The awareness about wheat/gluten intolerance and allergy has increased the demand for gluten and wheat free foods, so manufacturers and bakeries are now offering many suitable alternatives.
The biggest sellers are usually cookies, breads and other traditional baked goods. But do these new wheat free and gluten free alternatives taste as good as the products they are trying to mimic?
Not long ago, commercial wheat free baked goods were often tough, gritty and over-priced.
The latest wheat free and gluten free baked goods can be well priced and have a much better texture. When real foods are used as ingredients, not simply a hodge-podge of gums and other questionable fillers, the taste can actually rival or even surpass the wheat foods they are substituting.
But there are still many icky products on the market, unfortunately. When you buy from a good company or bakery, the product still might not taste very good.
So how do you find the tasty wheat free baked goods, the ones that might even fool a die-hard wheat lover?
Here are 5 tips to get you started:
1. Read reviews online. There are many online stores that sell quality wheat free and gluten free products. The better sites usually have customer reviews.
2. Contact your local Celiac group and ask for a list of recommendations. Often they will have a list of local bakeries, restaurants and several online sources for good wheat free and gluten free baked goods.
3. If you like to bake, visit
Amazon.com and read reviews of wheat free and gluten free cookbooks. Or search for blogs that offer recipes that readers have reviewed.
4. Call local bakeries to find out if they offer wheat and gluten free options (rice flour products are the most common). If they do, visit and ask for free samples.
5. Make sure that the ingredients in the product are foods and flavors that you (or the person you are buying for) like the taste of.
Also, when shopping keep in mind that wheat free does not necessarily mean gluten free. Gluten grains also include spelt, kamut, rye, triticale and barley. Oats are often contaminated with wheat, so they are out for most gluten and wheat intolerant folks as well.
Wheat free and gluten foods can be tasty and easy to find if you know where to look. As the awareness of wheat and gluten intolerance grows, the demand for quality wheat free and gluten free products and recipes will grow too.
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Lillea Woodlyns, who has been off wheat and gluten for many years, recommends checking out the
wheat free foods at http://www.wheatfreefoodsonline.com
