If your child's doctor has recommended a wheat- and sugar-free diet, you may be wondering what to feed them. But don't despair. Although it may require changes in your shopping and cooking habits, a wheat- and sugar-free diet can be delicious and simple to prepare, and it may inspire you to learn and try new things.
Cooking
To provide a wheat- and sugar-free diet, you will have to prepare much of the food yourself from scratch. Many prepackaged foods--such as pastas, breads and soups--contain one or both of these ingredients. Learn to read labels, because sometimes they are disguised as something else. For example, high fructose corn syrup, evaporated cane juice and invert sugar are all types of sugars. If you don't have experience cooking from scratch, get a good, classic, natural foods cookbook, such as "The Quick and Natural Macrobiotic Cookbook." You can also talk to friends who are good cooks, take a cooking class or search for online recipe sources.
A Balanced Diet
For a balanced diet, feed your child whole grains such as oatmeal, rice and quinoa; eggs; beans; lentils; meat; fish and plenty of whole vegetables and fruits, recommends Mary Bove, author of "A Natural Encyclopedia of Healing for Children and Infants." These foods are packed with wholesome nutrition and contain no wheat or sugar.
Replacing Wheat
Alternatives to wheat bread include corn tortillas, rice wraps and spelt bread. For snacks try oat crackers, rice cakes or popcorn. Instead of wheat-based pasta, prepare rice noodles, quinoa, brown rice or white rice. These grains are hearty, nutritious, easy to cook and go well with a variety of vegetable, meat and bean dishes.
Sweet Cravings
Most kids like sweet foods, and so eliminating sugar may cause a power struggle. Tame their sugar cravings with naturally sweet foods such as fruits and sweet potatoes. Steam sweet potatoes and mash them with cinnamon and butter for a nutritious side dish. Fresh strawberries or blueberries mixed into plain yogurt provide a colorful treat. Freeze the mixture to prepare frozen treats for desert.
Breakfast
Many breakfast cereals are based on wheat and most contain added sugar. As an alternative, soak plain whole oats in water overnight so they will cook quickly in the morning. Combine them with cream or milk, raisins and butter. Or cook them with a little shredded apple and lemon juice for a filling, nutritious breakfast. Other breakfast ideas include scrambled eggs on a tortilla or fresh fruit with plain yogurt and cinnamon.
Lunch and Snacks
Make a sandwich wrap with a tortilla or rice wrap. Add lunch meat or sliced cheese, mustard or mayo--make sure they contain no added sugar--and vegetables such as sliced bell peppers, lettuce, tomato, sprouts or shredded carrots. Stack wheat-free crackers--such as rice or oat crackers--with cheese and meat slices, or top them with almond butter--hold the jelly. Carrot or celery sticks with peanut or almond butter provide protein and vitamins. Popcorn is wheat free and easy to prepare. A hard boiled egg has its own packaging for a snack on-the-go.
Dinner
Many pre-packaged cooking mixes, soups or frozen dinners contain sugar and wheat, so dinner is a good place to opt for cooking from scratch. Eliminate wheat-based pastas and breads. Instead, make a whole grain like quinoa--which is high in protein and calcium-- the center of your meal. Quinoa combines well with pasta sauces--but before you buy any prepared sauces check the labels for sugar and wheat ingredients--and steamed vegetables such as broccoli or carrots. Avoid prepared meat sauces or marinades that may contain sugar. Instead, broil fish with lemon juice and butter or flavor beans or ground meats with onion, garlic, cumin and fennel fried in a little oil or butter.
References
- "A Natural Encyclopedia of Healing for Children and Infants" Mary Bove, ND; 1996
- "Diet and Nutrition"; Rudolph Ballentine, MD; 1978
- The Quick and Natural Macrobiotic Cookbook"; Aveline Kushi and Wendy Esko; 1989
- "French Women Don't Get Fat"; Mireille Guiliano; 2007
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