I know a lot of you out there are gluten free, either for yourself, or for a loved one in the home. One of the most common questions asked is whether the Grocery Shrink method will work if you are gluten free. The answer is yes. The method will save you money no matter what your diet needs are because it is the WAY to shop, not a prescription for what to buy and cook. And it will teach you how to take what you buy and use it up with no waste.
Here’s what one gluten free buyer had to say: “Angela – started to read the ebook and LOVE it! Common sense stuff that I really need to follow. It can all be adapted to GF [gluten free]. I may not save as much but it is something! And your idea about almond flour – BRILLIANT! Yes, I will need to join that group. Thank you, Wendi”
I haven’t tried living gluten free on $50 per person per month. Many grains are gluten free: rice, soy, millet, flax, quinoa, corn, oats. But if they haven’t been processed or packaged in a gluten free facility they aren’t safe for a true Celiac. While I can find a carton of plain rolled oats very inexpensively, to buy one that is certified gluten free will cost 5 xs as much! And something as innocent as a piece of hard candy is often coated in flour (containing gluten) to keep it from sticking to the wrapper. So while using the Grocery Shrink method for any dietary needs will save money, a gluten free house might not reach the $50 per person per month level.
http://pccuisine.com/wild-rice-pilaf.html
The best way to save money on a gluten free diet is to make your own bread mixes from bulk ingredients. And to not try to replace all familiar bread foods in the diet with gluten free counterparts. Instead focus your diet on fresh/frozen veggies, simply prepared meats, fruit, and gluten free grains such as corn, rice and quinoa. Use some gluten free baked goods to keep you from feeling deprived, but don’t make them the staple of your diet.
I’m doing research for inexpensive ways to buy gluten free ingredients in bulk. And I’ve been having a lot of trouble (hence the no post yesterday–sorry) I smell a business opportunity. I found lots of sites that advertised bulk ingredients and they turned out to be a lot of prepackaged foods and mixes. I’m still looking though and I’ll let you know when I find THE source. Any tips? Leave your sources in a comment.
I have a fun link to share wtih you today while I continue my research. There are a lot of mothers learning how to cook gluten free from scratch and I’m thankful they are posting the journey online. But first. For those new to the gluten free idea here are some fun facts.
1. Gluten is a protein that is very good for you, unless you have a condition that makes it impossible to digest.
2. Gluten gives structure and loft to breads. This quality can be mimicked with xanthan gum (made by fermenting sugar with the Xanthomonas campestris bacterium) or guar gum (made from the guar bean.) Both of these ingredients are carbohydrates.
3. There are at least 3 conditions that require a gluten free lifestyle: Celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or gluten allergy. Someone with gluten intolerance won’t get violently ill if they ingest a small amount of gluten but someone with Celiac’s will notice even a microscopic amount.
4. Gluten senstitivites is usually tested by an elimination diet. If all gluten is removed and the symptoms improve, then the person is assumed to be gluten intolerant. A more definitive way to test is with a saliva test.
5. You can help build structure in your bread by adding high protein flours such as soy flour to your gluten free flour blend.
Image source: GlutenFreeMommy.com
This fantastic gluten free pizza was made by Natalie at Glutenfreemommy.com without a mix! You can get the recipe here. And while you’re there, poke around. She has a lot of wisdom to share.
Good timing, Angela! My father-in-law is gluten-free recently and coming to visit. I was at a loss as to WHAT to feed him! He is also now not eeating cheese (only yogurt) so the pizza is out but now I have some resources. Thanks again!
Before using soy flour, one might care to look over the topic of unfermented soy for food at http://www.westonaprice.org. More and more folks are speaking out about the health problems they developed when they made soy a regular and frequent part of their diet.
I agree about the soy. We are a gluten free, dairy free, soy free, organic household and yes my grocery bill is nowhere near $50 per person per month. However, after having suffered from being very ill for a significant period of time I have to say that if you’re not careful what you put in your body you may be paying for it later in health and medical bills!
One source of bulk products for gluten free families is Azure Standard. You do have to order a certain amount though and lump it with another order for a pickup location near you.
We are not a gluten free family but I have cooked gluten free in the past. Here is a link to a company that sells in bulk. I’ve had great experience with this company. They sell gluten free products in bulk.
http://www.azurestandard.com/
Lori
Angela, We are a gluten-free household. When I first started trying to shrink our grocery bill because of your precious influence, I was really discouraged because of the extra expense for gluten-free oats, etc, like you already mentioned. Anyway…I am still able to save us a lot of money with my grocery shopping, but you’re right, I can’t really do it for $50 per person, which my husband and I have agreed is fine. ANYWAY, I buy most or all of our gluten free oats and flours on AMAZON. They have FABULOUS prices for bulk items. I know I save tons of money buying stuff from there. Also, I watch for sales at Whole Foods. There’s one about 45 minutes from here, so once in a while, we all make a trip down there to shop there and Costco (where I buy our Quinoa and a few other wonderful items that are much less expensive when bought in bulk). Whole Foods, often times, puts a lot of their gluten-free stuff on major sale and it’s even cheaper than Amazon. So, yeah, for me, Amazon is where it’s at! And, I get free shipping! Gotta love it! 🙂
Wow. It is gratifying to read these comments. Glenda, I agree completely about soy. I love the information at the Weston Price website. And anyone who eats gluten free is probably more susceptible to problems with soy than the average person, too, because of the digestive problems they may already have.
Amy and Lori, I find Azure Standard to have the best prices on many gluten free bulk items, too. And Lauren, last time I checked, Costco did have the lowest price for quinoa that I have seen.
I am so curious what a realistic substitute might be for the $50 per person per month goal. Gluten is only one of our dietary restrictions. Our other main allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, bell peppers, and CORN plus all ingredients derived from corn, which is tougher than even gluten to avoid. It has taken me many months to find a possible gluten-free, corn-free mayonnaise, but the only store that sells it is about an hour from my house, so I haven’t tried it yet. It is such a challenge to get all the ingredients that my whole family can eat for many recipes, let alone get the best prices for them. I know we don’t come close to the $50 goal. Are there any brave souls who eat a restricted diet who feel they have found a reasonable substitute for that goal? If so, I would love to know what it is. $75? Less? More? What do you think, Angela? (Keeping in mind the extra hurdle of sometimes feeling deprived due to the dietary limitations). Just wondering…
Oh wow, I just found your blog through the Nester and was laughing with my sister about how it would be impossible for us to spend $50.oo/month on groceries as we are a gluten free family(I am dairy free as well and we try to avoid soy also). Right now I bet that we spend pretty close to $100 per person and that is with my growing a large garden (canning the produce) and cooking everything from scratch. I guess there are lots of us who are gf and are hopeful to shrink our grocery bill!
The biggest savings I have found is to grind my own flour. I am not able to find all of the flour grains in bulk, however even just doing the rice flours, millet, and corn meal in bulk has already more than paid for the cost of our grinder in a year. Now I need to go and look up Azure standard – thanks for this post!