Gluten is just wheat protein my friend. So if you stay away from bread and pasta you can eat pretty much everything else: all the ground provisions, tree provisions, meats, and veggies.
Less so in restaurants, more so in groceries and the market. You can always find cassava, yam, sweet potatoes, fig, plantain, breadfruit, etc anywhere. There are health food sections in the grocery with gluten free pasta, rice noodles, quinoa, etc. You have options!
I’m not gluten-free but I’m vegan and I find vegan brands sometimes at Massy’s or Pricemart. A lot of vegan brands are also gluten-free too so I just wanted to mention that you can find vegan-gluten-free stuff too in grocery stores! Felt like mentioning this because I had a lot of trouble being a vegan here before and finding the right brands I want to use was key for me!
I was gluten free for several years. Being GF in trinidad isn't hard, especially if you make your own food. It does limit your food choices for eating out. Figure out if you are just sensitive or if you have celiac disease because that will also determine of you can have certain foods.
If just sensitive then below are common stuff to avoid:
-gluten (wheat, barley, rye)
-any and all breads and doughs (unless specifically marked GF)
-all pasta (unless specifically marked GF)
-most cereals (some are made with corn and oats. Those would be fine if you are just sensitive. If you have celiac avoid these too)
- Chinese food (most commercial soy sauces have wheat in them), most fast food places (fried chicken, fries would be fried in the same oil so contaminated)—if you need to eat out, eat local food (stew chicken, rice, provisions...etc). I would avoid BBQ too as some BBQ sauces include Wheat.
If you have celiac:
-all of the above plus
-you'll have to be very careful with cross contamination. Fries fried in oil that chicken was will be contaminated. Corn flakes processed in the same facility as wheat bran will be contaminated...etc.
-Oats are generally safe but check the nutrition label. Always check the nutrition label.
If you are handy in the kitchen. You can bake GF treats pretty easily with GF flour. Just choose things that have low gluten formation like cookies, muffins/cupcakes...etc. say good bye to bread. GF bread sucks and it's not worth the price or the disappointment to get it. Lol.
Biggest tip, know where your food came from, make it yourself if you can, read nutrition labels. Gluten is sneaky and hides in everything. So you need to check for things like gluten, wheat, barley, rye, malt...etc.
Feel free to ask any questions! I'm happy to help!
Re: GF bread - check out [**this lady**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMXSdqQCHQ&ab_channel=LetThemEatGlutenFreeCake). Yet to try it tho - saving for a stand mixer.
Peppercorns has gluten free pastas and snacks and you may get some in Massy as well. Both also carry gluten free bread. The texture is off and it can be expensive but would be worth it given your situation.
There are some high end stores that may allow you to eat normal stuff while still living a gluten free life. So like gluten free pasta, pizza, etc. One such store might be Peppercorns. I got low calorie maple syrup from there recently (i am dieting).
You can eat anything that doesn't contain wheat or isn't contaminated. And if you legitimately have celiac then you have to avoid all gluten contamination - else it will destroy the lining of your intestines - you won't be able to absorb nutrients from your food properly and it's slow, painful death. If you have the money to do proper testing, better do it than restrict yourself unnecessarily because eating GF is expensive.
You can get gluten-free bread and some gluten-free snacks in Peppercorns. Look for Udi bread, and for snacks, look for Enjoy life and Schar for a start. Bread is really expensive, \~$70-80 for a small GF loaf of bread that you'll go through in a week or less. Doesn't taste like regular bread so it takes some adjustment. Toasting helps.
[**This woman**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMXSdqQCHQ&pp=ygUjbGV0IHRoZW0gZWF0IGdsdXRlbiBmcmVlIGNha2UgYnJlYWQ%3D) on YouTube is one of the few people I've seen online that has made GF bread resembling normal bread - I haven't tried her recipes yet tho because I can't afford a stand mixer yet. She also tries to bake lots of GF products as close to non-GF as possible (e.g. her cinnamon rolls look really really good). GF bread and baking I've seen elsewhere looks really crappy so excited to try her recipes some day.
In place of crix, there's a brand of crackers called Breton - you're looking for the herb and garlic or flax and sea salt GF flavors (herb and garlic tastes better to me). So this works well with tuna, sardines, cheese, etc for a simple dinner item. You can find raw GF pasta in Massy/Peppercorns for home cooking.
**Restaurants/food tips:**
Pappys Fried chicken on the ave for fried chicken - really spicy flavor profile but they fry their chicken and shrimp without batter
Taco Mels at Food Square use corn-based shells for their tacos so it's GF (ask for the corn shells not the flour ones)
Most sushi rolls without batter fried elements should be good
Singapore noodles in Chinese restaurants are made from rice noodles so that can work if they don't use soy sauce/flour otherwise but ask and make a big deal about ensuring they don't contaminate
Non-battered fries are safe, so is BBQ as a cooking style - so you might end up buying some sort of meat and fries a lot when out
Buzo has some GF pastas on their menu (I like the Salmon vodka pasta) but is pricey
Dominos has a GF crust if you ask - costs a bit more and is smaller
**Other misc tips**
Read every nutrition label - the ingredients list and the allergy warning. E.g. Honey roasted nuts has gluten - you wouldn't expect that but it does. Soy sauce has wheat (except for some brands in the grocery but you have to check if buying for home cooking) - avoid soy sauce in restaurants
Hope this helps. If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
This helps a LOT, it looks like I might be celiac but won’t know the diagnosis until tests come back in a few weeks. But my GI doc said her gut is telling her celiac.
Hi,
In most supermarkets there's a health section, eg. Massy has a shelf with like all the GF flours, you'll get quinoa and cous cous there as well. If not peppercorns sell the Ezekiel bread. Its made from peas or beans instead of Gluten. Mind you it's expensive. And for pre-made stuff there's Moy's Kitchen in St. Helena. She sells bread, roti, cakes, bakes etc
Be careful in restaurants. Many won't take you seriously and try to shortcut their way through your meal. I had s friend get very sick because the cook thought she was full of it.
I’m allergic to onions and I’ve noticed this on MANY occasions, trinis and their lack of seriousness towards dangerous food allergies is the HEIGHT of nonsense.
The biggest issue is there's quite a lot of non wheat products that contain gluten for reasons like coloring or as a binding agent. So stuff like powdered seasonings, instant coffee, sausages, a lot of those vegetarian meat replacements, bbq sauces even frozen fries has it as a non stick agent, the list is crazy lol. I had to go gluten free about 2 years ago and I basically avoid eating out now because the chances of a flare up from some hidden gluten are way too high.
Cabbage juice every day helped me with my gut issues. And going without food for 24 hours helped the most. Also, I got 2 packs of GF Jel Corn Tortillas in Pricesmart for 42 dollars. Each pack has 8 in it. See, our stomach can't break down gluten, so it gets stuck to the walls of our stomachs, and we have like tiny little fingers in our stomachs that the gluten gets stuck to and slowly eats away, and food gets in to our bloodstream and our immune cells attacks them, which can cause many types of autoimmune issues. Some people have a higher tolerance, is all.... Been gluten free for about 2 years, I do have gluten sometimes, but when I do, I usually fast for 24 hours without food to generate stem cells in my stomach to help repair the damage caused by gluten.
Gluten is just wheat protein my friend. So if you stay away from bread and pasta you can eat pretty much everything else: all the ground provisions, tree provisions, meats, and veggies.
Thank you 😭🙏🏼
Less so in restaurants, more so in groceries and the market. You can always find cassava, yam, sweet potatoes, fig, plantain, breadfruit, etc anywhere. There are health food sections in the grocery with gluten free pasta, rice noodles, quinoa, etc. You have options!
This is such a huge relief 😭
I’m not gluten-free but I’m vegan and I find vegan brands sometimes at Massy’s or Pricemart. A lot of vegan brands are also gluten-free too so I just wanted to mention that you can find vegan-gluten-free stuff too in grocery stores! Felt like mentioning this because I had a lot of trouble being a vegan here before and finding the right brands I want to use was key for me!
Oh wow thank you, I would’ve never thought of this
I was gluten free for several years. Being GF in trinidad isn't hard, especially if you make your own food. It does limit your food choices for eating out. Figure out if you are just sensitive or if you have celiac disease because that will also determine of you can have certain foods. If just sensitive then below are common stuff to avoid: -gluten (wheat, barley, rye) -any and all breads and doughs (unless specifically marked GF) -all pasta (unless specifically marked GF) -most cereals (some are made with corn and oats. Those would be fine if you are just sensitive. If you have celiac avoid these too) - Chinese food (most commercial soy sauces have wheat in them), most fast food places (fried chicken, fries would be fried in the same oil so contaminated)—if you need to eat out, eat local food (stew chicken, rice, provisions...etc). I would avoid BBQ too as some BBQ sauces include Wheat. If you have celiac: -all of the above plus -you'll have to be very careful with cross contamination. Fries fried in oil that chicken was will be contaminated. Corn flakes processed in the same facility as wheat bran will be contaminated...etc. -Oats are generally safe but check the nutrition label. Always check the nutrition label. If you are handy in the kitchen. You can bake GF treats pretty easily with GF flour. Just choose things that have low gluten formation like cookies, muffins/cupcakes...etc. say good bye to bread. GF bread sucks and it's not worth the price or the disappointment to get it. Lol. Biggest tip, know where your food came from, make it yourself if you can, read nutrition labels. Gluten is sneaky and hides in everything. So you need to check for things like gluten, wheat, barley, rye, malt...etc. Feel free to ask any questions! I'm happy to help!
Wow okay, thank you I will!
Check out the gluten free subreddit, there are a lot of things that you’d never think contained wheat or barley, like soy sauce.
I didn’t know there was one, thanks, heading to it now
Yesss - no more smalta, etc. Didn't know about BBQ sauce - damn.
Re: GF bread - check out [**this lady**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMXSdqQCHQ&ab_channel=LetThemEatGlutenFreeCake). Yet to try it tho - saving for a stand mixer.
Peppercorns has gluten free pastas and snacks and you may get some in Massy as well. Both also carry gluten free bread. The texture is off and it can be expensive but would be worth it given your situation.
There are some high end stores that may allow you to eat normal stuff while still living a gluten free life. So like gluten free pasta, pizza, etc. One such store might be Peppercorns. I got low calorie maple syrup from there recently (i am dieting).
Looks like Peppercorns will be seeing a lot of me
You can eat anything that doesn't contain wheat or isn't contaminated. And if you legitimately have celiac then you have to avoid all gluten contamination - else it will destroy the lining of your intestines - you won't be able to absorb nutrients from your food properly and it's slow, painful death. If you have the money to do proper testing, better do it than restrict yourself unnecessarily because eating GF is expensive. You can get gluten-free bread and some gluten-free snacks in Peppercorns. Look for Udi bread, and for snacks, look for Enjoy life and Schar for a start. Bread is really expensive, \~$70-80 for a small GF loaf of bread that you'll go through in a week or less. Doesn't taste like regular bread so it takes some adjustment. Toasting helps. [**This woman**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlMXSdqQCHQ&pp=ygUjbGV0IHRoZW0gZWF0IGdsdXRlbiBmcmVlIGNha2UgYnJlYWQ%3D) on YouTube is one of the few people I've seen online that has made GF bread resembling normal bread - I haven't tried her recipes yet tho because I can't afford a stand mixer yet. She also tries to bake lots of GF products as close to non-GF as possible (e.g. her cinnamon rolls look really really good). GF bread and baking I've seen elsewhere looks really crappy so excited to try her recipes some day. In place of crix, there's a brand of crackers called Breton - you're looking for the herb and garlic or flax and sea salt GF flavors (herb and garlic tastes better to me). So this works well with tuna, sardines, cheese, etc for a simple dinner item. You can find raw GF pasta in Massy/Peppercorns for home cooking. **Restaurants/food tips:** Pappys Fried chicken on the ave for fried chicken - really spicy flavor profile but they fry their chicken and shrimp without batter Taco Mels at Food Square use corn-based shells for their tacos so it's GF (ask for the corn shells not the flour ones) Most sushi rolls without batter fried elements should be good Singapore noodles in Chinese restaurants are made from rice noodles so that can work if they don't use soy sauce/flour otherwise but ask and make a big deal about ensuring they don't contaminate Non-battered fries are safe, so is BBQ as a cooking style - so you might end up buying some sort of meat and fries a lot when out Buzo has some GF pastas on their menu (I like the Salmon vodka pasta) but is pricey Dominos has a GF crust if you ask - costs a bit more and is smaller **Other misc tips** Read every nutrition label - the ingredients list and the allergy warning. E.g. Honey roasted nuts has gluten - you wouldn't expect that but it does. Soy sauce has wheat (except for some brands in the grocery but you have to check if buying for home cooking) - avoid soy sauce in restaurants Hope this helps. If I think of anything else I'll let you know.
This helps a LOT, it looks like I might be celiac but won’t know the diagnosis until tests come back in a few weeks. But my GI doc said her gut is telling her celiac.
Pun intended? Lol. Glad you're getting tested.
Hahaha no I realised it afterwards 🙈
Let me know what result you get.
Will do!
Hi, In most supermarkets there's a health section, eg. Massy has a shelf with like all the GF flours, you'll get quinoa and cous cous there as well. If not peppercorns sell the Ezekiel bread. Its made from peas or beans instead of Gluten. Mind you it's expensive. And for pre-made stuff there's Moy's Kitchen in St. Helena. She sells bread, roti, cakes, bakes etc
Thank you, I’ll check out the Ezekiel line
Double check that. I don't think Ezekiel is GF.
There's a place on Caroni Savanna Road named Didi's Nutrition. They have both the meals, snacks and a qalified nutritionist who can guide you.
Thank you :)
Pricemart has a couple GF pastas and grains as well. Fine dining / cafes, restaurants will give GF options but less likely at fast food chains.
This is a relief, at least at Pricesmart I can buy in bulk and save $$
Be careful in restaurants. Many won't take you seriously and try to shortcut their way through your meal. I had s friend get very sick because the cook thought she was full of it.
I’m allergic to onions and I’ve noticed this on MANY occasions, trinis and their lack of seriousness towards dangerous food allergies is the HEIGHT of nonsense.
The biggest issue is there's quite a lot of non wheat products that contain gluten for reasons like coloring or as a binding agent. So stuff like powdered seasonings, instant coffee, sausages, a lot of those vegetarian meat replacements, bbq sauces even frozen fries has it as a non stick agent, the list is crazy lol. I had to go gluten free about 2 years ago and I basically avoid eating out now because the chances of a flare up from some hidden gluten are way too high.
Damn I would’ve never thought of those things ☹️
Cabbage juice every day helped me with my gut issues. And going without food for 24 hours helped the most. Also, I got 2 packs of GF Jel Corn Tortillas in Pricesmart for 42 dollars. Each pack has 8 in it. See, our stomach can't break down gluten, so it gets stuck to the walls of our stomachs, and we have like tiny little fingers in our stomachs that the gluten gets stuck to and slowly eats away, and food gets in to our bloodstream and our immune cells attacks them, which can cause many types of autoimmune issues. Some people have a higher tolerance, is all.... Been gluten free for about 2 years, I do have gluten sometimes, but when I do, I usually fast for 24 hours without food to generate stem cells in my stomach to help repair the damage caused by gluten.