wheat free

journaling says:

You are trying a wheat free diet for the next two months as part of your Links to Learning Program. Half way through this year you finished a intensive retuning program for sound frequencies via orchestral music. The change in your confidence, concentration and output has been stunning. You then went on a maintenance schedule for a few months but due to an excessive wheat diet and asthma/colds you have slipped from where you were. To help get you back up to where you were, we all going wheat free to support you.

While we are going wheat free we are trying out lots of different taste sensations I thought I'd give smoothies a crack. Not ever having done them before I put an ask out on Facebook for different recipe ideas.

Our first night was granny smith apple, kiwi, grapes, yogurt, milk, icecream and a light dusting of chocolate quick.  That only got a lukewarm response from the kids.

Tonight we tried strawberries, frozen raspberries, yogurt and milk plated up with balled icecream. This got a big thumbs up.

The biggest challenge so far has been a bread replacement. We haven't gone down the 'wraps' path yet, or the rice cakes, but I do have them to try out on the weekend. So far 2 different brands of breads have been given the thumbs down by the kids. And we have had one that I found in Lincoln that's been OK so far.

I've had a talk with our local baker to see what they could offer. He did explain what gluten from the wheat does to the dough during the baking process, so at least now I can understand why the gluten free breads are small dense loaves.

I've had wonderful support locally from the butcher who about to start a gluten free line in his display case. He has been asked a lot for no wheat/gluten free products in recent times.

I've had a walk around the local IGA with the owner who pointed out the many many alternatives to wheat products. I then took the kids in so we could all shop together so they could learn to read the ingredients, look for certain brands and just learn that wheat is just about in everything. It took us an hour and a half to walk 3 aisles in the shop as the kids pulled out products, read the back of them and had to put most of them back. We sat on the floor quite a few times with things around us so we all could learn what is a good food and what isn't.

Being wheat free is very different from being gluten free. Wheat free means we can still use bran, oats, barley, rye, coconut, sorghum, rice, and maize alternatives. Gluten free cant use wheat, barley oats, triticale or rye as they all contain the protein gluten.

So its all a learning curve for each of us and to support Sean we are all giving it a crack.