GFCF 101

I have a guest blogger today. Thomas Dzomba's site The GFCF Experience is full of great information and recipes for those who are on a GFCF diet.


GFCF 101
written by Thomas Dzomba

It has been almost seven years since we embraced the GFCF lifestyle for our children, and much has changed during that time. An increase in the prevalence and awareness of autism, as well as celiac disease in my opinion, has led to a large growth in the GFCF product industry, particularly in the availability of gluten free products. Seven years ago, we had a hard time finding GF flours and CF milk even in some of the natural foods stores we shopped; now, many, if probably not all of the major supermarket chains boast a wide selection of GFCF items. The explosion is such that even some name brand items are being reformulated to be gluten free (and sometimes casein free), including Chex cereals and Betty Crocker cake mixes, and some restaurants are offering gluten free and/or casein free versions of their dishes.

Despite this surge in GFCF popularity, and the numerous success stories of adopting the GFCF lifestyle by parents (like myself) of children on the autism spectrum, there are many people who have difficulty going GFCF. It is challenging, to be sure, but definitely not a challenge that is insurmountable. Here are five tips to help you get started:

It’s not a Diet, it’s a Lifestyle

In the strictest sense of the word, it is the GFCF diet, since diet is a broad term for what we eat. But think about what comes to mind when you hear the word “diet”: weight loss, fad, temporary. Let’s face it, when people “diet” they usually are doing it to lose weight, and then they only stick to the “diet” until the weight is gone. That’s why I don’t like associating GFCF with the word “diet”, because it is not any of those things.

I prefer the term “GFCF lifestyle”.

Let’s face it – if you are a celiac, or have an intolerance to wheat or dairy, going GF or CF or GFCF has to be a permanent change in how you live. The same is true of parents on the autism spectrum who have seen positive results from using the diet. We believe the GFCF lifestyle has helped our ASD daughter in her behavior and mannerisms, and we have seen regressions when she had accidentally ingested gluten and/or casein. In fact, we believe the GFCF lifestyle has benefited all our children.

If you can put yourself in the mindset that this isn’t just a fad or trendy way to eat, but rather a wholesale permanent, positive change to your lifestyle, then I think the transition to GFCF living will be much easier.

Focus on the “Can” and not the “Cannot”

Another difficulty I see in people adopting the GFCF lifestyle is that they focus on what you have to give up. No more wheat or other gluten containing grain-based products, like off regular grocery shelf pasta, or fresh baked goods from most bakeries. No more dairy-based milkshakes or Haagen-Daz. No more cheese. No more M&Ms or Oreos or Budweiser – you get the idea.

Well, instead of focusing in the “cannot” focus on the “can”. There are a lot of great GFCF food choices out there:

Fresh meat

Fresh seafood

All fruits

All vegetables

Rice

Potatoes

Corn

Beans

Fruit juices

Wine

Great grains, like sorghum, quinoa, buckwheat, and mesquite

…and that doesn’t even include great prepackaged GFCF foods!

The point is, there is still a wide variety of foods you can enjoy when you adopt the GFCF lifestyle. Once you make that realization, I think it is easier to get started.

Become a Label Reader

This is an absolute must.

Back in 2006 FDA promulgated rules calling for greater disclosure of potential allergens in foods, and many manufacturers go so far as to list their products as gluten free.

While this has helped make label-reading easier, there are still products on the shelves that were packaged prior to the rulemaking and thus don’t have the enhanced disclosure. Also, I think there is a cutoff in the minimum percentage of allergens in the packaging below which companies are not required to report.

And just because something is wheat free doesn’t mean it is gluten free. Other flours, such as rye and spelt, contain gluten as well. Likewise, just because something says dairy free doesn’t mean it is casein free. Many non-dairy cheeses use casein as an additive.

The bottom line is that you need to read all labels carefully. And, you need to read them every time, since manufacturers change their product compositions and what one week was GFCF may not be GFCF anymore.

And, after reading the label, you still have doubts, do not hesitate to contact the manufacturer directly and ask them.

Be Prepared

Adopting the GFCF lifestyle means leaving some things behind. Like fast food, for example. Yes, some restaurants offer limited choices – you could get fries at Burger King or Chik-Fil-A, but at other places, like Arby’s, the most you can order is a pack of ketchup and a soda. Big Macs and Whoppers? Fuggedaboutit.

The lack of convenience is another deterrent I see in people adopting the GFCF lifestyle. How easy is it to hit the drive thru when your child in the backseat is screaming they are hungry? Yet this can easily be avoided if you do a little preparation before you go out.

When we go on a trip, even if it’s just for a couple of hours around town, we pack a cooler with drinks and snack foods that we can just give the kids (and ourselves) when hunger strikes. Celery and carrot sticks, fruit, candy for a special treat (Skittles and Starburst are GFCF), even a comfort food like potato chips (most non-seasoned chips are GFCF, but remember #3 above). On longer trips, we will even pack lunchmeat.

The point here is that with a little preparation, you can avoid the temptation of fast food convenience and provide yourself and your children a healthy GFCF alternative.

We Are Here to Help

I will not lie to you, undertaking a complete overhaul of your eating lifestyle is a daunting challenge. Fortunately, there is plenty of information out there to help you as you begin this journey, and thanks to the modern Web, it’s all at your fingertips.

There are two website I would like to mention:

www.gfcfdiet.org – this website is a great resource for information about going GFCF. Clicking on the “Directory of Website” menu reveals an index where you can find an extensive list of products that are GFCF.

www.godairyfree.org – Alisa Fleming, author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, .has put together an incredible website filled with everything you need to live a dairy-free/casein-free lifestyle, including recipes, substitutions, and product reviews.

There are also a large number of food bloggers that routinely provide recipes and tips that are GF and GFCF. Please check out my by-no-means-exhaustive list at http://gfcfexperience.blogspot.com. If you Twitter, you can also search #gfree for lots of great GF and GFCF information and guidance.

I hope these tips will help you get started on the GFCF lifestyle. Yes, it is challenging, but there is so much more information and awareness out there, as well as products, than there was when we started seven years ago. We are at the point now where we can buy or make just about anything GFCF, and it’s as good if not better than the non-GFCF version.

It is a lifestyle change that is definitely worth trying.