Going gluten, wheat and dairy free...

This is my experience and what I've found. I'm not preaching and I'm definitely not right...just thought it might be interesting...

As I'm sure every chef has encountered, there are A LOT of gluten, wheat, dairy, onion, garlic, well-done/burnt meat, eggs [scarily too often confused with dairy], cream, 'organs', vegetarian, chicken, salad, meat on the bone, vegan, organic, 'locally sourced', 'locally produced', 'locally grown', 'locally driven in from miles away' FREE people out there. The list is endless. I admit I was a part of the clan of chefs that would get really rather grumpy at these requests, often remarking "stay at home if you want to be bleeding awkward!" But it was only about a year into working as a chef that I actually found it exciting, interesting and a challenge. It meant I needed to cook something new, that still tasted good and actually resembled proper food. 

So I started questioning why people had their particular dietary requirements. I tried [and am still trying] to understand why, if you're a veggie, why not go vegan? Can I still give you a spring onion, or even a leek if you don't eat onions? Not in an abrasive, confrontational way, however, I would just like to understand people's reasoning and decisions behind their culinary choices, as it's something we all have our own opinion on. Cultures, taste buds, smell and approach to eating are all subjective, or at least defined by the path in which you choose to follow. 

Though it was all well and good for me to question and listen to people whilst I happily skipped along eating anything and everything, not worrying about whether I'd cramp up, release horrendous toxic gasses or have immune or bone issues. So when a good friend and an incredibly talented and knowledgeable nutritionist, Ben Coomber [www.bodytypenutrition.co.uk], suggested I 'went' gluten, wheat and dairy free for 30 days to see if I'd feel any benefits, I couldn't say no. 

In fact, I stretched it to 50 days, just to make sure! 

It has honestly been one of the greatest and most informative learning experiences of my career, in terms of being a chef [and relative to the time!] that I've ever had.

I would strongly recommend to any chef who hasn't tried going gluten, wheat and dairy free, to try it for at least a month. Not only to understand the short comings that people with these ailments have to face  on a daily basis, but also as a way of maintaining a menu in an ever-changing culinary world.

Man up if you think you can't handle it!!

The most common dietary requirement [apart from vegetarian/vegan] is gluten free. Restaurants are now compiling menus to accommodate these needs. I admit that before, I pretty much knew what it was all about, however, abstaining for 50 days from gluten, wheat and dairy I feel very confident to advise and cook for any gluten/dairy free person. Even those who have to check with the waiter if even the gluten free menu is safe, or the back of any pack in the gluten free isle at Tesco is going to kill them. I'm not claiming to be an expert, I'm not, I've just been there for a while and I really enjoyed it. 

Gluten is basically a type of protein naturally found in wheat, barley and rye [including bulgar, spelt, farro and kamut]. This is the most common misconception. Whilst trying to explain to friends, family and others that I am gluten free, they often think it's the starchy foods and carbs. Someone said to me they couldn't do it, they said they "couldn't live without potatoes". It was this statement among others that made me realise that the general population really don't actually understand what gluten is. It's snuck into a lot of processed food and the majority of which has been packaged [what's labelled as 'freshly prepared' food] and been tossed in some sort of seasoned, rank flour, deeming it to be packed full of gluten. 

Dairy is quite self-explanatory. I've been 'off' cows dairy. Therefore goats milk/cheese sales have soared in my local shop! The fat molecules in goats milk are only a fraction smaller than cows milk and therefore are broken down easier. Goats milk can also help to lower cholesterol and speed metabolism.  

Though to sum up gluten and dairy and the reasons for not consuming so much of it...we haven't evolved to be able consume any other animals milk apart from humans, and certainly not into adulthood. We also haven't evolved in terms of our digestive system, to deal with so much gluten. If one ate a home-made, less bread/cake/pasta diet, we'd be fine as a population! 

But god it looks good!

The other statement that has been horribly common and really [sorry mum] pissed me off about the general public, is the thought that a sauce, gravy, soup, chutney or anything that might be a little runny, has been thickened with flour. I obviously understand that not everyone could realise exactly how to cook these things, but it's a cringing insult to those that can. 

Hence, being gluten free or coeliac and not having a good knowledge of how to cook, I can totally understand and sympathise that it must be a horribly daunting feeling, and one where you think you won't be able to eat anything ever again.

It's almost like one needs a constant knowledgeable hub to question what they can healthily and safely eat for dinner that night without spending hours on it. I'd be happy to be that hub on Facebook if anyone ever wanted a recipe/advise or an idea! But these days we have Google, so it's up to you!

Sitting down for dinner with someone with any kind of dietary requirement and having to talk about it, discuss it at length, question every morsel of food, is possibly one of the rudest, yet fashionable, habits of this century.

The truth of it is, my [very understanding!] boyfriend and I have eaten as normal for the last 45 days and the only things I've missed is good cheese and our monthly 'epic burger night!' You've just got to STOP thinking you're 'special', 'different', 'no-one understands you' and stop preaching! I know not everyone has the time to cook and I'm not going to tell you to use expensive and time consuming recipes, but just start cooking the odd thing, like you would, but substitute what you can't have. Get to know these recipes, freeze them, teach the other half/children. Enjoy cooking good food without feeling rubbish and stop worrying!

I've come across great substitutes, cheeky numbers that I wouldn't normally use, cake recipes to satisfy the sweet tooth, favourite foods that are both gluten and dairy free, and a gluten and dairy free lasagne!

I'm not going to bamble on, but here is a quick list of some favourite food tips;

-Dairy free sunflower spread - great in cooking and for toast [haven't tried in baking]

-Marmite is safe!

-Jelly tots - also safe and I was very excited!

-Best bread - Tesco own brand seeded 'free from' range [have no time to bake my own!]

-Best pasta - Tesco or Asda gluten free range

-Best blog - www.glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.co.uk

-Best flour - Doves gluten free flour

-Quick fix dinner - Lloyd Grossman sauces or Dolmio - sorry, I'm a sucker for tomatoey sauces on the run!

-Rice noodles

-Indian food out, but properly cooked Indian food! You'll soon get to know which typical dishes don't include milk/cream. Also, they mainly use gram/chick pea/rice flour so if you think you can't eat something - it's worth checking first.
-Soy sauce - just use tamarind

-If you're adamant on coffee whilst out, go for a 'soya flat white', I personally think anything else tastes rank with soya milk! But don't make the mistake I did by dictating the size, you'll only get laughed at, it's only made in one size [something I still don't know about in my barrista innocence!] 

Restaurants near me that have been very accommodating and lovely;

-The Anchor, Woodbridge. [www.theanchorwoodbridge.co.uk] Food is always amazing and they told me all their ingredients of each dish I asked about so I could make a proper decision. It's the only place I had a proper meal and was confident in the chef!

-Zunaki, Woodbridge. [www.zunakirestaurant.co.uk] They were so incredibly helpful, to the extent where I got a free glass of wine whilst waiting for my food. Two dishes were made especially for me. I was craving a korma alongside our other dishes and they made their own 'dairy free' version. I was very happy!!

-The Coach and Horses, Melton. They have their own gluten free menu, so I could just choose off that using my 'dairy free' brain! Though I did order prawn cocktail and had to convince the waitress eggs weren't dairy. Always very good service there though.

-B's Kitchen, Grundisburgh. [www.facebook.com/BBsKitchen] I ordered a cake for my boyfriends birthday from here. I wasn't being lazy! Just far too busy with everything else to make it. They made a banana and chocolate cake decorated just how I wanted - it was so good!!

In summary; as annoying as it is because I've been so strict, I have actually felt no different being on this diet! However, from all that I have read and understood, I will continue goats milk in my home brewed coffee and morning smoothies. Gluten free pasta and bread too, apart from when I make my own. But seriously, bring on the proper cheese!

I prefer people to tell me they have dietary requirements. It's a self-taught lesson I've learnt in the cooking world. When I studied architecture I learnt a similar lesson pretty quickly. For my first project to design a student house, I chose an open field surrounded by trees because of the infinite, vast space it provided me. I was later shot down quite aggressively in-front of my fellow first years during a 'crit' and told that if there were restrictions and obstacles to my design, it would only improve and inform what I was creating.  

Bring it on dietary requirements!!

This is my experience and what I've found...