How to cook Gluten Free

A gluten-free diet is a diet that excludes the protein gluten. Gluten is found in grains such as wheat, barley and rye.

A gluten-free diet is used to treat celiac disease. Gluten causes inflammation in the small intestines of people with celiac disease. Eating a gluten-free diet helps people with celiac disease control their signs and symptoms and prevent complications.

Initially, following a gluten-free diet may be frustrating. But with time, patience and creativity, you'll find there are many foods that you can eat and enjoy while observing a gluten-free diet.

By rebecca pollock

The Salt Lake Tribune
First published Sep 28 2011 02:54PM
Updated Sep 29, 2011 12:39PM

Angie Sutcliffe has been baking gluten-free treats and breads at home since 2006, when she was diagnosed with celiac disease.

She experimented with new baking techniques until she developed several gluten-free recipes that satisfied her sweet tooth. Eventually, it led to the start of a business.

Today, Sutcliff is the owner of GF Squared, a home-based bakery that sells gluten-free zucchini bread, pumpkin cakes, bar cookies and other sweet treats and breads.

Sutcliffe is among the 100 Utah businesses whose products will be on display Saturday, Oct. 8, during the annual Gluten-Free Expo in Sandy. The event, which also features cooking demonstrations and health discussions, is one of the largest gluten-free events in the country, said Debbie Deaver, who founded the expo two years ago after she was diagnosed with celiac disease.

Between 2008 and 2009, the number of gluten-free products exploded as the awareness and diagnosis of celiac disease grew, she said.

About one in every 133 people in the United States has the condition, making them unable to eat foods with gluten, a protein that occurs naturally in wheat, barley and rye. When people suffering from celiac disease consume products with gluten, it damages their small intestine and can cause a host of problems, from abdominal pain and diarrhea to chronic fatigue.

There is no cure. The only real solution is a gluten-free diet, said Deaver. For most celiacs, the toughest part about eating off the wheaten path is finding a substitute for baked goods such as bread, pasta, crackers, cookies and cakes.

Deaver said the goal of the expo is to show people that all of those products, like those produced at GF Squared, are available to them.

Most Beer contains gluten, alot of gluten, so much it makes me ill after drinking just a few. Thank god there are some gluten-free choices out there for us beer lovers.

Reigning Champ: Estrella Damm Daura
ABV: 5.4% Price: $ 9.99 /4 pack
The Spanish-based brew was recently named "World's Best Gluten-Free Beer" at the World Beer Awards for the second year in a row - and for good reason. Daura manages to retain the same taste and properties as traditional beer by using a progressive method of brewing that still uses barley (rather than rice, sorghum, buckwheat etc.), but polishes away the gluten from it - giving it a very different taste.

Drinkable: Green's Beers
ABV: Endeavor 7%, Mission 6%, Quest 8.5%, Pathfinder 7%. Price: $5.99 /16 oz. bottle
Inspired by strong European beers and brewed in Belgium since 2004, Green's offers three gluten-free beers in the U.S. market: Discovery Amber Ale, Endeavour Dubbel Ale, and Quest Tripel Ale. Each variety has its own unique flavor palate and is more widely available than Daura.

Fruity Alternative: New Grist
ABV: 5.7% Price: $9.99 /6 pack
Our taster refers to New Grist as the gluten-free cousin of Magic Hat. A very fruity beer produced using sorghum by a small private brewery in Milwaukee, New Grist has been described as sweet, carbonated, earthy and possessing a foul aftertaste. For those of you who enjoyed Magic Hat before your unfortunate diagnosis, this is the beer for you.

Steer Clear: Redbridge
ABV: 4.8% Price: $8.99 /6 pack
Anheuser-Busch's entry into the GF marketplace, Redbridge tastes like the product it is: mass-produced cheap, light beer. Lacking any real hops flavor, Redbridge is the beer to be avoided unless absolutely necessary. It is, however, pretty much the only GF beer you'll ever come across in a bar.