Paper Palate

One of the biggest questions I receive regarding special diets is “How do I get enough nutrients without … ?”  You fill in the blank.  It always amazes me how dependent we can become on just a few foods.  Two of the most popular items, that are also the most troublesome, are milk/dairy and wheat/gluten.  For this reason, I found the two most recent issues of Foods Matter to be quite interesting.      

In September, one of the feature articles was “I can’t drink milk. How can I replace the nutrition it provides?” As an obvious follow-up to the milk article, this month’s issue (October) featured the article “I can’t eat wheat. How can I replace the nutrition it provides?“  Okay, so they don’t get any points for title creativity, but I did find the articles quite interesting.  Both are filled with very brief stories about different people and why they cannot consume those foods (amazing how many different problems these foods can cause). These are followed by some dietary advice with respect to nutrients and options.

Of course, both issues contain some excellent “free-from” recipes, including a Tomato-Free Bolognese (rich with carrots, zucchini, and red peppers) and Plum Clafoutis (made with coconut milk!).  With the cooler weather setting in, I am actually eager to trial the Yellow Split Pea Soup.  The recipe is seasoned with cumin and coriander for a unique twist. 

Photo, Foods Matter Magazine