Gluten Free Sugar Free Cooking

7 Must Have Ingredients

So you've made the decision to keep your cooking gluten and processed sugar free.  Good for you! But where do you start? This article will show that with some careful planning, living free of gluten and processed sugar is not as problematic as you may think.

Stocking your kitchen with the right ingredients is a vital part of preparing for a gluten and sugar free lifestyle. We'll now look at 7 must have ingredients that you'll use in many different recipes.

#1 - Brown rice flour

Naturally gluten free, brown rice flour is made from unhulled kernels of rice. It has a slightly nuttier flavor than wheat flour and doesn't behave in exactly the same way. It is therefore often used in a mixed blend of different gluten free flour grains.

#2 - Dried fruit

Some fruits are high in natural sugars, so act well as sweeteners for our sugar free recipes. Apricots, bananas and apples are all good fruits in this respect. Depending on the recipe they may need to be soaked or stewed beforehand.

#3 - Cornstarch (cornflour)

Cornstarch is (unsurprisingly) the starch of the corn grain. It is often used in gluten free recipes as a thickening agent in soups, stocks and sauces. It can also be used in mixes with other flours for baking.

#4 - Gelatin

Gelatin is a clear solid substance derived from animal collagen. In our cooking, gelatin is used to bind the other ingredients together and it adds moisture and protein to the mix.

#5 - Honey

Produced by bees from the nectar of flowers, honey is a fantastic natural sweetener. It easily melts into any recipe adding its distinct sweetening taste.

#6 - Xanthan gum

Derived from bacterial fermentation of corn sugars, xanthan gum is a must have for gluten free baking. It adds in the stickiness that the gluten would have provided.

#7 - Artificial sweetener

Many health food stores now stock artificial sweeteners which can be used in sugar free cooking. An example of this is xylitol which has a low glycemic index and doesn't cause fluctuations in blood sugar levels.

With experience, you can create gluten and processed sugar free alternatives of most recipes. But if you are new to this way of cooking (and eating) then I'd recommend using a specialist cookbook to get you started. Good luck and happy eating!

Discover how you can still eat a varied diet whilst increasing your energy, boosting your immune system and shedding unwanted pounds with gluten free sugar free cooking. Click here to find out more.