Avoid pitfalls of gluten-free kids’ parties

For parents of children who cannot have gluten, birthday parties can be an absolute nightmare. And if you’re hosting the party, it can be even worse trying to cater for everyone. Here are some simple suggestions for accommodating dietary restrictions!

One thing I find really uncomfortable, whether it’s at a friend’s house, a party or a work event, is having a big fuss made about providing gluten-free food. There is a huge variety of food available which is already gluten-free, and there are some things which might need a little extra effort or label reading, but you don’t need to exhaust yourself to provide gluten-free options at a child’s party. I think anyone with a food allergy just wants to feel that they are normal, and not making a big deal about food – it’s great as the host if you can help with that.

If you’re hosting the party and gluten-free children are attending

Hopefully, when they’ve RSVP’d, the parents of the gluten-free child will have shared this fact with you! It’s always a hard question whether, as the host, you’re responsible for providing food that everyone can eat. My attitude with this is that I hate anyone going home hungry or miserable, so I always try and make some allowance for vegetarians, gluten-intolerant and so on just in case. The good news is there are some dishes you can provide which are standard party fare, but safe for gluten-intolerant kids too. And the bonus is most will also work for the vegetarians!

Fruit skewers

As long as the children are three years old or so, fruit skewers are always a winner. Alternate apple, banana, orange and grapes and add a couple of marshmallows in for a treat. A hint here – not all marshmallows are gluten-free, but it will say on the packet. A variation on this is those old-fashioned cheese and pineapple sticks stuck in half an orange.

Rice crackers and hummus

I have a friend who always makes sure she has gluten-free rice crackers in her cupboard as an easy snack for me. These work just as well for kids’ parties. Do double-check the packet because there are a couple of brands which are not gluten-free.

Dried fruit

This is normally gluten-free and is healthy and yummy!

Devils on horseback

This may not be quite what they’re called, but I mean prunes or apricots wrapped in bacon with a toothpick through the middle. Bake them in the oven for 15 minutes. Just a note – some bacon has gluten in it – I’m not entirely sure how! Gluten-free bacon is a little more expensive, but you don’t need much to wrap each of the prunes, so it goes a long way.

Honey/chocolate rice bubble cakes

Okay, these aren’t the healthiest items, and you will need to make sure your Ricies are gluten-free (Sanitarium ones aren’t), but who doesn’t love a honey rice bubble square? If you’re feeling truly decadent, you can chop up some of the gluten-free marshmallows you bought for the skewers and stir these through the rice bubble cakes.

Potato crisps

Stay away from the flavoured ones and go straight for ready-salted, and you should be okay. Many flavoured chips have wheat flour in the seasonings.

Jelly cups

Most jelly is gluten-free. Add in some chopped fruit for a healthier treat.

If your gluten-free child is attending
a party

Most parents of gluten-free children will let the host parent know what their child can have when they RSVP. But just in case you arrive and there is nothing there your child can eat, here are some suggestions for items you can bring with you. I know it’s not as exciting as your child being able to eat the yummy food, but at least they’ll be able to eat something.

Rice crackers and dried fruit

You can get these in little packs which make them excellent for carrying around in your handbag.

Marshmallows

Put a few into one of those little snap lock bags.

Gluten-free muffins/cakes

Marx have some lovely Twinkies which are a great cake substitute. You can also buy or make gluten-free muffins that are quite portable.

If it’s your gluten-free child’s
birthday party

Make it easy for them and you, and make everything gluten-free! I’m betting that not a single child will be able to tell the difference. Here are some ideas:

All of the items I’ve listed above, plus:

Chicken nuggets, hot dogs and doughnuts

There’s a place called GF Treets which makes all of these. They have stockists all over NZ and these are perfect for kids’ birthday parties. Alternately, if you have time, you can make your own healthy versions using some of the Healthy Food Guide recipes.

The cake

Look for a recipe which is low in flour already, or which has some other component (I have an excellent chocolate cake with almond meal in it which converts very well). You’re looking for the ratio of flour to the other ingredients to be quite low. Use gluten-free flour, either your own mix or a premixed one. Icing sugar is generally gluten-free, as is food colouring, so you can easily create something splendid. Regardless of how it looks, it will be a masterpiece in your child’s eyes (I can swear to this – I am seriously artistically challenged, but my children are always delighted by what I produce).

Sausage rolls

Buy or make some gluten-free puff pastry, and some gluten-free sausages. Roll the pastry out thinly into a rectangle and cut lengthways. Cut the ends off the sausages and squeeze the sausage meat into a bowl. Add a grated carrot, a grated apple, grated cheese if they like it and some tomato sauce, and mix well. Lay out onto the pastry, roll up and slice into sausage roll-sized pieces. Brush with milk to make them nice and brown and then bake in the oven.

Muffins or cupcakes

Both of these are quick and easy to make and the recipes convert well. You can decorate them as you choose, or make a few bowls of different coloured icing and let the children decorate them as a party activity. It’s messy, but good fun!

Biscuits

Buy or make gluten-free biscuits. If they’re plain biscuits, you can jazz them up with a bit of icing and a few sprinkles.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and it’s certainly not a healthy one necessarily. But it gives a starting point for children who would otherwise have a difficult time at a party.

What are some of your tips and tricks for helping your gluten-free child survive at birthday parties and events?

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Lunchboxes the gluten-free way

Winning the battle of the gluten-free school lunchbox.

We’re into the start of the school year, and for the first week or two, I always have trouble getting my head around what to put in the children’s lunchboxes.

And remembering their sunhats, sunscreen, which day is swimming, the homework books and the schoolbooks (which reminds me of a little chore I still need to do!). I do not have any children with gluten-intolerance, so it’s only my lunchbox I have to think about, but one of the biggest issues with kids not eating their lunch is boredom. This is much worse when you have such a limited range of foods available to utilise, and when it’s harder to fall back on a sandwich or pre-packaged muesli bars and snacks. Here are some ideas to help you to make your child’s lunchbox interesting and varied, even if it is gluten-free.

Lunchbox ideas

Fruit and vegetables

Apples, bananas, stone fruit (cheap and plentiful at this time of year), kiwifruit, carrots, capsicum – whatever is on special at the moment and which your child will eat. In winter, dried fruit is a great alternative, although you do need to watch the sugar content of dried fruit.

Nuts

These can be problematic due to all the nut allergies, but if your child is allowed to take them to school, they’re an excellent protein snack. Try almonds rather than peanuts.

Yoghurt

If you freeze a carton of yoghurt overnight, it will gradually defrost in the lunchbox and be ready by lunchtime. This has the added advantage of keeping other items in the lunchbox cool.

Rice crackers and corn chips

You can often get small snack bags of both of these, although check the corn chips very carefully as often the coating contains wheat products.

Savoury or sweet muffins

Make a batch of these on Sunday night and freeze most of them. Again, these defrost well over the morning, and make a nice replacement for a sandwich. I’ve put a recipe below for a basic muffin, and you can add almost anything in, depending on what your children will eat. The advantage of homemade muffins is that you can keep the amount of sugar down, and increase the fibre content. They are also very quick and easy.

Sushi

Sushi is surprisingly quick and easy to make and great if you have leftover rice. Fillings can be almost anything – we had Christmas leftover sushi using turkey and cranberry! If you leave the roll uncut and in the fridge overnight, it only takes a couple of ticks to slice it up in the morning. Note: this will travel best in a hard plastic sandwich keeper or container. Gladwrap is not a great option for lunchbox sushi!

Biscuits

The freezer is truly your friend when it comes to gluten-free lunches, because biscuits which have been kept in the freezer are truly wonderful. If you’re buying biscuits, Leda does a very nice range which is reasonably priced. They have gingernuts, chocolate chips and a nice plain arrowroot type biscuit. There are lots of good biscuit recipes which translate successfully to gluten-free – shortbread, melting moments, cranberry oatmeal cookies (using rice flakes) and the like all do well.

Savoury snacks

If you want to give your child a treat, you could look at buying some Cheesy Bites or something similar. You could also add in a hard-boiled egg or cubes of cheese.

Mini quiches

If your child can eat eggs and likes them, you might want to consider making mini quiches using gluten-free flour in the base (recipe below). I make these in muffin trays, and individually wrap and freeze the quiches. Again, they defrost well by lunchtime, and are a good way to use up all sorts of leftover bits and pieces in the fridge.

Muesli bars

Freedom, Leda and a few other companies make muesli bars which are a good lunchbox filler. These are quite expensive, and you will need to ensure that if your child is gluten intolerant you buy the gluten-free bars, not the wheat-free ones. Also watch the sugar content on these, but that is consistent with normal muesli bars as well. You can buy these at most supermarkets, although I have found New World consistently seems to have the best selection.

Basic muffins

Ingredients

3 cups gluten-free flour (I like to use 1 cup brown rice flour for a bit more fibre, to 2 cups gluten-free flour or baking mix)
5 tsp gluten-free baking powder
2 eggs or equivalent egg substitute
1/4 cup oil (I prefer rice bran, but any unflavoured oil is fine. Olive oil is fine in savoury muffins but not sweet)
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tsp guar or xantham gum per cup of flour you’re using (not needed if you’re using a store-bought baking mix)

Method

Combine all in a large mixing bowl and add other ingredients. Mix lightly, only until just combined before cooking in muffin tins for 15-20 minutes at 180°C or until golden brown.

Flavour suggestions

Savoury

Half a cup each of grated carrot, courgette and cheese. Add diced ham, sliced spring onions and capsicum. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle some sunflower or pumpkin seeds on the top. Add in some cumin or fresh herbs. I basically throw in anything which doesn’t move!

Sweet

Banana and chocolate chip is a favourite in our household. Mash two bananas in a separate bowl with baking soda and a little of the milk. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup brown sugar to the dry ingredients. I also often add 1 grated apple and/or 1 grated carrot to this mix as well. It adds to the moistness of the muffins and means they are an excellent little fruit and vege boost.

Peach and ginger is another favourite. Use half a can of peaches in juice, drained and chopped finely. Add in 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tablespoon finely chopped crystallised ginger and 1/2 cup brown sugar to the dry ingredients.

Mini quiches

Ingredients

3 eggs
80g gluten-free flour or baking mix
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
4 tsp oil
400ml milk
90g grated cheese
about 1/2 cup meat, ie. salmon, chicken, ham, tuna, salami
1/2 onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to, taste
grated or finely chopped vegetables, eg. spinach, carrot, courgette, capsicum, tomato, silver beet

Method

Combine all ingredients into a bowl which has a lid. Shake until the ingredients are combined.

Pour into greased muffin tins, top with a little grated cheese and bake at 175°C for 15-20 minutes or until browned. You can also use cold cooked potato pieces to make a frittata-type quiche. Allow to cool, individually gladwrap and freeze.

As with most gluten-free food, you do need to put a little more preparation and thought into making a varied lunchbox, but it is completely doable.

What do you put into your kids’ lunchboxes to make them interesting and exciting?

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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The 13 hottest food trends coming your way this decade

Dietitian Juliette Kellow looks at the food products and development trends set to take off this decade

1 Vegan butchers

The meat imitation concept has been gaining momentum, and it’s predicted over the next decade we’ll see a surge in the consumption of vegan substitutes that look and taste (and even ‘bleed’) like meat. A report from global consultancy firm AT Kearney predicts that by 2035 vegan-friendly ‘meats’ will account for almost a quarter of worldwide consumption of meat. The popularity of vegan ‘butchers’, which sell meat-free burgers and steak, is already growing. UK supermarket Sainsbury’s dipped its toe in the water last summer, when it set up a meat-free butcher in London for three days to sell cuts of ‘meat’ and strings of sausages.

2 Seacuterie

Traditional charcuterie platters will be reinvented to feature pickled, fermented and smoked seafood instead of meat. The Australian concept of seacuterie – salmon pastrami, octopus salami, cured tuna, smoked oysters, pickled anchovies and caviar – will push traditional salamis and pâtés off the menu.

Accompaniments include aïoli, lemon wedges and sea ingredients such as kelp, algae, samphire and nori. We think it’s a great way to eat less processed meat and enjoy the recommended two portions of fish each week. Just keep an eye on the salt.

3 Nextovers

Conservative estimates say we bin 1.3 billion tonnes of food each year, globally, and new research suggests that figure could be doubled. Around a quarter of this – comes from leftovers where we’ve cooked too much.

So get into the habit of making nextovers… Instead of binning uneaten food (even if there isn’t enough for a complete meal), resolve to use it as a base for, or addition to, tomorrow’s supper. It’s as simple as turning bolognese into a con carne by adding kidney beans and chillies.

As well as preventing binned food ending up in landfill (where bacteria break it down and generate climate-changing greenhouse gases), you’ll save time and money. It puts nutrients into our body rather than the bin, too. That’s four easy wins!

4 Edible packaging

Anyone fancy edible spoons made from rice flour, wheat and sorghum, straws that come in a variety of flavours, or drink pouches made from seaweed and other plant materials? Packaging as we know it is changing. Researchers from the University of Nottingham have already developed a 100% biodegradable and edible alternative to clingfilm that’s made from carbohydrates and proteins.

One easy way to embrace the trend is simply to snack on more fruit and veg instead of crisps, biscuits or sweets. Apples, pears, grapes, peppers and cherry tomatoes all come with a natural packaging you can eat – it’s called the skin! – but do buy them loose.

5 Zero-waste cooking

This taps into the desire to reduce food waste by eating up food before it’s passed its use-by date and unsafe to eat. But the concept also includes ‘root to stem’ or ‘nose to tail’ cooking – eating the parts of food we often throw away.

For example, you might turn butternut squash seeds into a snack, add broccoli stems to a stir-fry, or steam chopped cauliflower leaves. The concept is already becoming mainstream – MasterChef often includes a ‘scraps’ challenge, where chefs create a dish from trimmings that usually go in the bin. Zero-waste restaurant Silo, which opened in London in November (silolondon.com), is leading where others will surely follow.

6 No-proof drinks

More of us will be bypassing the booze aisles in favour of alcohol-free options. It helps that traditional distilling methods are being used to create plausible non-alcoholic alternatives, such as the Seedlip range, which are designed to be drunk with a mixer.

Supermarket reports also confirm a greater focus on flavoured drinks rather than alcohol. Benchmark, a global hospitality company, suggests new fruit juice flavours, such as prickly pear and dragon fruit, will be whetting our appetite in 2020. Check labels, though, as zero alcohol doesn’t mean zero calories or sugar!

7 Citrus sensations

Bergamot orange, blood orange, calamansi, citron, pomelo, yuzu and ugli fruit tend to be sour, but apparently our palates are seeking tart foods as we reduce sugar.

8 New spreads

While peanut, almond and cashew butters are likely to remain popular, look out for watermelon or pumpkin seed, macadamia nut and even chickpea butters.

9 Ugly veg and fruit

We don’t need perfectly curved bananas or round tomatoes to enjoy them. Expect to see more misshapen fruit and veg on sale.

10 Spices hot up

Using chilli to add punch to dishes is having a moment. As a wider range becomes available, hot sauces and chilli flakes are the new alternatives to salt for adding flavour.

11 Sweeteners

Manuka honey, coconut nectar, agave syrup and molasses have been big news. The new kids on the sugar block include syrups made from monk fruit, pomegranate, dates, sweet potato and sorghum. Remember, they all still count as free sugars, though, so should be limited.

12 Fantastic flours

Just as we’d got used to spelt, buckwheat and rye, new flour varieties made from cauliflower, bananas, tigernuts and teff caught our attention.

13 CBD products

Although their effectiveness is still on trial, CBD oils trended last year. In some parts of the world CBD is being added to food and drink, so expect it to pop up in mainstream products from tea to tonic water.

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Gluten-free breakfast – the hardest meal of the day?

When I was first told that I shouldn’t be eating gluten, the meal I had the most difficulty with was breakfast.

I’ll come back to lunch, which has its own challenges, in another post! Dinner turned out to be surprisingly easy. All my favourite breakfast foods – porridge, muesli, French toast, pancakes and the like – were out. What could I replace them with? Here are some suggestions.

Toast

The good old staple of toast. Whilst gluten-free bread, in the main, is not as nice as bread with gluten, it actually makes up into a nice toast. In fact, I would recommend eating gluten-free bread toasted almost all the time, as it’s far better than eating it as fresh bread. Most spreads are gluten-free, and you can use avocado, hummus and other healthy toppings for a bit of variety.

Muesli

There are a number of excellent muesli-type cereals readily available. Both Hubbards and Healtheries make reasonably priced options – and have a good variety of flavours, stocked at all of the supermarkets. My favourite is the Healtheries High Fibre muesli, as it has the best fibre content of the commercial mueslis that I have looked at. If you can spend a little more money, the Brookfield Farms Macadamia muesli is very good, and available at New Worlds and most Countdowns. There are also any number of boutique mueslis available. The one I like the best is Cec’s Gluten-free Muesli (which can be purchased from their website, www.cecsmuesli.co.nz) but again, it’s more expensive. I tend to buy one of the expensive ones and two of the cheaper, everyday ones and mix them together. The other option is to make your own, and there are some excellent recipes around for this.

Porridge

Both Healtheries and Hubbards do a rice porridge offering. I add some dried cranberries and currants for a bit of extra flavour. Opinion is divided about oats. Some research (especially overseas) suggests that the amount of gluten per milligram is so tiny that oats are not considered to contain gluten. If you buy packet biscuit mixes from overseas, they will often contain oats. However, the requirements in New Zealand are a little more stringent, and oats are considered to contain gluten. I think this is one of those topics where you need to make the decision for yourself, but the prevailing advice is for coeliacs to stay away from oats.

Cooked breakfasts

In some ways, cooked breakfasts are easiest. Thin, crepe-like pancakes and waffles both translate very well to a gluten-free version. Simply replace the normal flour with gluten-free flour, and add a little vanilla or cinnamon. You may need a little more liquid as the gluten-free flour tends to suck that up more than normal flour. French toast is a little harder, but you can make it using gluten-free bread and because of the eggs and milk, it does jazz up bread that is a day or two old. I’d suggest something like Bakeworks pull-apart buns sliced thickly rather than the sliced loaves of gluten-free bread.

Café breakfasts

In cafés it is uncommon to have gluten-free options for muesli, but many cafés nowadays have gluten-free bread available. I tend to make up a ‘sides’ breakfast – mushrooms, bacon, avocado and gluten-free toast. Hash browns, or hash potatoes, are also gluten-free. A couple of things to watch for with café breakfasts are:

• Is the bacon gluten-free? I know it sounds odd, but some bacon contains gluten. I guess it must be injected, but can’t figure out why they would do this!
• Cross-contamination – this is where the items are cooked in the same place as items containing gluten. For example, a grill where burger buns are cooked and also steak, or a pancake pan which does both gluten and gluten-free pancakes. It’s worth checking with the kitchen to find out what they do.
• Creamy mushrooms – you should always check that this is just a cream sauce. I’ve had experiences where the mushrooms have been cooked in a sauce with a flour base rather than cream.

Hotel breakfasts

Breakfast buffets at hotels can be great for those who are gluten intolerant. Most hotels have gluten-free bread for toasting if you ask, however the toasting machines have breadcrumbs and so on from normal bread, so this is probably not a great option. Most of the hot buffet foods work well for the gluten intolerant – bacon, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, tomatoes – but stay away from the sausages unless they specify that they are gluten-free. There is never any gluten-free cereal on display, but sometimes they have it if you ask. There is normally fresh fruit and yoghurt, so you can have quite a good breakfast!

Additional breakfast tips and tricks

Work mornings can be difficult, and if we don’t manage to eat breakfast at home, it’s much harder for the gluten intolerant to just pop to a nearby café and pick up a Danish or a bagel. To make weekday mornings easier, I keep cereal, gluten-free bread (in the freezer) and yoghurt at my office and tend to eat there.

Like everything else related to eating gluten-free, with a bit of preparation and a willingness to ask questions of the kitchen staff, you can easily cope with breakfasts.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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10 ways to retrain your brain for weight loss

A new approach to weight loss puts your brain in the driver’s seat — and it works to beat food cravings too.

On paper, weight loss seems a pretty simple equation: if you eat fewer kilojoules than your body burns, then the scales will start to shift in the right direction. But, for those of us trying to lose unwanted weight it can be like an uphill battle we can’t seem to win.

Something about the weight-loss equation isn’t working. So, it’s time to hand over the reins to your grey matter: your brain. It turns out that what happens up there influences not only how easily people do — or don’t — lose weight, it can also affect how likely they are to gain unwanted weight.

Mental imagery to make change

Dr Linda Solbrig, who led a 2018 study that investigated how mental imagery can affect weight loss, found that people who used the imagery technique lost five times more weight than people who didn’t. This technique challenges the brain to come up with an image of what change might look or feel like, and how it could be maintained during challenging times.

“It’s fantastic that people lost significantly more weight on this intervention, because unlike most studies, it provided no diet or physical activity advice or education. People were completely free in their choices.

The stress link to weight and cravings

New research also shows that mental stress can have a big impact on our weight and suggests taking steps to manage stress can promote fat loss (if that’s what we want) — even without making any dietary changes. Stress dampens important activity in the area of the brain responsible for impulse control (hello cravings!).

Stress also pushes us to crave and seek out foods high in fat (saturated being the unhealthy kind), salt and sugar. That’s because these foods encourage the release of ‘happy hormones’ which then bind to receptors in our brains, reducing the damaging effect of stress hormones.

The brain’s response to chronic stress also affects where, and how much, fat gets stored — and makes it more likely to accumulate around the stomach. This is known as the ‘danger spot’ for health.

Taking steps to stress less, or utilising complex mental imagery techniques, aren’t the only ways to push your brain into weight-loss-friendly mode, if you want to lose weight.

A 2018 study proved the value of the ‘nudge theory’, confirming that making some simple but strategic tweaks helps your brain choose the healthier option — no willpower required. So, instead of trying to lose weight or fight sugar cravings by relying purely on self-control, you can use the following science-backed strategies that talk directly to your body’s boss — your brain.

10 ways to retrain your brain

Brain hack #1 Eat an apple before shopping

There’s a reason you should never shop on an empty stomach. ‘Hungry shopping’ causes people to fill their trolleys with 31 per cent more high-kilojoule foods, one study has found.

Luckily, new research has also identified the best pre-shopping snack — an apple. eat one before you hit the supermarket and you will buy 25 per cent more fruit and vegies, because as a food with a healthy reputation, an apple encourages a healthy-food-buying frame of mind.

Research also shows you’ll eat twice as much of the food you’ve bought the most of — because volume equals better visibility in the fridge.

Brain hack #2 Think of yourself as a ‘healthy eater’

It’s a simple trick that makes it easier to stick to healthier food choices. That’s according to a US study, which found that when people trying to implement a dietary change like ‘eat more fruit’ created a new label for themselves — like ‘fruit eater’ — their eating behaviour followed suit.

The researchers say it’s purely psychological: the more you identify with a particular role, like ‘healthy eater’, the more likely you are to start participating in role-related behaviours, like eating healthily — without trying too hard!

Brain hack #3 Photograph your meal

Or, better still, set up a ‘food diary’ Instagram account and post meal pics. A 2017 study proved keeping a photographic food diary, particularly one that lets you view snaps of many meals next to each other, helps you keep your healthy eating goals on track.

It works whether the meal is healthy or not. Healthy snaps motivate, while the second variety work as a subliminal reminder to make a healthier choice at the next meal.

Brain hack #4 Snack on walnuts between meals

Research shows walnuts activate a brain region involved in appetite control.

When those who had eaten walnuts were shown pictures of food while undergoing an MRI scan, their brains displayed different rates of activity when they were viewing highly ‘desirable’ foods like dessert, compared to foods like vegetables.

This suggests people were not only paying more attention to their food choices, they were also favouring the healthier options.

Brain hack #5 Eat with your ‘other’ hand

This means if you’re right-handed, use your left hand, and vice versa – particularly when you’re eating in a distraction-rich environment.

It works by disrupting eating habits, so your brain is forced to pay closer attention to what and how much you’re eating, rather than just letting you chew your way through food on autopilot.

When scientists put the theory to the test, people consumed a third less food when they switched hands.

Brain hack #6  Imagine eating it!

Before you enjoy a food you love but don’t want to eat too much of — perhaps potato chips — spend a bit of time imagining yourself eating and getting through a big bag of them.

The results of a US study show you’ll eat and feel satisfied with considerably fewer chips when you open the bag for real.

Contrary to previous research, which suggested that thinking about something yummy just increases consumption of it, this study suggests you can trick your brain into thinking you’ve already had your fair share.

Brain hack #7  Tap away a craving

Can’t stop thinking about chocolate? set your phone timer to 30 seconds, then, using your index (or pointer) finger, tap your forehead until the alarm sounds.

It might sound a little strange, but research has shown it effectively zaps food cravings by distracting the brain.

Brain hack #8 Clench your muscles to say ‘no thanks’

Research indicates that when you tighten your muscles, whether it’s your calf muscles, your biceps or just clenching a fist, it subconsciously mobilises your willpower – perfect if you want to resist food cravings or to say no to seconds, minus the mental struggle.

The trick is employing the tactic at the exact moment you need it — it won’t top up your willpower ahead of time.

Brain hack #9 Choose healthy food first

Do this whenever you’re serving yourself a meal. Food psychology scientists have proved the first food you put on your plate influences what you’ll take next — so if it’s a healthy choice, two-thirds of your plate will ultimately end up covered with healthy foods, without your willpower having to do any work.

Perfect for Christmas buffets!

Brain hack #10 Cut up your food before eating

When a meal or even a piece of cake is served in smaller, bite-size portions, you’ll feel less compelled to finish your plate — and you’ll also feel full for longer afterwards.

The US researchers behind the finding say it’s because a portion of food cut into multiple pieces looks larger, which tricks your brain into thinking you’ve consumed more than you have while you’re eating.

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How to Konmari your kitchen

Healthy cooking is so much easier with the right staples on hand. Give your pantry a healthy makeover — in three simple steps!

Every night we’re hit with those three dreaded words — “What’s for dinner?” If you open your fridge and pantry to half-opened packets and out-of-date jars, you might be in need of a kitchen detox. We turned for sage advice to Marie Kondo, the queen of tidying, to make sure your kitchen has all the ingredients you need to create healthy meals.

First, take an inventory of what’s in your kitchen…

Tackle just one cupboard at a time. Remove everything and give the cupboard a good clean.

Check the dates on everything. Opened bottles and jars usually have a pretty short shelf life, so if in doubt, throw it out. Old self-raising flour won’t give your cakes a rise, and spices lose their potency.

Group items such as pastas and grains; baking products; oils and vinegars; and canned vegies. Decant pasta shapes into large glass jars — you’re more likely to use them up if you can see them.

Rotate items according to date, placing the ones that need using up earliest near the front. Rotate your stock when putting away a big shop. You may want to buy mini shelves to maximise space.

Note what you’ve got. Keep a list on the fridge of items you’re running low on. Flag anything in abundance, and plan a meal or two around these.
Label food in the freezer so it’s easy to keep stock. Ditch anything over six months old and check for freezer burn on meat and fish (you’ll notice a whiteish or pale tint on the surface).

Next, set up your mindful kitchen…

Make healthier foods more noticeable, visible and accessible. Store fruit and vegies at eye level and in transparent containers in the fridge. Hide treat foods in an opaque container, out of reach at the back of the cupboard. Out of sight, out of mind!

Keep your fruit bowl filled with fresh seasonal favourites. Position it as an obstacle in front of the treat cupboard, by the TV or next to your car keys — so you can grab something on the way out.

Swap the biscuit tin for a jar of unsalted mixed nuts. A daily handful of nuts has a multitude of health benefits, plus they’re much more filling than biscuits, so it’s easy to stop at a handful.

Stick your meal planner in easy view on the fridge to curb mindless snacking. Download our HFG Meal Planner.

Invest in measuring cups, spoons and stackable storage containers so you can measure out portions of foods straight away — you’ll have instant control over serving sizes, and meal prep will be easier.

Finally, restock the shelves with healthy staples…

Fresh produce

Eggs, onions, carrots and garlic form the basis of so many everyday recipes.

Tip There’s no need to keep eggs in the fridge (unless it’s very hot weather) — they’ll just take up precious space.

Oils and condiments

Extra-virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, Dijon and wholegrain mustards, chilli sauce and reduced-salt soy sauce should cover you.

Tip Use a light-flavoured olive oil for cooking, and save robust-flavoured olive oil for salad dressings.

Canned basics

Canned beans, chickpeas and lentils are packed with filling plant protein and fibre. Reduced-fat coconut milk, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée and canned fish (salmon, tuna and sardines) will ensure you can whip up a quick cupboard meal.

Tip Shop around for reduced-salt canned products. Home-brand labels are just as good as expensive brands.

Flavour boosters

Low-salt stock cubes or powders, dried herbs and spices, pitted Kalamata olives, capers in brine and nutritional yeast flakes add savoury flavour without lots of kilojoules.

Tip Invest in high-rotation seasonings like pepper, chilli flakes, bay leaves, dried oregano, smoked paprika, cinnamon, coriander and ground allspice.

Healthy carbs

Stock up on pasta, rice or egg noodles, brown rice (or microwavable pouches), quinoa, rolled oats and wholemeal couscous for variety.

Tip Opt for high-fibre whole grains to keep you full for longer.

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5 humble health foods we can eat more of

HFG dietitian Melissa Meier shares five humble foods that bestow surprising health benefits.

Potatoes

Often unfairly blamed for weight gain, the humble spud is actually jam-packed with nutrition, including immunity-boosting vitamin C, gut-loving fibre, and potassium for better heart and muscle function. Potatoes are perfect oven roasted, boiled, mashed or sliced into a salad — and they offer energy-giving carbs that are essential for a balanced meal.

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Two-minute health quiz

How healthy are you really? Get your health snapshot done in as little as two minutes with our fun health quiz.

1 How often do you eat fruit and vegetables?

A Several times a day
B A few times a week
C Rarely

2 How often do you eat wholegrain foods like oats or brown grainy bread?

A Daily
B A few times a week
C Rarely

3 How often do you eat red meat?

A Once or twice a week, or less
B 3–4 times a week
C Almost every day

4 How often do you eat seafood?

A Several times a week
B Once a week to once a month
C Rarely, if at all

5 How often do you eat out?

A Rarely
B A few times a week
C Almost every day

6 How often do you drink alcohol?

A Rarely
B A few times a week
C Almost every day

7 What best describes your physical activity levels?

A I exercise for 30 minutes or more most days of the week
B I try to exercise a few times every week
C I rarely exercise

8 What is your waist circumference?

A Less than 80cm (for women) or less than 94cm (for men)
B 80–88cm (for women) or 94–102cm (for men)
C More than 88cm (for women) or more than 102cm (for men)

9 How much sleep do you get on average each night?

A 7–9 hours
B 5–7 hours
C Less than 5 hours or more than 9 hours

What your answers say about you…

Mostly A’s Congratulations! You’re doing a lot of good things for your long-term health. Keep up the good work!

Mostly B’s There’s a few things to work on, but you’re on the right track in some regards. It might be helpful to seek advice from a registered dietitian to help improve your eating habits.

Mostly C’s Let’s be honest — there’s a lot of room for improvement. Work towards improving your score, and check in with your doctor in the meantime.

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Can a keto diet turn pre-and type-2 diabetes around?

Healthy Food Guide looks at the upsides and downsides of the ketogenic diet for managing type-2 diabetes

Q I have heard that the keto diet is great for reversing my type-2 pre-diabetes. But you guys don’t seem to recommend it. What’s the story?

A The keto diet has been around a long time, since the 1920s, and certainly does have its place. Like many restrictive diets, it can be a quick way to lose weight. And dietary changes coupled with increased physical activity are among the best lifestyle modifications for type-2 diabetes and prediabetes treatment or management.

A common issue is whether you can keep up your dietary changes in the long term. With keto being so restrictive, this can be hard. Also, the science is emerging as to what other effects on your health it may have. We have written about it several times, see: Is keto or fasting better for weight loss?, Getting enough fibre on a keto diet  and Keto diet may be best in small doses.

The science-backed approach to type-2 diabetes

At Healthy Food Guide our approach is to follow the science and collective body of research on issues, rather than a current trend. The science shows that lower-carb diets can have positive results for people with type-2 diabetes, in the short term, but those benefits appear to even out, over time, when compared with other dietary interventions.

Having meals based on the ‘ideal plate’ – quarter of the meal protein, quarter carbohydrate (ideally ones that burn slower/have a lower glycaemic index) and half non-starchy vegetables – is the best way to go. See our Diabetes Toolkit and diabetes-friendly recipes for examples.

Our approach is that any dietary plan needs to be enjoyable, healthy and sustainable, so you have no trouble keeping going with it. That means if a keto diet works for you and you can keep to it long term, to achieve your goals, then it may well help you. But it’s good to remember that the science also suggests highly restrictive diets seldom work in the long run and can lead to yo-yo dieting patterns and weight gain, over time.

Upsides to keto

1. If followed strictly, a keto diet will likely result in weight loss and improvement in blood sugar and blood fat levels for people with type- 2 diabetes
2. Lots of rules, so you know exactly what to do
3. Can be low in processed foods, although some are allowed.

Downsides to keto

1. May be hard to keep up with the strict limitations in real life
2. It’s extremely low in carbohydrates – an important source of fuel for your brain and body
3. It’s low in fibre – which is important for gut and bowel health. A good intake of fibre is associated with lower all-cause mortality in people with diabetes
4. Can lead to fuzzy brain (keto brain), due to a deficit of carbs
5. Can lead to ketone smell
6. Following a keto diet may mean you have to change the amount of insulin or sulphonylureas (such as glibenclamide, glipizide and gliclizide) you need. If you don’t change your medication amount you may increase the risk of low blood sugar levels. Always talk to your health professional first.

We suggest…

1. If you want to try keto, do it for a short timeframe, then move on to a fibre-rich Mediterranean-style diet high in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains
2. Make small changes that you find enjoyable and sustainable, eg, replace processed snacks with fruit and unsweetened yoghurt
3. Start some form of exercise that you actually enjoy, so you can do it every day. It can be as simple as a walk around the block
4. Keep in touch with your health professional and monitor your medication.

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5 tech traps that harm your health, and how to avoid them

We can’t live without technology these days. But have you ever thought about how it might be impacting your health?

When experts at a US-based think tank crunched the numbers, they found that whenever a country invests an extra 10 per cent in information communications technology, the rate of obesity in that country climbs by almost 1.5 per cent of the total population.

If you’re keen to limit the damage technology has on your health, avoid these five common tech traps.

Tech trap #1 Combining mealtime with screen time

By eating dinner in front of the TV or having lunch at your computer, you’ll often consume more food than you need. One explanation is that screen time is distracting. It blurs your ‘food memory’— and new research shows that when you can’t recall how much you ate during a meal, you’ll consume 25 per cent more food than usual at the next one.

Avoid it by…

Chewing your food more
The best solution is committing to screen-free meals, but when you can’t, chew every bite thoroughly. People who increase their chews-per-bite from 15 to 40 eat 12 per cent less of the
food on their plate. As well as giving your body more time to feel full, it helps regulate appetite hormones.

Tech trap #2 Ordering restaurant meals without leaving the house

The recent surge of meal delivery services like Uber eats makes it easy to order in without resorting to fast food, so you can eat your favourite restaurant meal without leaving the house. the problem? Home cooking is the main ingredient in a healthier diet, with restaurant meals often just as high in kilojoules as fast food — and sometimes higher.

Avoid it by…

Choosing a menu that displays nutritional info about each dish
When you have access to nutritional information, your subconscious nudges you to make a healthier choice. Not possible? drink two glasses of water while waiting for your food. It creates a feeling of fullness that translates into you eating roughly 380 fewer kilojoules per meal.

Tech trap #3 Paying for groceries with the wave of a card

It makes life simple, but researchers at the University of Chicago discovered that when you pay by card, you end up with more unhealthy, discretionary foods in your trolley. It seems that simply not having to physically part with cold hard cash brings out the impulsive purchaser in us.

Avoid it by…

Writing a meal plan and shopping with a list
Australian research confirms doing both will help you avoid the temptations of unhealthy food purchases and buy only what you’d planned to.

Tech trap #4 Looking at your phone before you hit the sack

When you’re exposed to the blue-tinged light of your phone, laptop and TV in the hour or two before bedtime, it disrupts your sleep patterns. this has a knock-on effect on your weight. Poor sleep can lead to weight gain because it increases levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, while also lowering your levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses your appetite.

Avoid it by…

Downloading F.lux (justgetflux.com)
It’s an app that automatically adjusts your screen’s colour to suit the time of day in order to support your body clock’s rhythm — so at night, blue light turns reddish-orange. Another option is to make the two hours before bedtime a tech-free zone.

Tech trap #5 Binge-watching your favourite series

Results of a recent US study prove people who binge-watch up to six consecutive hours of media in one sitting are more likely to eat poorly, exercise less and to be overweight. Binge-watching prompts us to eat unhealthy foods to excess, as well as stealing time from healthier pursuits.

Avoid it by…

Limiting how many episodes you watch at once
Research published last year says you’ll enjoy your favourite series more when you take a break between episodes.

How to digitally detox

Try these four ways to tame your tech habit without really trying.

1 Turn your devices to silent. Hearing that ‘ding’ notification causes the same amount of mental distraction as actually using your phone or tablet.

2 Keep gadgets out of sight when socialising. Not only does this deliver a zero-tech opportunity, you’ll get more out of your socialising too. Research shows just the presence of a smartphone lowers the quality of traditional-style conversations.

3 Move your chargers out of your bedroom. And make it a habit to plug in devices overnight. That takes away the temptation to use them before or after you’ve switched the lights off.

4 And never (ever!) check your phone while you’re moving. You’ll be much safer too. Researchers from Queensland, Australia have confirmed that texting while walking significantly increases your accident and injury risk.

For more on how to do a digital detox read this

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Gluten Free Made Easy – cooking courses for the gluten intolerant

Picture this – 11 gluten-intolerant people standing in the dining room of a house in Pukekohe smelling bread baking and knowing that they ARE going to be able to eat it. How did we get here? All thanks to Neville and Judy Green at Gluten Free Made Easy.

Neville has been a chef for a good number of years, but got into gluten-free baking in the late 1990s when he and Judy owned a café in East Tamaki. The story goes that they had a regular customer who came in every day for a coffee, but would never buy any food. When Neville asked her why, she told him there was nothing she could eat. This was a red rag to a bull, and by the time the café was sold, they were selling more gluten-free products than normal ones. A few years ago, Neville and Judy helped a young mother with two coeliac children, and one of the dietitians at Auckland Hospital told them they should be teaching their secrets. And so GFME was born.

I rocked up to their home in Pukekohe, which is where they run some of their courses from. They also do them all over the North Island in people’s homes, halls and wherever a kitchen can be provided. On the board on the wall was the list of things we would be shown how to make – white bread rolls, French bread, crackers, pasta, seed bread, muffins, scones and focaccia. I couldn’t believe that we could get through all those items before 2.30pm, but we did!

We were greeted with a table spread out with snacks, all of which were gluten-free, and in deference to my egg yolk intolerance, were also egg yolk-free. Two of the attendees were also dairy intolerant, and so the items which contained dairy had been identified as well.

Neville and Judy spent some time explaining their backgrounds and philosophy, and talking about the positive benefits of being gluten-free. Because they do so much gluten-free cooking, their house is now gluten-free, and Judy in particular has noticed a number of health benefits. Neville is the best kind of evangelist – one who is passionate about his cause, but is doing it for all the right reasons. His key messages are nutrition, affordability and accessibility.

I have very successfully converted lots of recipes to gluten-free versions, and have a number of cookbooks which have done the same. Many of the online resources offer very good conversions for recipes. Where Neville and Judy differ is that they have developed all their recipes with a real emphasis on the nutritional content of the flours they use. It all begins with the flour blends, and the very handy takeaway recipe book that you are provided with gives a variety of these, and their uses. Neville waxes lyrical about the evils of modified starch which appears in great quantities in most commercial gluten-free products, and spent six years developing a bread recipe which shares the qualities of those made with modified starch but without the bad effects.

Affordability is the next cornerstone of their philosophy. If you’re feeding a family of four all gluten-free foods, you have to be able to afford it. For this reason, their recipes tend to use flour blends which can be made up much more cost-effectively than the store-bought ones, and they tend not to use more expensive components like almond meal.

Accessibility is the third key component, and to this end, they provide a list of outlets around the country who supply quality products. Buying gluten-free is a lot easier than it was even five years ago, but it always helps to know where to look.

Both Neville and Judy are excellent raconteurs and have any number of stories to tell. They do a lot of work with autistic children, as diets which are gluten- and dairy-free and without additives often seem to have a beneficial effect on these children. Teaching the children themselves how to cook is an experience which Neville and Judy seem to delight in.

Some key tips are to measure flours by the WEIGHT and not the cup, so a set of digital scales is recommended. They also use a kitchen mixer extensively for their recipes. This would be almost my only criticism – many of their recipes are written to utilise a bench-top mixer, which not everyone has access to. Neville can tell you how to do the recipe by hand, but it has made me want a mixer even more than I already did!

My other suggestion would be to bind the recipes in a stronger covering. It’s spiral bound at the moment, and that’s great because it’s low-cost and can be added to easily. But mine is already nearly falling apart!

Another interesting tip for me is that you can eliminate the egg yolk in a recipe and just use the egg white, so I see lots of lemon curd and lemon tarts for my family in the future. Also, you can use 50g of chickpea flour to replace one egg, and that the No Egg egg replacer can be used (with no water) as a stabiliser in many recipes.

Eleven people rolled out of Judy and Neville’s house that afternoon, stuffed full of French bread which tasted like French bread, focaccia which tasted like focaccia, and sandwich bread which tasted just as good as normal bread. We were all buzzing, on a total carb high, clutching our takeaway containers full of leftovers and all very reluctant to leave because we had been made to feel so very welcome and had learnt so much.

I would recommend this as an essential course for anyone who has to live a gluten-free lifestyle. Run, don’t walk, to the GFME website and book yourselves on to a one-day course. At $95 for the day, it is an excellent investment, and gives you all you need to successfully bake gluten-free.

In addition, Neville and Judy are developing their website to have online cooking tutorials, complete with step-by-step photos, available on a subscription basis. They’ll add new recipes and information each month. This will be a great enhancement to the information which is already there, and a very useful one for people who can’t make it to their courses, or who want to add new recipes to their repertoire.

Now I just need to save up for a proper kitchen mixer. I have my eyes on the new Kenwood KMM770 which comes with a blender and mincer and looks like a great deal.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Gluten-free high tea – yes, it is possible!

Fancy an afternoon out eating lovely cakes and savouries accompanied by exotic teas? This is no longer an impossibility for the gluten-intolerant.

Before I begin, I should state for the record that a high tea does not fall into the ‘healthy food’ criteria, and I am certainly not recommending this for an every week (or even every month!) event. However, every now and again, it is lovely to be able to have a treat, or a special event. For those of us who have issues with food intolerances, the idea of an elegant, tasty food event in which we can participate is soooo enticing. Here’s my experience.

Last year, I organised a high tea for a friend’s 40th birthday. We went somewhere which listed gluten-free high teas on their website – Prohibition (now called Nostalgia). When I booked, I mentioned that there was one person who was gluten-free. I called the day before to confirm. When we arrived at the restaurant, I mentioned it again and checked that they had noted it in the reservation, which they had. I was then sorely disappointed by the high tea that was brought out for me, because initially, it was not gluten-free and when they did bring out a gluten-free one, it was obvious that they had cobbled something together and hadn’t planned at all, despite my multiple notifications. If I had just rocked up and expected them to have something available, I wouldn’t have been upset, but I felt I had done everything I could to give them time to prepare. The non-gluten-free high teas were lovely by the way, as was the environment, the rest of the service and so on.

I wrote a poor review on my blog and sent it off to Prohibition. They replied with their apologies and said they would try and improve, and I heard nothing more for over six months. Out of the blue, just before Christmas, an email came from them, saying they’d done a lot of work on their gluten-free menu, they were making all their gluten-free food in-house, and would I like to come back and try again – their treat this time – for myself and a friend. They would welcome my feedback again.

I really appreciate that kind of customer service and willingness to change, and the fact that they kept my details and contacted me months later, so I headed off with my mum and teenage daughters on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon. The picture above is what was served to me and it looked a lot like the normal high tea. Contents: two kinds of scones (savoury and sweet), ciabatta with a selection of toppings and six different mini-dessert treats.

One of the girls made the ultimate sacrifice and tried some of the gluten-free variants, and her comment was that the gluten-free ciabatta was better than the one containing gluten! The scones were very good, especially the sultana ones. Yes, that is a lamington you can see, and again, there was very little difference in taste between this and the one containing gluten. The cakes selection was very heavily mousse-based, and I would have liked to see a little more variation there, which was my only criticism.

I cannot speak for Nostalgia’s cross-contamination policies in their kitchen, and this is certainly something you should check if you’re a coeliac disease sufferer. I can say that the four of us had a delightful afternoon out. The atmosphere and service were excellent, the quality of the food was exceptional (especially the scones of both kinds), and I really appreciated the effort that had gone into crafting an afternoon tea which looked and tasted like everyone else’s. It was a real treat for us all and we had a lovely time. Just a note that the high tea is quite large and Nostalgia have very cute ‘doggy’ bags to take away any leftovers. I feel at $34 per person, this represented good value for money. So thank you, Ed and the team at Nostalgia, for making my second visit as memorable as the first, but for much better reasons!

My girls have now committed themselves to making a ‘gluten-free high tea trail’ around Auckland for me so that I can compare and contrast. Of course, they tell me that it will be necessary for them to accompany me!

To help the girls with their high tea trail, I would love to hear about any good, bad or indifferent high tea experiences you’ve had. Weigh in below on the best (and worst) places you’ve had high tea.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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HFG chocolate brownie the gluten-free way!

Have you wanted a gluten-free brownie which is quick and easy?

Healthy Food Guide editor Niki Bezzant challenged me to convert the
HFG chocolate brownie recipe to a gluten-free version, and this is the result!

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened apple or pear purée
1 tablespoon oil (I used rice bran)
1/3 cup gluten-free cocoa
3/4 cup gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons LSA
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped nuts

Method

Step 1 Preheat oven to 175°C. Lightly spray a 20x20cm baking dish.

Step 2 Place purée and oil in a medium-sized bowl. Sift on cocoa, flour, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum. Add sugar, LSA and salt. Mix until just combined (do not over-mix as this will toughen the brownies). Gently fold in chocolate chips and nuts. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake for 30-35 minutes until the centre feels set and fudgy when a skewer is inserted.

Step 3 Cool in pan for 10-15 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before slicing into squares. Dust with sifted gluten-free icing sugar before serving, if desired.

Notes

I used a flour mix which is 600g rice flour, 200g potato starch and 100g tapioca starch, however a gluten-free baking mix will work just as well. My people don’t much like walnuts, which is what the original recipe calls for, so I used chopped almonds. Also, I used puréed pear, because I can’t eat apples.

I really like this recipe as it’s very quick and, unlike most brownie recipes, doesn’t use eggs. It’s also dairy-free, so seems to be a very low-allergen sweet treat. I’ve added some LSA to bump up the nutritional value. I taste-tested it with a few of the family, and they couldn’t tell the difference between the gluten-free ones and the others, and the gluten-free ones were the more popular.

Do you have a great brownie recipe you could share? If so, please do it in the comments below!

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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You’re gluten free – now where on earth do you buy food?

When I was first told to stop eating gluten, I did what I always do – I hit the internet for where and how to buy. Sadly, there was no one place which gave me good information.

This is one of the reasons I started blogging. Here are some excellent places I have found over the last couple of years. This is not by any means an exhaustive list, but I’ve found all of these places to have good service and good products.

Ceres Organics

Their products appear in lots of supermarkets now, but they also have an excellent website and their shop at 181 Ladies Mile, Ellerslie, Auckland has a wide range of cooking ingredients, muesli bars and the like. Mostly organic food, but also an extensive gluten-free section and marvellous labelling.

Gluten Free Grocer

Both online and at the top of Mt Eden Road, Auckland. Everything in store is gluten-free.

Gluten Free Store Ltd

Carrying an excellent selection of very high-quality flours and other gluten-free product. Online only.

Gluten Free Treets

Offering donuts, battered fish, mini hotdogs and chicken strips. You can order these from IE Produce, and they’re also stocked at Natural Organics and various other stockists.

Harvest Wholefoods

Located at 405 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland. A HUGE selection of ‘raw’ ingredients – different types of flours etc as well as a food cabinet with some gluten-free produce. Most of the produce here is organic as well.

IE Produce

For almost all foods gluten free! Find them online.

Indian and Thai importers

There are a number of these. The two I have used most have been Mahadeos, 14 Virginia Avenue, Eden Terrace, Auckland and Thai Food Products, 849 New North Road, Mt Albert, Auckland. Cheap rice, rice flour, rice noodles and so on, as well as cheaper ground almonds, nuts and spices.

Lavender’s Green

All gluten-free, organic produce with a lemon theme. Lemon and lime curds and cordials, roasted lemon chutney and excellent fudge. They do farm gate sales, but if you’re not close to their location in the Wairarapa, find them online.

Pak n Save and New World

Both of these carry excellent selections of gluten-free food. The pizza bases are reasonable, they normally carry Bürgen, Vogel’s and Venerdi bread and at least one or two others, have biscuits and component parts. New World Victoria Park, Auckland in particular has an excellent range of breakfast cereals.

Scotts Brewing Co

New Zealand’s first gluten-free beer, as they proclaim themselves. Based out in West Auckland, they have both Ale and a very nice, citrusy Pale Ale, not dissimilar to a Summer Beer. The Pale Ale was lovely and is available at some supermarkets. See their website for stockists.

Shahji’s Royal Masala

Marua Road, Ellerslie, Auckland. Extensive range of gluten-free flour and other products and a very knowledgeable owner make this a very worthwhile visit. Or purchase online.

A lot of these places are online, but many of them have a shop as well, and the proprietors are almost always chatty, helpful and friendly and can make the newly diagnosed gluten-intolerant feel very welcome, and above all else, normal.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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The folly of the gluten intolerant

Why pushing your food intolerance limits is a really foolish idea.

Those of you who have been reading this blog over the last few months will know that I am not coeliac, I am merely gluten intolerant. From time to time, I do eat something which contains gluten, because I know I can get away with it. Periodically, about once a year, I either make a conscious decision to push my limits or I do it inadvertently.

I was in Australia a couple of weeks ago for a work trip and I always find it much more difficult eating in Australia. The better class of restaurant is often great about gluten-free labelling and information. But the neighbourhood and hotel restaurants are often very poor. Also, there seems to be a predilection for beer-battered hot chips, so even that staple is gone.

My first night there, I had hot chips, which the hotel room service assured me were gluten free. Not so, but I was hungry, so I ate them. Tuesday, I had Indian, which is generally fairly safe, but I washed it down with a beer or two. Wednesday, I went to the local steak restaurant and ate gluten-free mushrooms and beef ribs. To be fair to the restaurant, the ribs were not listed as gluten free, but I’ve made ribs any number of times, and I was fairly sure that any gluten would be minimal. I then had some ice cream – who knew whether it had gluten or not, but it probably contained egg yolk. I wasn’t very well that night.

Thursday, I had grilled salmon and vegetables, which should have been fine. But I followed it up with ice cream – not listed as gluten-free and certainly containing egg. Friday for lunch, I had hot chips, which, you guessed it, were beer-battered. So egg yolk, wheat flour and beer. I’d also been drinking a cup of caffeine-containing tea each day because I’d forgotten to take my decaffeinated black tea.

Adding to this perfect storm, I didn’t have any antihistamines with me. I was okay in Sydney (apart from the ribs dinner reaction), but by Saturday afternoon my face was swelling up. By Monday morning I was covered head to toe in a rash, which looked very much like sunburn but was itchy as all get out. My eyes were swollen to little piggy slits and my temperature was all over the place – my skin was burning hot, but I was shivering. I had to do two work presentations to customers in this state – blech!

After a few days of misery I managed to get to the doctor and within two hours of taking the first dose of steroids, I was significantly less swollen and much more comfortable.

So the lesson I learned is that even though I am only gluten intolerant, I am still capable of having a severe reaction to food and being in serious discomfort. Do I have anyone else to blame for my misery? No. Did I need to prepare better? Yes. Did I need to be more careful in my food choices? Yes, absolutely. Just because my skin has been tolerably good for the last couple of years does not mean I can eat gluten like a normal person. And should I have made sure I had antihistamines and steroid cream? Completely!

So my words of wisdom for this week are not to take stupid chances with your food intake. Even if, like me, you are only intolerant to gluten (or any other food for that matter,) you need to be careful about what goes in your mouth. You cannot let tiredness, being away from home or sheer laziness (or desire for beer and hot chips!) rule your food decisions. You must be prepared. Yes, it is a pain. Yes, it is one more thing you don’t really want to think about. Yes, you have to take extra time planning and you have to pack properly when you’re going away – including your antihistamines, gluten-free snacks and decaf tea (if you’re me). But when the choice is planning and preparation and vigilance, or a week like the one I’ve just had? I know which I will be choosing next time.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Is it possible to diet AND be gluten-free?

And why does it seem so hard?

Over the course of the last several years, the combination of a liking for good food, a busy life and a sedentary job has lead to the piling on of the pounds. I’ve had a number of people say, “But you’re gluten-intolerant. All the gluten-intolerant people I know have lost weight because they’ve stopped eating carbs.” Well that’s all very well and good for them, but instead of not eating carbs, I learnt how to cook gluten-free. I researched products and substitutes and manage to eat very normally, for the most part.

By the evidence of the additional 20kgs that I now carry about my person, I apparently am eating too well. The time has come for me to do something about this. But I am finding that it is harder than I thought it would be to change my eating habits.

I think it’s that I already deeply resent that I have to deprive myself of so much because I am gluten- and egg yolk-intolerant. Eating is still a pleasure for me, but it requires a lot more thought and planning and preparation – it’s just not fun. And there is a lot of food I cannot eat, especially if I am eating out. When you add dieting into the mix, there is still more deprivation going on. For me, the more I feel deprived of something, the more I want it; the more I think about it and the less likely I am to actually stick to it.

So how to diet? Obviously, I need to change my eating habits. The premade food plan diets aren’t much good for that, and they definitely aren’t any good for the gluten-intolerant. Shakes which replace meals contain wheat. Also, I like the idea of learning to eat better, while still being able to have some of the food I like (the occasional piece of chocolate for instance), which will hopefully stop the cheating and feeling that I’m being deprived. I read the recent Healthy Food Guide article on diet plans and decided I would go with something which forced me to track my food intake and encourage me to be healthier in my food choices. I also wanted something which would allow me to easily track what I was eating using my various mobile devices. I’ve found a program, and very importantly, have found a couple of similar-minded folk at work, so we are having a weekly weigh-in to keep ourselves honest.

I’ve been at this for three weeks now, and have a few observations. One is that although what I eat is generally healthy, I eat far too much of everything. My portion sizes are a problem. So I’ve reduced those. Also, I don’t drink enough water. And I certainly don’t do enough exercise. I drink too much alcohol. I don’t drink to excess, but I often have one or two glasses of wine in an evening. And when that is most days, it probably isn’t very good for me. So in line with the new eating plan (which I’m not calling a diet!), I’m reducing my alcohol intake. To help me with this, I’ve signed up for Dry July. Not only will it help me be healthier and hopefully lose weight, but it will be raising money for cancer sufferers. Check it out at dryjuly.co.nz.

Now I just need to figure out how to add more exercise into my week!

Check back to see how I’m going on the weight-loss front, and whether I’m succeeding in eating better without resentment. What are your tips and tricks for weight-loss as a gluten-free eater?

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Can you eat safely at conferences?

Do conference venues stack up to the challenge of providing allergy-free meals for their guests?

I go to a lot of conferences as part of my day job. It used to be so easy in the pre-gluten-free days. Even though I already knew about a few of my intolerances (egg yolk, caffeine and a few other easily avoidable bits and pieces), eating was still reasonably easy. No such thing, however, once I was no longer eating gluten.

The best of the conference venues label their offerings clearly as ‘contains gluten’. Some have a separate table for the intolerant, vegetarians or picky eaters. The worst make no effort at all and don’t even label their food, so it’s impossible to know whether food is safe or not.

I have reviewed any number of these conference meal efforts on my blog and I always send them a copy of the review. Not a single one of these places – often very big name hotels, and very flash conference venues – have ever responded to my emails.

Here are my main issues with these conference venues:

• Labelling. Aside from a couple of excellent examples, they are very poor with their labelling.
• No imagination. The hotels which provide a separate table for people with food allergies typically offer salads, fruit and not much more.
• Morning and afternoon teas. In most places, these are at best fruit, if there is a gluten-free option at all. More often, scones, cakes and cheese and crackers are the norm.

So what do I want to see, and what is it that I recommend to every single venue where I attend a conference?

• Label, label, label. Even if you can’t provide us with something we can eat, please TELL us that we can’t!
• Remember that even if we’re gluten-free, that doesn’t mean that we are also vegetarian. Many of us like meat as well. Please don’t just offer us salads.
• Be inventive. Think of things that don’t contain gluten, especially for morning and afternoon teas. Some idea could be an orange almond cake, or meringues. For the lunches, how hard can it be to offer fish, beef or chicken cooked in a way which doesn’t include wheat? Of course you can offer a lasagne, or a pasta salad, but you could also offer a curry with rice, or baked fish with potatoes. It’s not that hard, folks!
• Don’t expect the conference organiser to request gluten-free options. You should be offering it, because it is YOUR JOB. Many conferences and seminars are organised by people who are doing this as well as their day jobs. Organising conferences and events is your day job, and you should have a standard gluten-free offering as part of your normal package.

Even with the best of the venues around, there is a long way to go. Help me to help them improve by passing on your feedback as well. And please do share your experiences – both good and bad – at conferences. And in the meantime, it might be a good idea if you’re attending a conference to take along a packed lunch, just in case.

Weight-loss feedback

I promised I’d keep you all up-to-date with how my weight-loss efforts are going. I am still deeply resenting having to watch my food intake all the time. That aside, I have lost 4.9kg over the past five weeks. My eating patterns are becoming better and most of all, I am eating (and drinking) less. Thus far, it’s been positive. I just need to keep adjusting my attitude so that I welcome the daily scrutiny of my food intake!

Is there anyone else joining me on this adventure? If so, do share what you’re doing and how you’re going as well!

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Is there an easy way to eat gluten-free at lunchtimes?

Lunch is the bane of my existence. Of all the meals I’ve worked on since I was diagnosed as gluten-intolerant, lunch has consistently been the most difficult.

It’s okay if I have planned and prepared, if I have leftovers from the day before. But if I have run out of the house in the morning, or just have nothing planned, it can be very difficult to buy lunch in the light industrial area where I work.

From my years of frustration, here are some ideas both for making sure you have a fall back and also for when you do end up buying food.

Tips for office lunches

Far and away the easiest option is to make your lunch and take it with you. There are lots of gluten-free breads around now that are reasonably nice to eat, or you can make your own loaf. A good idea is to slice it up and freeze it in smaller packets. Take as many as you need each day to make sandwiches. Leftovers are also great, as is homemade sushi, salads, soup and crust-free quiches.

If you have access to a freezer at work, you can keep a stash of food at hand for the days when you just don’t have time to prepare anything. Here are some ideas for freezer food and items which will keep under your desk!

• Bread – pop a loaf of sliced gluten-free bread in the freezer. It’s easy to take a couple of pieces at a time and either toast them or make a toasted sandwich. Keep a small bag of grated cheese in the freezer as well to put in the sandwich. Keep some hummus in the fridge to have on the toast.
• Frozen soup – either premade (there are several brands who do lovely gluten-free soups) or homemade.
• Gluten-free crackers and hummus – I’d use homemade hummus as it’s a lot more economical and you can guarantee what goes into it. However, there are a number of commercial brands of hummus which are gluten-free. With a container of crackers under your desk and some hummus in the fridge, you have a great emergency meal.
• Baked beans – I’m not a fan, but they’re a good, nutritious meal. Keep a can under your desk – they’re not going to go off!
• Quiches/frittatas – make individual serves of these in Texas muffin tins. Gladwrap them and freeze as individual portions. Either keep them in the freezer at work, or grab them from the freezer at home on your way out to work.
• Scones – I often knock together a batch of scones for a quick and easy weekend lunch. As I’m the only gluten-intolerant person in my house, there are always leftover scones. Wrap these individually and throw them in the freezer, too. Microwaving them makes them very edible.

Obviously these ideas only work if you are in an office type environment where you have access to a freezer, fridge and microwave. If you’re a road worker, a gardener or work somewhere that you don’t have access to these things, I’d love to know what you do for gluten-free lunches. Leave your comments below.

Picnic lunches are basically horrible if they include pre-made sandwiches – I learnt the hard way that you can’t make a sandwich of frozen bread in the morning and hope that it has defrosted by lunchtime, because it won’t have! For picnics, go with cold meat, cheese and gluten-free crackers, quiches, frittatas and gluten-free muffins, along with plenty of fresh fruit.

Some days though, you just have no time (or inclination) to make lunch and you realise you’ve used up your emergency stash of freezer food. What then?

Eating out

Stay away from most fast food joints, pubs, bakeries.

Good places to buy food (although not every day obviously!):

• Sushi outlets – but always check whether they have used malt vinegar in the rice, and stay away from the soy sauce, because it normally contains wheat.
• Japanese – there’s an increasing number of places which do donburi (rice, veges and meat). Provided the meat isn’t coated with batter (or check as it might be a tempura batter using cornflour) or cooked with soy, this might be a reasonable option.
• Curry – obviously you can’t eat the naan, but most curries and even some bhaji and pakora are gluten-free. And of course, they’re served on rice.
• Roast palace type places – just check they haven’t given you gravy and that they haven’t coated the meat with soy sauce, Worcester or HP sauces.
• Hell Pizza – who do very nice gluten-free bases.
• Mexican food outlets – like Mexicali Fresh, where almost everything is gluten-free and also very healthy and fresh.

As with everything else to do with gluten-free eating, planning is key, tiresome though it can be. What are your suggestions for easy and sensible gluten-free lunches? Share your comments below.

Weight loss update

It’s taken me six weeks, but I’m finally beginning to settle into the idea that eating well and healthily is not restrictive nor is it especially onerous. The plan I am using lets me have an occasional chocolate snack or chips (in very small doses) so when I have a night like Saturday when I’m movie-watching with my daughters and we all indulge a little too much in the treats, I can compensate and adjust without feeling like I’ve completely failed. This is very useful for me as someone who is already restricted in what I eat, because it means I don’t feel as if I’m depriving myself.

So, I’m down 6.3kgs, which is about a dress size. I’ve lost 7cm off my waist and a bit less off everywhere else, and I am back wearing my ‘middle-size’ jeans. I’m only managing exercise a couple of times a week (soccer with Master 7, and water polo and swimming with the oldest three children) so my next step is to add in a walk or some yoga as a regular component of the week.

Helping me out at the moment is that I’ve just completed week 1 of Dry July, giving up alcohol for July to raise money for cancer sufferers. So far I haven’t missed it.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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Is quinoa really all it’s cracked up to be?

I’m a latecomer to the whole concept of quinoa. I kept reading articles about it, and people were raving about it, so I bought some a couple of years ago and made a salad from it. I was less than impressed. But a couple of recent run-ins with quinoa have completely changed my mind about this humble ancient grain.

The first thing I had to learn was how to pronounce this. It’s not kwee-no-a as it looks, but keen-wah. It originated in South America and has been used for over 3000 years. It’s related to beetroot and spinach, and contains essential amino acids like lysine as well as good quantities of calcium, phosphorus and iron. Quinoa has a high protein content for a pseudo-cereal and is useful for vegans and those who are lactose intolerant because of its calcium content. It’s high in fibre (7g per 100g serving) and best of all is gluten-free.

My first pleasant experience with quinoa was at a recent birthday event when I had a lovely lunch based around quinoa. I’ve adapted the recipe and here’s what I made as a quick, easy and healthy dinner.

(If you are coeliac, make sure your spices, stock and chilli sauce are gluten-free versions.)

Moroccan spiced chicken with quinoa salad

Ingredients

300g chicken tenderloins or breast meat, cut into large strips
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon chilli powder (optional)
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water or chicken stock
2 spring onions
1/2 avocado
handful of sun-dried tomatoes
1 capsicum (any colour will do)
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 cup cauliflower or broccoli florets
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves (optional)
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup natural unsweetened yoghurt
sweet chilli sauce
baby spinach or rocket leaves

Step 1 Place the quinoa and water into a saucepan, bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Stir a few times during cooking. It will take about 20 minutes for the quinoa to cook, and all the liquid should be absorbed by the end of the cooking.

Step 2 Put the chicken into a clean plastic bag with the cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon and chilli powder (if using) and shake until well coated. Spray a frying pan with cooking oil and stir until the chicken is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Step 3 Cook the cauliflower in a pot or the microwave until just tender.

Step 4 Chop up the spring onions, sun-dried tomatoes, capsicum, celery, coriander and mint (if using). Add these, along with the cauliflower, to the cooked quinoa and leave in the pot for a few minutes with the lid on.

Step 5 Squeeze the lemon juice and add the sesame oil (if using) to the quinoa and stir through.

Step 6 To serve, place the salad leaves on a plate, with a serving of quinoa on top. Add chicken and avocado to the pile. Pour over yoghurt and sweet chilli sauce to taste. Garnish with a couple of coriander leaves.

This is a lovely, fresh tasting dinner, is very colourful and great for a weeknight where you don’t have much time. You could also add in diced courgette for extra vegetable content, or really use any combination of vegetables you choose. The leftovers make a wonderful lunch the next day.

My other experience with quinoa has been with the Quinoa Bread Mix from the Gluten Free Store. The mix was very easy to make up and made a full-sized loaf, not a shrunken gluten-free one. I added sunflower and pumpkin seeds, as well as sun-dried tomatoes and rosemary, and it was delicious. At $9.00 for a packet which makes two big loaves, it’s considerably cheaper than a store-bought loaf and very quick to make. And the exercise of mixing it by hand was probably very good for my arms!

You can buy quinoa for the recipe above at your local supermarket. I found it in the bulk bins at the nearby Pak n Save. Ceres Organics also does a range of quinoa. Quinoa flour is a little harder to find, but again, the Gluten Free Store, Gluten free Grocer or Natural Organics all stock it.

What are your experiences with quinoa? Have you any recipes or tips you can share?

Weight loss update – or what I have learned about losing weight over the last three weeks!

I’ve now lost 8kgs, but have stalled a little over the last couple of weeks. I’ve been away for work and have had a couple of days where I was at an event, so have been a bit haphazard about food tracking. It turns out that if I don’t note down everything I eat, I forget that I have eaten some things, and clearly eat more than I should! If I can see those points ticking down during the day, I’m far more aware of what is going in my mouth. Lesson number one: food tracking is vital.

However, while I haven’t lost any weight in the last couple of weeks, I haven’t gained any either, and when I measured myself, it turns out I have lost more centimetres. So lesson number two: don’t just weigh yourself, you should always measure as well, especially when you add in exercise.

I’ve also become a bit casual about portion sizes – so how MUCH I am eating – and perhaps a bit casual with the treats as well. I’ve had to reset a little and do a small amount of weighing and measuring to get my eye back in to accurately assess how much I’m really eating. Lesson number three: go back to the basics.

Dry July has gone well, and despite a couple of parties, I have remained dry! Only a few more days to go now.

Lisa

For those wanting more information on coeliac disease, check out the NZ Coeliac Society website www.coeliac.org.nz.

This blog is the opinion and experiences of its author and should not be taken as medical or dietetic advice. Healthy Food Guide has not verified the content and cannot endorse any advice given. Healthy Food Guide recommends seeking professional health advice for specific complaints or symptoms.

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