Elimination Diet Savours: 5 Foods For When You Go Wheat, Dairy And Gluten Free

Being taken out to lunch by my new workmates should have been a lovely gesture.

Yet due to my very restricted diet, eating out has become an immense challenge and they seemed rather disheartened the longer it took me to find a suitable place where I could actually eat something.

Due to migraines and general health problems, someone suggested a few months ago that I see a nutritionist, who promptly put me on an exclusion diet to see what I was intolerant to. So began the struggle of going cold turkey and cutting out wheat, gluten and dairy (all at the same time!).

I’ve now completed the elimination phase and found a few things I can tolerate, yet my diet remains largely wheat and dairy-free.

Shifting my diet this dramatically has certainly been something of a learning curve. Fortunately, I have now managed to find places where I actually have a few meal options (thank you Leon!).

But the most surprising – and pleasing – element to all this has been the amazing new finds I’ve discovered out of necessity but kept out of deliciousness.

Just because you've had to give up gluten, wheat and/or dairy, doesn't mean eating can't still be fun!
Here are some of my new favourites for all of you with restricted diets:

Quinoa

I had never even heard of Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) when it was suggested as an alternative to couscous but it's just as easy to cook and so good for you.

It doesn't really taste of anything so (like couscous) it really is what you make of it but it's so versatile it goes with plenty of other things like fish, meat or just vegetables. Just remember to flavour it with some stock, garlic or herbs, otherwise your mouth might just doze off.

Nākd bars

Snacking is hard when you can't eat dairy or wheat. No quick slice of toast in the morning, no porridge, no chocolate bar or yoghurt (unless you’re happy resorting to soya…).

That's where these guys come in. There's a whole range of them and personally I'm a big fan of the Cocoa Orange one (the others are just way too sweet!). The bars are made up of fruit and nuts, and that's it. No gluten, no wheat, no dairy, but packed with flavour and surprisingly filling. Great for snack time!

Bessant & Drury's Raspberry & Coconut Dairy Free Frozen Yoghurt

Ice-cream was my favourite thing, my main vice, my indulgence. Friends used to think I was 'retro' because I adored choc ices. Giving up cow's milk basically meant giving up ice-cream and this proved to be one of the biggest challenges of the whole diet.

I tried a dairy-free ice-cream but it just wasn't the same. Then, I found this. It's absolutely delicious and – unlike many other dairy-free options I've tried – doesn't taste like an entire bag of sugar has been poured into the tub. It's coconut milk so it's dairy-free but has real flavour. Bliss!

Green and Blacks mint-infused Dark chocolate
Giving up chocolate was tough but not impossible. I tried dairy-free chocolate and was massively disappointed. It just doesn't taste of anything and doesn't satisfy that craving like actual chocolate should.

I'm not really a fan of dark chocolate either – it just tastes too bitter for my liking. I am, however, a big fan of mint so thought I'd give this one a go and was absolutely delighted with it! It really satisfies the craving and is so yummy!

Warburtons gluten and wheat-free wraps

These versatile wraps not only helped me make a handy packed-lunch that didn't involve Tupperware and cooking the night before – they also gave me the first pizza I'd had since starting the diet. It's the easiest thing ever – just stick them in the oven with some passata and vegetables (I add pine nuts for an extra crunch) and cook for ten minutes.

It’s a good idea to grease the tray with some dairy-free marg too as they have a tendency to stick. Best pizza I've had in years and entirely gluten and wheat free!

Fortunately, I’m OK with goat’s cheese so I added that to my pizza – but it can just as easily be left off if you can’t have any dairy at all.

I’m still learning and still experimenting with new foods but these have given me a good head start. Share your faves with me below!

[All Hail The KALE! Why it's all you should be eating]
[7 Seasonal Eats for Autumn]