With so many gluten-free products available in grocery stores, there’s never been a better time for those who are avoiding gluten to enjoy and experience all that gluten-free eating has to offer. For home cooks, the ever-increasing availability of gluten-free flours, starches, and noodles has made preparing food-from-scratch a pleasure. We’ve compiled all of our favourite gluten-free recipes for weight loss in a round-up that has you covered from breakfast to dinner — and plenty of snacks to get you through the rest of the day.
When preparing a gluten-free shopping list, watch out for these surprising sources of gluten:
- Soy sauce (substitute gluten-free tamari instead)
- Hot dogs
- Frozen vegetables, meat or fish with sauce
- Gravy mix
- Bouillon cubes, powder, and concentrate
- Vitamins
- Hot chocolate or other powdered drink mixes (try our gluten-free recipes for mint or chai-spiced hot chocolate)
- Commercially prepared food that has been labelled “wheat-free.” While it might seem counterintuitive, wheat-free items can still contain spelt, rye or barley — all of which contain gluten.
Snacks
Stay fuelled throughout the day, gluten-free style! With entire sections of the grocery store dedicated to gluten-free snacking, there’s no shortage of options when it comes to crackers, pretzels, and rice crisps. If you prefer to go the homemade route, the following gluten-free snack recipes are ideal for weight loss in addition to being economical and easy-to-make. From flavoured popcorn to spiced chickpeas and kale chips, these snacks are as crowd-pleasing as they are delicious.
Give These Healthy Gluten-Free Snacks A Try:
Main Meals
Whether you’re in need of a filling lunch or a hearty sit-down dinner, finding inspiration for gluten-free meals for weight loss has never been easier. When it comes to gluten-free grains, options include quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, corn, brown rice and white rice. If you regularly enjoy pasta or noodles, you can now find options made from lentils, chickpeas, quinoa, and buckwheat (also called soba noodles.) To make gluten-free breading for chicken or fish, use crushed corn tortilla chips, rolled oats or gluten-free corn flakes.
Try These Satisfying Gluten-Free Main Dishes:
Desserts & Baked Goods
Thanks to the growing availability of gluten-free flours, many of which can be used measure-for-measure (in other words, no confusing conversions required), making gluten-free desserts and baked goods at home is more accessible than ever. There are two types of gluten-free flour, high-protein and low-protein. High-protein gluten-free flour is made from legumes — think lentils, chickpeas, and soybeans — and imparts a strong “bean” flavour to the finished recipe. Low-protein gluten-free flour, which is what we recommend in the following recipes, is made from ground rice, millet and/or corn (or a combination.) Gluten-free flour made from buckwheat or quinoa are also considered low-protein, but produce a similar distinctive “bean” taste in the finished recipe.
