5 Top Tips for Eating Gluten-Free on a Budget
We all know it! The gluten-free diet is expensive. Natasha Murray of the Dietitians Association of Australia shares tips that will save you cash.
- by Alice Murphy for Mail Australia 1
Natasha Murray, spokeswoman for the Dietitians Association of Australia, shared five useful tips on how to save on gluten-free goodies at the checkout counter. Processed gluten-free foods are expensive in part because of required allergen testing.
Her main piece of advice is to buy fresh, unprocessed foods which are often naturally free from gluten. All fresh fruit and vegetables, pure, unmodified dairy and fresh meat are gluten-free options that won’t break the bank if you shop smart. Similarly, steering clear of the GF section in favour of automatically gluten-free grains is a useful way to cut back on grocery costs. Grains like rice and quinoa don’t contain gluten and leave you fuller longer just like their gluten-laden counterpart, pasta.
Ms Murray urged shoppers to avoid gluten-free junk foods, reminding consumers that ‘just because a product is gluten-free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a healthy option’. According to Ms Murray, gluten-free convenience snacks are often laced with sugar, preservatives and fat as well as being low in dietary fibre.
She also suggested shopping around in other parts of the supermarket while reading labels carefully to find ‘accidentally’ gluten-free products that are bound to be lower in cost.
