Gluten Free Cereal
Collins Dictionary defines “cereal” as – 1. Any edible grain, or 2. (breakfast) food. Definition number 1 assumes you don’t have coelicac condition; those who do would need to know whether it is a gluten free cereal or not.
The most common gluten free cereal is rice, a staple food in most of Asia and some parts of Africa. Rice is by nature a gluten free cereal, and such things like “Ricicles”, “Rice Krispies” and rice pudding are all dishes made with this gluten free cereal. Rice is eaten at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Many Thai people start their day with a steaming bowl of rice soup! In Cameroon, a staple dish called “foo-foo” (dumpling) is made from ground rice and water.
In the Western World rice is an accompaniment to savoury dishes, or eaten as a starter or main course (risotto). Rice pudding is a popular dessert in many countries! Rice pudding is a gluten free cereal breakfast option in our family. I make a large batch of rice pudding, pour it into individual-sized dishes, and put them (cooled) in the fridge. In the morning, I heat up the dish in the microwave oven for 2 minutes, and serve with jam. I like it with brown sugar.
Another gluten free cereal is corn. Corn is a staple in many parts of North and South America and Italy (called polenta). In the Western World we have a gluten free cereal called corn flakes. Another type of gluten free cereal is quinoa (pronounced “keen-wa”). It is not actually a grain; but a seed. Eaten in the time of the Incas and was considered food fit for the Gods. It contains many vitamins and minerals and can be made into a tasty gluten free cereal. Just cook the quinoa as per the packet instructions, and add your favourite fruit and honey. A warm gluten free cereal for both young and old to enjoy!
For most coeliacs porridge (or oatmeal) is off limits. Many people enjoy porridge on cold, winter mornings! A gluten free cereal substitute for oats is millet flakes. Millet is a gluten free cereal, however it is much tougher than oats, so it’s best to soak the millet flakes in milk the night before and cook the porridge in the morning. Rice porridge is another example of a gluten free cereal alternative to porridge.
Whilst breakfast is a meal dominated by gluten-bearing items (wheat cereals, oatmeal porridge, bread, croissants), I hope that the examples and ideas for gluten free cereal outlined above have given you some idea of the options available. Some are either ready-made, some homemade; and they are suitable for both western palates (rice pudding!) and more exotic palates (rice soup!).
Kids Gluten Free Tips
These tips are aimed at kids and helping them to have a normal but gluten free life.
Include older siblings. If you have a child who needs to eat gluten free consider this a challenge for the whole family rather than just that child. If they have an older sibling give them some responsibility and make them feel far more included in helping their younger brother or sister to stay gluten free. Whilst your child with coeliac condition may not yet be able to read or interpret the ingredients in a food labels you will find that their older brother or sister probably can with some help, and is able to do this. Remember, you will not always be with your child when they are out but there is a greater chance that their sibling will be with them and can help them to stay gluten free if offered some food at a friend’s or at a party.
Educate your child’s class. Coeliac condition and the need to be gluten free is not a stigma, they are a medical condition and compromised by lack of education. Offer to go to your child’s class and do a quick presentation on what coeliac condition is and what foods are gluten free. This will help your child’s classmates to understand better and help your child when at school. Remember, the class teacher may also be very vague as to what foods contain gluten and why there is a need to be gluten free and they will benefit from this presentation also. Don’t be afraid of tackling this head on, there will be many other children in the class with food intollerances some of which are far worse such as peanut allergy.
Reward your child for spotting gluten in foods. If your child is offered a sweet by an adult at a child’s party or an outing the last thing you want is for them to be put in a position of refusing the gift and not been able to adequately explain why. It is much better if you train them to accept the sweet and then immediately take it to you or save it to refer to you later so that you can then exchange it for a better, favourite sweet or better still two sweets. In this way they are not disadvantaged, avoid any embarrassing situations and are actually rewarded for being diligent with regard to any streets they are offered.