I know some folk worry if they go gluten-free, either by choice or necessity, that they will have to cook two meals for their family each night or that their food costs will go sky high. But in reality, most of the foods your doctor would prefer you to consume is gluten free.
When thinking about gluten free foods, I quickly realized is that most of us, hopefully, already buy naturally gluten-free whole foods; such as, fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, poultry, certain whole grains like brown rice and quinoa, dairy, nuts, seeds, beans and and healthy fats, like extra-virgin olive oil and canola oil. Since we buy them normally, we are used to those food costs.
I guess we all may consume most of our gluten in breads and packaged snack foods so we may be able to keep costs down by focusing on reducing some of our consumption of those foods. I am sure that you can score a cheap bag of Doritos over a gluten-free equivalent but I think that you could also focus on buying pre-packaged items on sale (and really, skip the Doritos).
Another idea to consider is ordering bulk items via sites like Amazon and Vitacost or even splitting the bulk order with other families. How about contacting some gluten-free food companies and asking them to send samples or coupons so you can try items before paying full price or even making your own bread (don’t panic, buy bulk mixes).
As with any diet you follow, always try to use a circular to buy sale items and plan the week’s meals around that.
Finally, more and more wholesale clubs (BJ’s and Costco) are offering gluten-free foods so take advantage of the savings AND their coupons (plus, they usually honor regular manufacturer coupons).
Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/community
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.
Christine from Cook the Story says
Very helpful article, thank you!