Saturday, December 25, 2010

The Diet Unwrapped

Tanya Darling here. My three-and-a-half-year-old is thriving on a gluten-free, casein-free, soy-free diet. He also eats a very clean diet, which means he eats as much whole organic foods as possible.

It took me months to figure things out. I want to help by giving you a list of our favorite foods.


BREAKFAST FOODS: (Check ingredients. Some cereals are made in a plant that processes soy or wheat. It depends on how strict you have to be.)

Cereals:
Nature's Path Organic WholeO's
Nature's Path Organic Corn Flakes
Nature's Path Organic Rice Puffs (corn-free)
EnviroKidz Organic Gorilla Munch

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze Original (refrigerated) We buy the Original flavor.

Organic Free-range Eggs. Try to avoid the ones with Omega 3 added. It may go rancid. I like the CFO brand. Go to a local farm if you can.

Nature's Place (Hannaford Brand) All Natural Uncured Bacon


LUNCH:
Once Again Organic Raw Almond Butter (smooth or crunchy)
Polaner All Fruit
Lundberg Brown Rice Organic Rice Cakes (Salt-Free)
Ideally, bake your own bread with organic rice flour (don't use a nonstick pan)
Rudi's Gluten-Free Bakery Multigrain Sandwich Bread
Food for Life Rice Pecan Bread
Boar's Head Deli Meat


DINNER:
Cheeseless, gluten-free pizza
- Bob's Red Mill gluten-free pizza crust mix or homemade recipe
- Organic marina sauce
- I add chicken, mushrooms and black olives
Tip:
- Use a dedicated pizza stone for gluten-free pizza
- Hide the chicken if necessary by cutting it up into tiny pieces and mixing it with tomato sauce

Hotdog night:
Oscar Mayer Angus Nitrate-free Hotdogs
All Natural Hotdogs
Pick up some organic mustard and go without any bun or use gluten-free bread
Wrap some gluten-free pizza dough around halved hotdogs and bake your own "corn dogs"

Gluten-free Chicken Nuggets, Ian's is the favorite in our house, or make your own with gluten-free pizza dough.

Quinoa Organic Pasta, it tastes great and it's high in protein. I buy Ancient Harvest.


SNACKS:
Pamela's Simplebites Ginger Mini Snapz Cookies
Pamela's Simplebites Extreme Chocolate Mini Cookies
Enjoy Life cookies
Enjoy Life bars
Larabar bars
All Natural Fruit Twists (Hannaford has its own brand, Nature's Place)
Annie's Organic Bunny Fruit Snacks (cheapest price is at Target)
Let's Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones



HOMEMADE FOOD I MAKE
Recipes from the Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise G. Roberts
Waffles
Banana Muffins
Pumpkin Muffins
Lemon Cake
Pizza Dough


MY RECIPES (Will share soon)
Strawberry Almond Ice Cream 
Gluten-free Italian Cookies



GENERAL TIPS:
Use the least amount of milk substitute as possible
- drink water
- use milk for cereal and adding supplements

Buy as much organic food as possible
- Always buy organic rice products, non-organic rice products are heavily sprayed with pesticides
- See Dirty Dozen-top foods to buy organic below

Invest in good pans and bakeware
- Avoid using non-stick pans
- Use ceramic or stainless steel bread pans

Vegan means there is no dairy or casein in the product

Use frozen vegetables instead of cans
- Cans contain aluminum and many have a BPA lining
- Look for cans that say they have a BPA-free lining

Hannaford has it's own line of organic and all natural foods called Nature's Place. I use them for my organic frozen vegetable and fruit.



ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT:
Calphalon Waffle Maker
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bread pan
Pizza Stone
Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker
- I make Strawberry Almond Ice Cream out of almonds. It's delicious!


THE DIRTY DOZEN


TOP 12 ORGANIC FOOD CHOICES TO PURCHASE
FROM:  WWW.EWG.ORG
Peaches
Apples
Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes (Imported)
Carrots
Pears

By choosing organic foods, you can reap the health benefits of fruits and vegetables without exposing yourself to potentially harmful chemicals.


TOP 15 NON-ORGANIC FOOD CHOICES TO PURCHASE

Onions
Avocados
Sweet Corn
Pineapples
Mangos
Asparagus
Sweet peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya       (Check for Genetically  Modified/GMO)
Watermelon
Tomatoes   (Check for Genetically Modified/GMO)
Sweet Potatoes

These contain the least amount of pesticide, but you should still wash them thoroughly before eating or cooking to remove dirt and bacteria.