figuring out what to eat, and I hope to buy a juicer soon so that I can simply drink my fruit and vegetables! In the meantime, I’ve been buying fresh squeezed OJ from my local coffee shop. The Vitamin C in oranges helps the body absorb iron, which then helps heal anemia (a common symptom of celiac disease).
If you could only eat one thing for breakfast for the rest of your life, what would it be?Image Source:
1 2 3 4
Recommend
Comments (11)
You don't have to limit yourself to Bob's (because Bob can be expensive!). Read the labels. You'd be surprised what is gluten free. I will boil eggs for a quick breakfast (or scramble egg whites).
I'm a big rice eater now, since raw rice has no gluten. Sometimes I'll heat leftover rice in milk and add vanilla and brown sugar (a friend has issues with vanilla because she swears it has gluten. I've never had any problems with vanilla, but I buy pure extract).
I don't eat a lot of cold cereal because I'm hungry again in an hour or two. I eat Greek yogurt some mornings if I want something light.
As for buying a juicer, don't waste your money. You tend to lose fiber when you juice, and although it sounds like a convenient and nutritious way to get your vegetables and fruit, many of the concoctions taste pretty awful. Sure, you can dump a couple carrots, a couple handfuls of spinach, a cup of strawberries, some beets, and a good handful of kale in the juicer, but if you eat it instead, you'll not be hungry in an hour.
An alternative: When my kids began to shun breakfast, I made them smoothies - yogurt or silk tofu, a handful of frozen berries , half a frozen banana, sometimes a little touch of peanut butter (no almonds here since I'm woefully allergic). If it needed thinning then I added a splash of milk or juice.
Even when the smoothie is nothing but frozen fruit with no sugar added, the rule is one per day.
I miss pancakes and muffins, too. Rice flour makes them taste a little grainy.
My fave g-free breakfast is homemade banana bread. I make it fresh every week, and I keep a stash in my freezer. It's warm, super filling and awesome with a dab of honey.
You can find my recipe here: http://nerdyveggiegirl.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/banana-bread/
There's a lot of foods out there that are naturally gluten free to eat for breakfast like yogurt, fruit, eggs, potatoes, there's lots of good gluten free bagels and bread, great recipes for muffins and pancakes and waffles. There's certainly a lot more gluten free options now than there was in 2003 when I was diagnosed with Celiac disease.
@beesuze@xanga - I am curious about your reading labels comment for oatmeal. I didn't think companies have to list when they coat the oats with wheat flour. Is this not the case? Because you're right, I could be saving a lot of money! (Check back soon for my post about tax deductions for celiacs)
Thanks for the tip about the juicer also. So much to learn, agh! I'm just getting started with this diet and so I know that I havent fine tuned it yet. With help from the community it'll only get better
@nerdyveggiegirl@xanga - Thanks!! I'll definitely add that to my recipe list
I have been GLUTEN FREE for 10 + years and my Go-To breakfast is:
- Roasted Butternut Squash- Egg Whites- Cinnamon- Stevia*All mixed into a pancake "batter" and cooked as such! SO GOOD :)
http://gigieatscelebrities.com/2012/07/24/how-about-a-stroke/
I like breakfast with lots of gluten. Yummy gluten, I love you.
@G1G1626@healthkicker - Oh wow, that sounds really interesting!
@jbird_7@xanga - That not a stupid question at all! However, the answer is gonna be kind long winded :P
It is hard to test for a food intolerance. The only way to really know for sure is to go on an Elimination Diet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elimination_diet
People with Celiac Disease also have gluten intolerance, but it stems form an autoimmune disease which can be confirmed for with a blood test. In most cases, a person with celiac will have very elevated levels of Tissue Transglutaminase or tTG. A normal person will exhibit tTG levels between 0-19. Mine were nearly 200 when I was first tested!
After that blood test is confirmed, you have to go in for an endoscopy (a camera scope that goes down your throat) and a biopsy (where they take a small chunk of your intestine.) It sounded pretty scary to me, but they put me under and when I woke up, it was like I'd taken a super short nap! I recovered in just a few hours!
I also suggest you read this article: http://gluten-intolerance-symptoms.com/gluten-intolerance-test/ and let me know if you have any other questions!
I am gluten free as well and EVERY MORNING I eat: roasted butternut squash & egg whites sprinkled with cinnamon & stevia! it's absolutely DELICIOUS! :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_6gM3GLz4o