the increased intake of plant protein, plant sterols and water-soluble fibre. Cooked legumes may replace starchy food in a meal plan and help to lower the GI of a meal.
•According to your food budget, lean red meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, yoghurt or cheese can be eaten daily.
The choice of these foods depends on your food allergy or intolerance. Protein needs are calculated according to individual circumstances. Especially in the case of growing children, a calcium supplement should be taken when excluding milk products from the diet. Also, especially in children, the absorption of iron is hampered when the protein intake is insufficient.
•Use fats sparingly and choose monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats more often.
A fat intake of between 25% and 35% of the total daily energy intake is considered ideal, with a balance between saturated fats and fats which are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Fatty acids help to improve immunity and strengthen the cell membranes. Fat is also an important carrier of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.
•Get into the habit of drinking sufficient clean, safe water every day.
•Use salt and salt-containing foods sparingly.
•Use sugar and sugar-containing foods sparingly and in consultation with your doctor and dietitian.
•Be more active and keep your body weight under control.
Food supplements
The addition of mineral and vitamin supplements should only be done according to your doctor’s evaluation and a nutrient analysis by your dietitian. Injudicious mineral and vitamin supplementation is not only very expensive, but could, in the long run, damage your body or result in the unwanted accumulation of certain substances.
Explanation of less-familiar ingredients
Read the chapter “Easy bakes, bread and rusks” about the different gluten-free flour mixtures.
Barley
In South Africa barley in often used in soup, but it can also be cooked in the same way as rice. Barley flour can be used in the same ratio as wheat-containing cake flour. Barley flour gives a greyish colour to baked products and makes baked products heavier, with a dense texture. Barley contains gluten.
Buckwheat
Buckwheat flour is derived from the seeds of a plant and contains a little gluten. It has a higher protein content than most of the other flours with less gluten. Buckwheat has a distinctively robust, slightly sweet taste and a greyish colour. In South Africa it is available as a fine flour and pasta.
Guar gum
Guar gum is derived from a legume and is high in water-soluble fibre. It thickens much faster than cornflour. Guar gum may cause bowel discomfort in some people.
Millet
Millet can be used in baked products and as a breakfast porridge. The whole grains can be cooked in the same way as rice. A small portion of millet absorbs up to five times its volume in water and cooks to a large volume. Millet is a less familiar food in South Africa and contains a little gluten.
Psyllium fibre
This fibre derives from a grain which is grown in India mainly for its water-soluble fibre. In South Africa it is sold on the market as “psyllium husks” or “colon cleanse”. Psyllium fibre can be used successfully when making gluten-free bread. It helps especially to improve leavening and elasticity and it makes the baked product less crumbly. Psyllium fibre promotes the lowering of cholesterol and improves the control of both constipation and diarrhoea. It may also contribute to better blood-sugar control.
Quinoa
Quinoa (pronounced “kinwa”) is a staple food which is grown in particular in Chile, Peru, Bolivia and Colombia. Quinoa has an exceptionally high protein content in comparison to other grains. Quinoa can be cooked in the same way as rice (after rinsing it two to three times to remove the bitter taste), or used as a flour in baked products. The taste of the flour improves if it is baked in an oven on a baking tray for two hours at 100 °C. Cool the baked flour before use. Quinoa contains a little gluten.
Sago
Sago derives from the stem of the sago palm. Sago granules can be used to thicken milk puddings and sauces. Sago flour can be used for baking although baking results are better when sago flour is used in combination with other gluten-free flours. Sago contains no gluten.
Semolina and couscous
Semolina is produced from durum wheat. Couscous is produced from semolina. Semolina and couscous contain gluten.
Sorghum
Sorghum is freely available, affordable and native to Africa. It is a member of the grass family. It works best when mixed with other gluten-free flours when used for baking. Sorghum contains no gluten.
Tapioca
Tapioca is produced from the root of the cassava plant. It is used in cooking as flour and granules. Baking results improve when tapioca is used in combination with other gluten-free flours. Tapioca contains no gluten.
Xanthan gum
A microorganism known as Xanthomonas campestris is used to ferment corn sugar to produce xanthan gum. Xanthan is not suitable for people who need to avoid maize. In the food industry xanthan gum is used as a thickening agent and, in gluten-free products, it is used as a thickener, binder and to improve the elasticity of dough. Xanthan gum can be replaced by guar gum.
Adapting recipes for use
Before adapting any recipe to be suitable for someone with a food allergy or intolerance, it is necessary to determine the role and properties of a certain ingredient in a recipe before omitting or replacing it.
GLUTEN
Gluten is one of the proteins which is present in the flour of wheat, rye, barley and, to a lesser extent, in oats. Gluten in flour contributes to the elasticity, viscosity and, to some extent, to the plasticity of the dough. Dough will have a satin-like layer when the gluten has developed well, for example kneaded bread dough. Hard flour, such as bread flour, contains more gluten than cake flour. Durum flour, which is used in the making of pasta, contains more gluten and this increases the stretching ability of the product.
Dough made from rye flour has a lower viscosity and elasticity than cake flour, while the plasticity of rye flour is higher. This explains why bread that is prepared from rye flour only is inclined to be lumpy.
Gluten forms a framework in dough. Gas is captured in this framework and expands during heating.
Taking all of this into account, it is clear that omitting gluten will cause a problem regarding elasticity, viscosity and plasticity, as well as affecting the leavening (rising) properties of a product.
In some of the recipes in this book, wheat and other gluten-containing grains were replaced by maize flour, cornflour, rice flour, potato flour, soya flour, chickpea flour or sorghum flour. Due to the absence of gluten in this kind of flour, a crumbly or dense texture is obtained in the baked products. The problem can be solved to some extent by incorporating air when sifting the flour or by adding eggs, soya flour or chickpea flour, sugar,
