How Does Gluten Free Food Taste?

[Live2BWell]

I have only had a slice of Gluten Free Bread, once, a few years ago. If I remember correctly I thought it was pretty good. Other than that, I've never eaten specific and totally gluten free. So what does it taste like? Is it an aquired taste?

[Mango04]

It tastes like really good food (especially if you eat the real, naturally gluten-free stuff, of which there is plenty)

Some gluten-free replacement products are very tasty as well. You can eat brownies, cake, pizza, muffins etc. etc. Some of it isn't exactly like the gluteny stuff - but it's still good.

[Tim-n-VA]

I'd say it tastes like regular food. Some I like, some I don't.

Some of the things I like, others don't. Some of the things I don't like other do.

Sorry but this is too open ended and personal preference related to get a single answer.

[Live2BWell]

I'd say it tastes like regular food. Some I like, some I don't.

Some of the things I like, others don't. Some of the things I don't like other do.

Sorry but this is too open ended on personal preference related to get a single answer.

Tim-n-VA ~ um... ok, maybe if I re-word it? How does Gluten Free food tastein comparison toglutenous food? Is it more bland? Is it less dense? Is it tasteful? Is it fulfilling? I am trying to think of adjectives I can use...

[Tim-n-VA]

Just taking the pre-made breads, if I were to order them based on any of the factors you listed the various gluten free items would be intermixed with the gluten ones. I don't see a factor that seems to be gluten dependent. To illustrate, I didn't like rye bread prior to diagnosis so I'd rate any gluten free bread above any rye bread.

When I make blueberry pancakes with a gluten free mix they are less bland that a plain pancake with gluten. It's not the gluten, it's the complete effect.

[Mango04]

Tim-n-VA ~ um... ok, maybe if I re-word it? How does Gluten Free food tastein comparison toglutenous food? Is it more bland? Is it less dense? Is it tasteful? Is it fulfilling? I am trying to think of adjectives I can use...

There are so many gluten-free foods and products available. I don't think it's possible to find a small group of adjectives that would accurately describe "all gluten-free food."

In general, I think the food I eat now is much tastier than the food I ate pre-gluten-free, mainly because I have a better understanding now of nutrition, cooking, baking etc.

Your best bet if you want to find out about gluten-free food is to stop eating gluten

[gfp]

Tim-n-VA ~ um... ok, maybe if I re-word it? How does Gluten Free food tastein comparison toglutenous food? Is it more bland? Is it less dense? Is it tasteful? Is it fulfilling? I am trying to think of adjectives I can use...

Its all and none ... like Tim said, like regular food some is good and some is bad...

The one thing that is different is the 'comfort food thing'. Its never going to taste like moma used to make because its different...

Adjectives don't really work until you pin down a single product because its like saying how is gluten bread (to someone who has never eaten it)..

Well German Rye bread is one way and swedish Crispbread is hard and crunchy .. which would be considered a bad thing in a white loaf ...

But what it never is is quite the same....

However... I actually prefer REAL corn tortilla. Sure the commecial stuff we get used to has wheat flour 'cause its cheaper but real corn taco's are IMHO way better than the 20% wheat ones... but hey ... its an aquired thing.

Corn based tends to be a bit 'gritty' but hey... isn't that how grits are meant to be...

Buckwheat flour is quite heavy .... and rice flour is quite light but if you mix them its somewhere between... buckwheat is nutty and rice is bland...

But 90% of what is GOOD for you to eat is actually exactly the same ... because meat and fish still tastes like meat and fish.... and vegetables and fruit like veg and fruit... you can get corn pasta, rice pasta and buckwheat not to mention mixes, tapioca etc. no adjective can really sum them up.

Different ones have different textures and bites.

One differeence you can adjectorially assign is texture based. The 'springy' is far less in non gluten because that is a property of the gluten.

[mamaw]

I have a silly question. Are you supposed to be gluten-free & are not or are you just curious? I'm confused over the question.

This lifestyle is not a fad diet -- it is a way of renewed health for thousands who have suffered with many conditions & struggle daily for a ill free life.

In the last few years those of us who are totally gluten-free for health reasons know that the new bakers/vendors have come a long way in making gluten-free food tasty & appealing. Yes, there still is gluten-free food that some will not touch because of texture , flavor or lack of or taste.

blessings

mamaw

[ShayFL]

It tastes like real food. Mashed potatoes and gravy with pot roast and green beans. No gluten there.

[Live2BWell]

mamaw That is not a silly question. I have not been diagnosed, so the answer to your question is: I don't know. I have been dealing with a smorgasboard (no pun intended) of health problems for quite a while and I suspect that Gluten may be a problem for me. I know that going Gluten free is not a fad diet, however fact remains that food is food, and we all want our food to taste good

Mango04

Your best bet if you want to find out about gluten-free food is to stop eating gluten

I had to smile at that, very simple notion (I'm stubborn, LoL!)

gfp Thanks, gfp, I didn't mean to sound ignorant, dumb, or condescending in any way, I truly am just learning about all of this, so I appreciate your explination!

[ohsotired]

I'm not going to be a huge help here, since I only did a 4-day gluten-free diet and then back on the gluten, but..........

Let's take pretzels as an example. Roll'd Gold. Yummy, right?

Glutino makes gluten-free Bretzels that are light and airy and taste better than the Roll'd Gold (IMO).

There are a ton of gluten-free foods available, and I think really you just have to start sampling to see what you like.

Definitely take suggestions from here, though! (I wish I had before I bought pasta! )

[cruelshoes]

It's just like gluten food - you are going to find brands and varieties that you really like, and those that you do not. Yellow cake mix for example. The Arrowhead Mills yellow cake mix tastes like crap. Complete and total, sandcastle crap. However, the yellow cake mixes from Pamela's or Really Great Foods taste delicious. The premade breads from Ener-G taste like couch cushions. The pre-made breads from Kinikinnick taste pretty dang good. It's just trial and error and finding what works for you.

PS - nothing tastes as good as homemade.

[mamaw]

I would suggest if you are having health problems to find a doctor whom you trust & get checked-out. For so many the gluten-free lifestyle was the answer to felling better. But if that is what your cause of ills happens to be - the only way to feel better is by the gluten-free lifestyle. So with that in mind it truly doesn't matter about the gluten-free food. If a celiac wants to get felling better they must follow the diet. There is no other way for us. Fifteen years ago the gluten-free food was non-existant & what was to be found tasted like a piece of cardboard.... I can reassure you there is much in the way of excellent gluten-free food avaliable today......and you will be pleasantly surprised......

I wasn't trying to be a smart A-- but some people think this is a fad diet to lose weight because so many of us are slender. Many do not understand about this disease or know very little about it.

I have seen people show up at support groups wanting to do the diet because they want to lose weight... I know the leaders try to explain that there is a true illness involved & the gluten-free diet is the only way for some to get better.

I hope you find out what is wrong so you to can start to feel better. I wouldn't wish this on anyone but for me it was far better than what I first was Dx'd with--- Lou Gerhings (ALS) so oddly I'm very thankful & I don't mind the gluten-free diet.

It does get pricey if you have to buy everything ready made but other than the prices I have not missed anything in the wheat line that I cannot duplicate or buy in the gluten-free line. Some things are even better I think......

blessings

mamaw

[tarnalberry]

turkey chili - tasty.

beef stew - yum.

chicken soup - aaahh.

bbq chicken salad - mmm.

veggie stir fry - more please.

apples, peaches, pears, cherries, bananas, mangos, pineapple, berries, oranges - delish.

bell pepper and hummus, tomatoes and guacamole, carrots and bean dip - oooo.

yes, yes, there is lots and lots of tasty gluten free food. my friends love my cooking, and everything I make is gluten and dairy free. of course, I don't generally by premade, prepackaged food, but most of my dishes are 30-45 minute prep & cook too.

[kbtoyssni]

To me, gluten-free food is normal food. I do 99.9% of my grocery shopping at a regular food store, buying the same food as non-gluten-free people. If you didn't know that I was gluten-free, you probably wouldn't even notice none of the foods in my cart contain gluten. So for the majority of what I eat, it's the same as what I would have eaten pre-gluten-free.

If you are talking gluten-free substitutes for gluten foods, yes, they do taste differently, but it's a matter of personal preference if it's better or worse than gluten food. I make gluten-free cakes and cookies and if you do a direct compare to gluten cake there's a difference, but all my gluten eating friends love what I make. It still tastes good. And now, after three years, I can't really remember exactly how gluten foods taste. As long as what I do eat tastes good, I don't mind if it's not exactly the way gluten food was.

[purple]

Ok, I will toss in my tidbit and add it to what everyone else has said. My family members are the "glutened" ones. I see their symptoms. I want them healthy. I can't put a price tag on their health, its too high. Gluten free foods are expensive (pay now or pay more later)BUT they are healthier for all of us to eat. I studied health and food last year and tried to get us off the junk but it didn't work too well. Now we have to and I am grateful. I will get around our old favorites and while doing that I am learning all kinds of new things to make and I am having a good time doing it. Scratch food is so much healthier than preboxed mixes filled with preservatives, chemicals, pesticides, aluminum, extra sugar to make it taste good, etc. Just knowing what nutrition is going inside us now is worth giving up the junk.

Just last month my uncle said he eats whatever he wants: a big steak, a giant sized- 1/2 pounder -candy bar- daily. Since then he had surgery on his neck because his calcium was lost and it almost killed him (73yrs) and now he is eating thru a tube and miserable.

My daughter noticed that she has never eaten this healthy before b/c now she has to.

Back to the taste. I don't care for rice too much, then or now. I never was a bread eater so it doesn't bother me. I am gonna miss the homemade rolls at holiday dinners but white flour isn't all that healthy anyway. Same for stuffing. I miss Pizza Hut but its so expensive to eat out and you eat too much anyway. I like to make homemade pizza. I miss fast brownie mixes but my scratch recipe I use is wonderful. I don't care for the gritty taste in cookies but I am working on that and the cookies are getting "healthier" as I tweak them(who used to put flax in their cookies?).

I love to grab a fast meal when shopping but I usually get a tummy ache b/c I am not used to the junk in it, we live 55 miles to the nearest fast food restaurant.

I admit the taste of some things is different but the ingredients are healthy and that matters most. If you go down the cereal aisle at Walmart, only about 3 or 4 kinds you can buy. But most of the rest is sugar, food colorings, artificial everything, stripped foods of its nutrition and enriched with chemicals and who knows what(don't be fooled by the label), so really you are not missing much. Going down the chip or candy aisle keeps you from eating junk but you still can choose something so you are never deprived.

We all should be eating 50 to 90 percent raw food anyway. This is just a way of getting us to do whats right. I feel blessed now and see how badly I ate before, all for convenience-HA! I do miss hamburger buns but they are not good for you anyway either.

I never used to eat raspberries but now I love them in scones and yogurt...yum

Well, sorry for the little tidbit, it got kinda big..........

[Live2BWell]

purple Wow, thank you so much for your reply! It was refreshing to read your experiences I found it interesting that you said we should all be eating 50 to 90 percent raw food anyway, I didn't know that !

kbtoyssni I really liked the perspective you put on being gluten free. I guess I don't have so much experience with the fact that there are so many "normal" foods that really ARE gluten free, and that gluten free is not merely confined to those fancy schmancy substitutes, so for that, I thank you!!

mamaw Thanks, I totally didn't mean to come across as one of those people, and rest assured I'm not. I've been sick for a while and been to so many doctors it's made my head spin, I too hope I feel better - which probably one reason I am so desperate for answers, any answers that anyone can give me helps.

cruelshoes Thanks for the tidbits of info, much appreciated, I'll certainly make a mental note of them!

ohsotired LoL, are there any good gluten free pastas? I have to say that pasta and pizza are a weakness (a gluten filled weakness though!)

[ohsotired]

Pasta - just ignore anything that isn't Tinkyada.

We used the Tinkyada shells with cheese sauce and it was awesome!

There's one we bought that was in a green bag......Mrs. Something.......not so good.

I know I've seen recommendations here for pizza crust/dough, but I haven't tried any of those yet.

I'll be sure to update you when I do!

[mamaw]

I'll chime in here again! Our favorite pasta was & still is BiAglut . It is an import & at the present time it is not to be found do to the new labeling laws. I have been sparingly using my stash in hopes that it holds out until it can be found here in the US again. At this point I now wondering if that will happen-- its been months.....

Tinkyada is fairly easy to find & many like it. For egg noodles the very best is Seitenbacher. They can be ordered via the net but are hard to find in retail stores. They are worth the search.... they don't fall apart when reheated like Glutino ones, but they are ok in a pinch.

For pizza: my kids love the crust from Joan's gluten-free great bakes ( pre-made) she also has the best bagels & eng Muffins to date.

Everybody Eats has wonderful dinner rolls & baguettes. Against the Grain Gourmet has very good rolls we use for sandwiches ie: sloppy joes, bb'q, burgers & more.

If you are near a whole foods they have a white bread t that the kids like for grilled cheese..

If donuts are your passion I suggest Celiac Specialities.......

I think I covered all the junk food!

I received samples for my group from Arico of the cassava chips. I told myself I wouldn't like them but they are very good. The original are very plain but the ginger on fire, bb'q, & sea salt all were good. Healthy too.......whole foods carries them.

Pamela's cake mixes were also a hit for the group.....

hth

hope you get to feeling better soon.....

mamaw

[Woolygimp]

Gluten free bread isn't as good as normal bread because it lacks the soft and spongey texture that yeast gives. Instead gluten free bread is often crumbly and dry, but I suggest buying Glutino bread and toasting it.

It tastes EXACTLY like normal toast, you can't tell the difference. I toast everything that involves sandwich bread. Anyway Glutino has the best gluten-free products that I've been able to find, most of there food is pretty damn good. Their crackers are phenomenal, and they also sell breakfast bars that taste like the real thing.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Premade gluten-free bread tastes (to me) like styrofoam.

HOME-made gluten-free bread tastes like really, really good artisan bakery bread

Gluten-free cake (homemade) tastes better than gluteny homemade cake (cake mix OR scratch)! That was a huge surprise to me.

Gluten-free pancakes and waffles taste the same to me as gluteny ones.

Gluten-free biscuits (home-made, again) taste a tiny bit different than gluteny ones--just a little heavier, but still good.

Suggestion: if you want to try a gluten-free diet to resolve your health problems, take a month or two to eat "real" gluten-free food (i.e., meats, fish, chicken, veggies, rice, potatoes, etc.), without ANY gluten-free substitutes for bread, pasta, cereal, cookies,etc. Those substitutes can be awfully hard on a gluten-damaged tummy, but are usually fine once the tummy has healed (which can take a couple of months).

Incidentally, if you are overweight, a nice "side effect" of the gluten-free diet is that you might lose quite a bit of weight--without having to go low-carb For some of us, it's not the carbs that are the problem, it's the gluten.

Conversely, if you are underweight, you might finally begin to gain once you remove gluten from your diet.

Gluten is evil stuff.

[kbtoyssni]

kbtoyssni I really liked the perspective you put on being gluten free. I guess I don't have so much experience with the fact that there are so many "normal" foods that really ARE gluten free, and that gluten free is not merely confined to those fancy schmancy substitutes, so for that, I thank you!!

ohsotired LoL, are there any good gluten free pastas? I have to say that pasta and pizza are a weakness (a gluten filled weakness though!)

Glad to help! Eating "regular" food also keeps the cost down. I see no reason why I should spend tons of money on special substitutes when I can alter my thinking just a bit and use more potato and rice instead of bread or dove chocolate instead of gluten-free cookies. Since I'm buying "naked" food rather than all the processed boxed food, I think my diet is healthier, too.

Tinkyada pasta seems to be the overwhelming favorite on this board, but I also like Mrs. Leepers (can be found at Super Targets) and DeBoles (found at many normal stores in the midwest). As for pizza, I really like Glutino brand pizza (I do keep one or two in my freezer just in case), but I usually make my own. I use the pizza crust recipe in "The Gluten Free Gourmet" cookbook. It's very quick to make and tastes just fine. You could also use a corn tortilla as crust if you want making it to be even faster.

[Beth41777]

NEVER thought I'd say this but I found a pasta I like BETTER than Tinkyada!!!! Crazy, isn't it? Bio Naturae Pasta - Available in Elbows. Penne, Fussili, and Spaghetti It's available here: Open Original Shared Link

I highly recommend it. My Non-Celiac husband loves it too!! Beth

[babysteps]

I second the Tinkyada and DeBoles pasta preferences.

Also, if you live near a 'little Italy' that has stores w/Italian imports, there are many shapes of rice pasta that have shown up recently (never saw them 2 yrs ago, now many of the stores have a selection) - apparently Italy is a very gluten-free friendly place (who would have guessed?).

Quinoa is a great food too, especially if you are trying to replicate cous cous or tabouleh - it's pricier than rice, but a nice change of pace once in a while. A cheaper alternative is to play with cauliflower, there are a lot of recipes in "low carb diet" books (library) or online - you can blenderize raw and add cream or yogurt; or steam & then blenderize with cream or yogurt (or your favorite liquid), etc. - depending on what texture you are looking for, raw approaches more like polenta, cooked closer to mashed potatoes. I bet you could blenderize raw & *then* steam to get close to cous cous.

If you already own a mandoline (vegetable slicer) you can make thin or wide threads of summer squash or zucchini as an alternative to pasta. Also spaghetti squash really works! (Although in my oven it usually takes longer than the directions say.)

Good luck in improving your health! I think all of us on this site have been there - it can be a long road but better health is worth the struggle imho