When it comes to food, I am an enabler.
If I’m at a café and my dining companion notices a delicious dessert in the fridge, I’ll often treat them to it before they can start detailing reasons they shouldn’t have it.
There have been so many times in my life when food has been the only saving grace of a day – so since, for me, gluten free food is life and I love giving my opinion on what’s good and what’s not, I feel well-equipped to be writing this article.
I hope you find as much joy in the following goodies as I do!
The best gluten free meal kits
Like many of you, I’m time-poor and have very little inspiration when cooking for myself. I recently did some research and found that just two meal-kit companies offer ‘no added gluten’ meals: Marley Spoon and Dinnerly. They are both of great quality, but Marley Spoon is better suited to me; Dinnerly seems to be more kid-friendly, with the bonus of upsizing some of the already-decent servings (not what a single gal needs, even though I’m like a kid in a candy shop when going through each week’s offerings and choosing which kits I’ll receive).
The best gluten free kombucha
If someone bet me $10,000 that I would eventually love kombucha, I would’ve laughed in their face and doubled their bet with the opposite stakes – and then the Saint + Sinner range would’ve left me $20,000 poorer. I could go on about the fact that they’re certified organic, gluten free, vegan, low in sugar and just 77 calories per bottle, but all you really need to know if that all three flavours – watermelon, passionfruit and pine-lime coconut – are delicious summery alcoholic bevvies.
The best on-the-go gluten free snacks
This is a tough tie. There are lots of products on offer in this market, but often they are not that healthy. I have a regular stockpile of Beauty Bites and Locako Brownie Bites, and both collagen bars have gotten me out of trouble when I rock up to at an event and – frustratingly – there’s nothing gluten free on offer. I love that they both contain prebiotics and probiotics to help support a healthy gut – very important, particularly for us.
The best gluten free salad addition
It should not take me longer to make a salad than it does for me to eat it – so I’ve never been one to make my own croutons. Instead I use Pimp My Salad’s vegan, gluten free croutons (drool!). Awesome brand name, even better crunch. I recently invested in the meat-free coconut bacon and hemp parmesan to really take my Caesar to the next level. FYI, most of their products are also plant-based and suitable for paleo, keto and vegan diets.
The best gluten free ice-cream
I have no idea how Elato has managed to make gluten free, lactose-free, chemical-free, plant-based artisanal ice-creams that are rich and creamy, but they have and I’m all here for it. The chocolate, coffee and vanilla flavours are now an addiction. What I love even more is their social impact: four cents from each tub goes to OzHarvest, an Aussie company that feeds vulnerable locals. Nice work, team!
The best gluten free lunchbox additions
I recently learnt that most schools have banned nuts, in any form. That means no easy peanut butter or Nutella sandwiches – unless you take my advice and stock up on the VGood range, which is made in a facility that’s free from the 14 most common food allergens. My fave is the Hazel-NOT Chickpea Butter, followed closely by the Smooth Pea-NOT Chickpea Butter.
The best gluten free restaurant-quality meal cheats
Back in 2014 when a gastroscopy proved gluten was no good for me, I satiated my craving for KFC chicken by coating chicken breast in Rick Grant’s Chicken Seasoning Mix; it’s still a staple in my kitchen. Since then, the chef’s range has expanded to include mixes for donut balls, naan bread, tempura batter and more. Some are FODMAP-friendly, fructose-friendly, egg-free or soy-free, and all are gluten free.
The best gluten free donuts
Another tie over here – this time between G-Free Donuts and OMG! Decadent Donuts. If you’re ever at a market and see either one of these stalls, run straight to it, order a box of 12, eat what you want while they’re warm, then freeze whatever’s left (if there are any left) when you get home so you can reheat them the next time you’ve got a doughy craving.
The best gluten free beer
If you read my ‘Cheers to gluten free alcohol’ article, you’ll know my favourite gluten free beers are Hahn Ultra Crisp and Two Bays Brewing Co. Pale Ale. But if you haven’t yet found yours, I recommend ordering the Gluten free Guzzler Sixer from Yeah The Beers – there’s a draught, stout, pale ales and even an almond-milk porter. Or you could just come over to mine for a barbie and I’ll happily share my stash with you.
The best gluten free protection
It would be remiss of me to wrap up this article without a nod to GluteGuard – my comfort blanket whenever I eat out. It helps protect me from the disastrous side-effects of being glutened – I pop a GluteGuard before I eat out – every single time; because no matter how much you know about gluten free food, there’s always a risk when you didn’t prepare it yourself.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and exciting new products are being launched every month. I’d love to hear about your favourites!
Contributor: Sarah Friggieri is a gluten free food blogger based in Australia. Check out her other work here.