Research shmesearch. Moms just need summaries. Truth is, that’s really we all have time for. So let me help with the quick DL on gluten.
7 quick points about gluten
- Gluten is like a glue. It binds foods like wheat, barley, and rye together. It is a stretchy substance, like slime.
- Celiac is a severe form of gluten intolerance, but there are other autoimmune and digestive disorders that gluten impacts. It can act as an “intestinal timebomb” for many people who are not diagnosed as celiac.
- More people are feeling the impacts of gluten now than 50 years ago because of the way grains are processed
- Don’t buy the packaged “gluten free” items out there. Unless an item has 6(ish) ingredients or less and you know what every word is, then DO NOT EAT it, and do not feed it to the kids! You will see ingredients like corn starch, guar gum, etc. added to the long list in these gluten free items. All those things also cause intestinal damage, so it is best to just walk away.
- Mother nature knows best (and is so powerful), so eating from non-genetically modified sources that mother nature has provided will ensure that you and your family feel best
- There are plenty of convenient portable options that do not have gluten in them: olives, pickles, nuts, seeds, rice crackers, fruits, vegetables, avocados, grass fed meat sticks, honey sticks, sardines (young kids love these), nut butter, seed butter, and some granola bars.
- If a child is not celiac or reactive to gluten, then having pure forms of gluten that have not been heavily processed by industrial farming is GOOD for them…such as spelt sourdough, homemade sourdough, ancient grains, and fresh milled breads.
Feel free to ask me questions if you want more in-depth knowledge about gluten. Otherwise, here is a delicious flax seed focacia bread that is delicious for anytime of the day.
Flax Seed Focaccia
Ingredients
2 cups roughly ground flax seed
1 tablespoon gluten-free baking powder
1 teaspoon Himalayan rock salt
5 large eggs
½ cup water
⅓ cup avocado oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a 13×9 baking pan with parchment paper draped over the sides. Set aside.
- Combine flax seed with baking powder and Himalayan rock salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine fully and set aside.
- Add eggs, water and oil to the jug of your high-powered blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds, until foamy.
- Transfer liquid mixture to the bowl with the flax seed mixture. Stir with a spatula, just until incorporated. The mixture will be very fluffy. Once incorporated, allow to sit for 3 minutes.
- Drop mixture into prepared baking pan. Smooth with the back of the spatula and transfer the pan to the preheated oven.
- Bake bread for 20 minutes, until top is golden. Remove from the oven and lift bread (from the parchment paper sides) to a cooling rack. Peel the parchment paper from the bottom of the bread and allow the bread to cool on the cooling rack for an hour.
- Cut into 12 pieces. Bread can be toasted or frozen. Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days and in the freezer for up to 3 months
