Transitioning to a grain and dairy-free diet might initially appear daunting, but it doesn't have to be. The abundance of naturally compliant whole foods and the increasing availability of gluten and dairy-free alternatives in grocery stores make it easier than ever to navigate this dietary shift.
Understanding the Basics
A non-dairy, grain-free diet is fairly self-explanatory: avoid dairy or dairy-derived products and avoid foods containing grains.
Reasons for Adopting This Diet
Individuals may choose a grain and dairy-free diet for various reasons:
- Food Allergies or Sensitivities: Some individuals must follow this diet due to specific allergies or intolerances to gluten or dairy.
- Digestive Issues: Others find that eliminating these components relieves digestive discomfort or improves overall gut health.
- Increased Energy Levels: Some people report feeling more energized after adopting a grain and dairy-free lifestyle.
- Autoimmune Diseases: A grain-free diet is commonly followed by those with certain autoimmune diseases, and several studies support its use in these cases. For example, celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that affects around 1% of the Western population.
- Reduce Inflammation: Grains may contribute to inflammation, which is believed to be the root cause of many chronic diseases.
- Enhance Weight Loss: A grain-free diet may promote weight loss, likely because it’s naturally devoid of processed grains found in calorie-rich, nutrient-poor foods like white bread, white pasta, pizza, doughnuts, cookies, and other baked goods.
- Lower Blood Sugar Levels: Grains are naturally rich in carbs. Refined grains, such as those found in white bread, white pasta, and many other processed foods, are particularly problematic because they’re devoid of fiber. This leads them to be digested very quickly, generally causing a spike in blood sugar levels shortly after a meal.
- Improve Mental Health: Studies link gluten-containing diets to anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, autism, and schizophrenia.
- Alleviate Pain: Gluten-free diets may help reduce pelvic pain in women with endometriosis, a disorder that causes the tissue lining the inside of the uterus to grow outside of it.
- Reduce Symptoms of Fibromyalgia: A gluten-free diet may help reduce the widespread pain experienced by people with fibromyalgia.
Navigating the Grocery Store: What to Include
A typical American diet has historically included many dairy and gluten products, but there are still plenty of delicious food options available that are free of these ingredients. Besides whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, and non-wheat grains, nearly every grocery store now carries a variety of gluten-free and dairy-free alternatives to your favorite foods.
Here's a breakdown of food categories to focus on:
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- Fruits and Vegetables: Virtually all fruits and vegetables are grain and dairy-free, allowing for a wide variety of nutrients and flavors. Fresh options like berries, apples, bananas, peaches, citrus fruits, leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, and bell peppers are all excellent choices. Starchy vegetables like potatoes, squash, and fresh corn are good, carb-rich alternatives to grains.
- Whole Grains (Gluten-Free): Just because you can't have gluten or wheat doesn't mean all grains are out of bounds. Rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, corn, buckwheat, and sorghum are all grain and dairy-free grains.
- Pseudocereals: That said, most grain-free diets permit small amounts of pseudocereals, such as quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat. Pseudocereals can be prepared and eaten similarly to grains, but they are not technically considered grains.
- Nuts and Seeds: These are inherently grain-free and dairy-free, making them a convenient source of healthy fats and plant-based protein. Almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts, cashews, pistachios, flax seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds are packed with micronutrients and minerals. Be cautious of flavored or coated varieties, as they may contain dairy and gluten.
- Beans and Legumes: These are excellent sources of protein, fiber, and complex carbohydrates. Black beans, white beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils are affordable and readily available.
- Certain Proteins: While many protein options contain dairy, numerous alternatives are grain and dairy-free. Beans, legumes, tofu, most types of tempeh, most plant-based protein powders, some plant-based protein bars, meat, fish, seafood, eggs, and dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt are all great options.
- Plant-Based Oils & Spices: These are essential for adding flavor and healthy fats. Avocado oil, coconut oil, and sesame oil are suitable for frying and sautéing, while olive oil and flaxseed oil are ideal for drizzling or dressings. Most spices are naturally grain and dairy-free, but it's wise to check labels for potential additives or cross-contamination.
- Non-Grain-Based Flours: Almond, flaxseed, chickpea, soy, red lentil, and coconut flour, as well as noodles, bread, and other baked goods made from them, are permitted.
- Fats: These include olive oil, butter, coconut oil, and avocado oil. You may also choose to include marinades and salad dressings as added fats, as well as sweeteners, such as sugar, maple syrup, or honey.
Foods to Avoid
Grain-free diets generally exclude the following food categories:
- Most baked goods: grain-based breads, bagels, tortillas, tacos, pizza, etc.
- Most pastries: grain-based doughnuts, cookies, croissants, muffins, etc.
- Most noodles: pasta, rice noodles, ramen noodles, udon noodles, etc.
- Breakfast cereals: muesli, oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.
- Grain-based flours: all-purpose flour, graham flour, corn flour, and rice flour, as well as all foods made from them
- Many snack foods: popcorn, crackers, muesli bars, rice crackers, etc.
- Grain-based side dishes: rice, orzo, millet, couscous, polenta, etc.
- Grain-based meat replacement: seitan, etc.
- Grain-based milk alternatives: oat milk, rice milk, etc.
- You may also want to avoid grain-based alcoholic beverages, such as beer, gin, whiskey, sake, and Scotch, as well as foods containing grain-derived ingredients like rice syrup or high fructose corn syrup.
Navigating the Grocery Store: Reading Labels
Your reasons for starting a non-dairy, grain-free diet might affect how you approach grocery shopping. For example, if you have severe allergies or intolerances, then avoiding potential cross-contamination will be much more urgent for you than for someone electing to ditch grain and dairy for lifestyle reasons.
Removing grain and dairy from your diet can feel overwhelming, but there have never been more dairy-free and grain-free options available in the grocery store. Take inventory of your pantry and refrigerator foods and purge anything with grain and dairy to give yourself a clean slate.
For any packaged or processed foods, look for the certified grain-free symbol to avoid grain and the certified vegan or Pareve symbols to avoid dairy products. Anything that's labeled "Whole30 compliant" is also grain and dairy-free. These are a great "shortcut," so you don't have to read the whole label, and you can rest assured they haven't been cross-contaminated.
Alcoholic Beverages
Beers, ales, lagers, malt beverages, and malt vinegars that are made from gluten-containing grains are not distilled and therefore are not gluten-free.
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Wine is generally considered gluten-free to the FDA standard of less than 20 parts per million of gluten. However, some types of wine, like those with added color or flavoring, such as dessert wines, as well as those made from barley malt, such as bottled wine coolers, do contain an unsafe amount of gluten for people with celiac disease. Alcoholic beverages, including hard liquor/distilled liquors/hard ciders are also gluten-free.
Potential Drawbacks
A grain-free diet may also come with certain downsides:
- May increase your risk of constipation: A diet devoid of grains, particularly fiber-rich whole grains, may limit your intake of fiber.
- May limit nutrient intake: Limiting certain grains may limit nutrient intake.
- May be difficult to sustain in the long term: This may make this way of eating less sustainable in the long term.
- May promote orthorexic eating behaviors: Unnecessarily demonizing grains under the disguise of health may serve to promote extreme fixation on healthy eating, which is common in people with orthorexic disordered eating behaviors.
Sample Meal Plan
Here’s a typical 3-day menu suitable for a grain-free diet.
Day 1
- Breakfast: egg or tofu scramble with plenty of vegetables and homemade hash browns
- Lunch: salad topped with your choice of veggies, cooked amaranth, smoked tofu, or salmon, and a raspberry vinaigrette dressing
- Dinner: coconut-lime curry with shrimp or marinated tempeh on a bed of cauliflower rice
Day 2
- Breakfast: smoothie made with milk (or a plant-based, grain-free alternative), frozen mango, flax seeds, spinach, and an optional scoop of protein powder
- Lunch: hearty pumpkin, carrot, and white-bean soup topped with roasted cashew nuts
- Dinner: oven-baked sweet potato topped with chili, fresh corn, chopped lettuce, guacamole, and salsa
Day 3
- Breakfast: mini breakfast quiches with spinach
- Lunch: bun-less meat or veggie burger, topped with roasted peppers, hummus, avocado, and a side of buckwheat pasta salad
- Dinner: spiralized zucchini noodles topped with a meat or tofu Bolognese sauce, roasted pine nuts, and Parmesan or nutritional yeast
Snack Ideas
Here are a few simple yet nutritious grain-free snack ideas to tide you over between meals:
- fresh fruit with yogurt
- trail mix
- chia pudding
- flax crackers with olive tapenade
- smoothies
- grain-free nut and fruit bars
- kale chips
- hummus and veggies
- seaweed snacks
- almond-flour muffins
- apple chips
- nut butter fruit dip
- homemade frozen yogurt popsicles
- coconut, date, and nut balls
Delicious Recipes to Try
- Vegan jambalaya
- Next level ratatouille
- One-pan coconut dhal
- Masala dosa
- Gluten-free pasta
- Air fryer roasted veg
- Sweet potato & cauliflower lentil bowl
- Broccoli salad
- Creamy tarragon chicken bake
- Air fryer pork joint
- West Indian spiced aubergine curry
- Harissa vegetables with quinoa
- Breakfast peppers & chickpeas with tofu
- Tofu scramble
- Air fryer lamb chops
- Pineapple smoothie
- Easy chicken casserole
- Apricot & hazelnut muesli
- Strawberry smoothie
- Air fryer patatas bravas
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