gluten-free cookbook

The First Year: Celiac Disease

“The First Year: Celiac Disease and Living Gluten-Free” by Jules Dowler-Shepard is one of the best “starting out” guides for beginning a gluten-free diet. Regardless of your Celiac status (*see note below), if you want or need to start a gluten-free lifestyle, this step by step guide will help you through the transition. (I really, REALLY wish I’d had this book when I started blindly trying to fumble my way into a gluten-free world!!)

– Getting tested (and who else should)

– Cleaning your pantry and kitchen

– Grocery shopping (what’s safe to eat and why)

– Finding and avoiding hidden gluten

– Follow up doctor appointments

– Strategies for eating (out and in)

– Finding support groups

*Just remember: if you haven’t been officially diagnosed as a Celiac Disease yet (through the “triple test” of a small bowel biopsy, the IgA and IgG anti-gliadin antibodies blood test and a gene blood test), you may want to get tested before starting a gluten free diet. While the gene testing can be done regardless of your gluten intake, the two blood tests require that you be ingesting gluten or the tests may come back with false negatives. This is assuming you need an official diagnosis in order to have the resolve to stay gluten-free for life. Because being a Celiac means no gluten, not even a little bit, to stay healthy.

Practically Paleo

We love this book!!!! While it doesn’t have “Gluten Free” in the title, it is strictly GF and full of great ideas. After reading over 50 gluten-free books in the past 4 years, I didn’t think there was much more I could learn about gluten free diet. But this book has a wonderful section in it for “Digestive Issues” that helped me figure out the last piece of my Celiac recovery: probiotics in the form of fermented veggies!

What is a “Paleo Diet”?
A Paleo Diet is simply a way of eating that eliminates all gluten (and many other grains and starches that are actually allowed on a GF diet), all dairy and limits pre-packaged, processed foods. The theory is that we should still be eating what the “Paleolithic Man” did more than 10,000 years ago, well before the agricultural revolution started to change the shape of what we humans eat on a daily basis. Basically this means eating mostly meat, fish, fruits and veggies – all great for a gluten-free diet.

“Practically Paleo” is full of great information for all kinds of dietary restrictions and issues. There are over 120 great recipes, all of which are gluten-free (and most are dairy free, if you need GFCF).

We use this book all the time and have found many new favorite dishes (hello, Thanksgiving Meatballs!!) “Practically Paleo” gets our highest recommendation!!

Gluten-Free Quick & Easy

One of the first books I (Noi) ever bought, this is a great quick’n’easy cookbook from one of the premiere gluten-free expert authors, Carol Fenster. Not only does the cookbook have over 200 recipes, but it also has some excellent advice on how to plan and stay gluten-free (leftovers or “Planned Overs” as Carol calls them) are key to staying on a quick and easy gluten-free diet.

There are many of the the usual gluten-free replacement recipes for “old-gluteney-favorites” – things like French bread, Banana Bread, Pancakes/Waffles and GF pizza. But there are also simple yet super tasty gluten-free dishes like Tacos with Chile Lime Chicken and Pork Carnitas Slow-Cooker Style, amazing Mac & Cheese (that kids may like — we’ve served it to friends with mixed reviews…), Chinese Lemon Chicken and Orange Beef Stir Fry. And for dessert? Personally, I LOVE her Zucchini Bread recipe, Cranberry Apple Crisp and Double Crusted Apple Pie… Cookies and Brownies… Loads of super yummy GF dessert options.

So if you’re like I was when I first started my gluten-free diet and are looking for fast, simple recipes to keep you gluten-free, look no further. Gluten-Free Quick & Easy is one of my most worn GF cookbooks because it has so many simple, everyday recipes.

The Gluten Connection

The Gluten Connection is an amazing book that delves into the How’s and Why’s of Gluten Sensitivity, Gluten Intolerance and Celiac (among others). While fairly technical, this book really sheds light on what gluten is, how it effects some (many!) people and why humans should avoid it.

Full of highly useful information (like a questionnaire to see if you have troubles with gluten and a fourteen day program to follow to start your gluten-free diet), this book is a must for anyone who has may have IBS, arthritis, ulcerative colitis, dermatitis herpetiformis, psoriasis, fibromyalgia, lupus, and or Celiac (Coeliac) Disease and wants to know more about going gluten-free.

Click here to purchase The Gluten Connection from our Amazon Bookstore