Great gluten-free breakfast options
Q: I’ve recently been diagnosed with coeliac disease and I am finding breakfast difficult as all myusual options are out now. What are some good gluten-free breakfast options? – Kathy
Many people have grown up eating either toast or cereal for breakfast, both of which normally contain gluten, so breakfast can often be challenging for them when gluten is eliminated from their way of eating. There are gluten-free breads and cereals available, but it’s important to know that being gluten-free doesn’t necessarily make them nutritious choices (although some of these will be).
What you choose to eat and drink at breakfast will either set you up for smooth sailing or create big challenges when it comes to your energy, mood and food choices later in the day. Since you are already making some changes to the way you eat, this presents a great opportunity to ensure your breakfasts are highly nourishing.
A:
At this point I would like to encourage you to challenge the concept of what many consider to be a conventional breakfast. When you do this, it opens up many more ways in which you can nourish yourself each morning.
So rather than choosing from a permitted list of ‘‘breakfast’’ foods or meals, you might like to try basing your choice purely on what you feel would be nourishing for you in that moment. If it’s not something that you would typically view as a breakfast food, it truly doesn’t matter. Left over casserole can be highly nourishing, for example.
But if you would prefer to stick to some more conventional options, that’s perfectly OK too. Here are some gluten-free breakfast suggestions:
Poached eggs and greens with or without good quality gluten-free toast.
Omelette filled with vegetables and herbs.
Avocado or nut butter on good quality gluten-free toast.
Quinoa, millet or rice porridge.
Chia seed or buckwheat pudding. Gluten-free muesli. Green smoothie. Please note that if you used your toaster for regular wheat bread prior to being diagnosed with coeliac disease, or if others in
Ask Dr Libby
Email your questions for Dr Libby to ask.drlibby@fairfaxmedia.co.nz. Please note, only a selection of questions can be answered. your household still use the toaster to toast wheat bread, you will need a new toaster that is used exclusively for gluten-free bread.
This is because crosscontamination from crumbs in the toaster can occur, and even a single gluten-containing crumb is enough to trigger a reaction.
Dr Libby is a nutritional biochemist, best-selling author and speaker. The advice contained in this column is not intended to be a substitute for direct, personalised advice from a health professional. See Dr Libby live during her upcoming ‘WhatAmI Supposed To Eat?’ tour throughout New Zealand. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit drlibby.com