- Marco Bellucci / Foter / CC BY
I love when you ask questions. It means you’re paying attention to what you are giving your body! Keep ’em coming!
Today’s questions arrived to me as a “small list of questions” from Tricia, who is on her journey to being grain free. I’m sharing the answers here so you can see them too.
Have your own set of questions? Post them on the site or message them to me. If you have better solutions with any of the below, comment with your answers!
1. Can we have powdered sugar?
GGFG: You can if you can find some without cornstarch! The regular stuff in the grocery store contains cornstarch, so I would steer clear.
2. Can we have regular olive oil or does it have to be gluten free?
GGFG: Olive oil by nature is gluten free, as long as no flavorings or other things have been added. For the lightest flavor, use extra virgin. For everyday cooking, any pure olive oil should be fine! Use sparingly, though, to keep your body’s omegas well-balanced.
3. Do you have a way to use lentils? I currently only boil them with salt, rosemary and basil.
GGFG: I personally am not a huge lentil fan. I have had a bag of them for a while for the same reason (I prefer pintos or kidneys). I will search for a tasty lentil recipe and let you know! FYI, if you are on a Paleo diet, they don’t consume legumes. Legumes can be hard for your digestive system to break down, so take it easy if you are having any digestive problems.
4. Can we have wheat? (haha… you ARE reading carefully)?
GGFG: !!! You CAN, but you might regret it! Are YOU reading carefully? lol
5. Can we have any kind of cream cheese?
GGFG: I always hesitate in saying “any”. You must always check the label for ingredients. Companies have a way of “sneaking in” ingredients on us. I have not seen a cream cheese that I would consider unsafe, but my scope is limited (as compared to “any”). I hope that makes sense!
6. What are restrictions on nuts? I know not roasted, but “roasted” in what exactly?
GGFG: I recommend only purchasing raw nuts, and ones that are not packaged in a facility where they might have been on a conveyor belt that just had crackers on it. The roasting process is just that – a process – where hydrogenated or unhealthy oils may have been used; spices may have been added; nuts were passed through many more places that could be contaminated; etc. Also, watch your intake of nuts closely. Nuts are very high on the glycemic index, even though they are considered protein. Too many will hurt a delicate glycemic balance.
7. Can you tell me ingredients for a “homemade milkshake” that would be safe? I was thinking bryers strawberry with something chocolate (not sure what) and milk… am I missing something? it does NOT need to be fancy.
GGFG: The easiest homemade milkshake I’ve made was with the Bryer’s strawberry ice cream, milk, sugar or agave, and leftover fruit. You can also use plain greek yogurt in place of the ice cream (I’ve recently gained insight about the other ingredients in Bryer’s). You may need to sweeten it a bit more, and try the yogurt plain to ensure it settles with you okay (it contains pectin, which CAN contain corn elements). As for chocolate, stick with pure cocoa powder or Enjoy Life chocolate chips (gluten, grain, and soy free).
Hope this helps!
-GGF Gourmet