Being diagnosed with celiac, or having a child being diagnosed, is every parent’s worst nightmare. The most difficult thing about celiac disease, or even just a gluten intolerance, is that there are SO many foods that we all eat in our day to day lives that contain gluten, and we don’t even realize it. Generally speaking, specialist gluten free food, like pasta and loaves of bread, which are bought in regular grocery stores, are a LOT more expensive than their gluten infested counterparts, so it can work out a much more expensive way to live, which really seems unfair considering it’s a medical condition. However, if you are struggling with this lifestyle change and its financial demands, here are some ways you can accommodate for the gluten-intolerant member of your household, without having to break your bank.
Work Out What’s Best Financially
If you were looking to sell your home quickly for example, what’s the first thing you’d do? You’d work out your finances, and ultimately weigh up options such as looking at this company. The same really applies for anything that is likely to drain your finances or impact your day to day living costs, and that includes changing to a gluten free diet.
One of the best things to figure out is what is the cheapest way to buy gluten free. Say that, for example, there are two parents and two children in a household. Two parents and one child are fine, and the other has celiac. What do you do? Do you buy separate gluten free pastas and breads, or do the whole family just commit to the diet? Remember, that for those with a severe gluten intolerance, their food can’t even be prepared in the same area as gluten friendly foods, so this is something to consider too. Work out how each shop would add up, and what’s best for your family overall before deciding how to go about buying.
Furthermore, you should also check that if the person in question is entitled to gluten free foods on prescription. This is the case for a lot of young children, and could help massively in saving money on the weekly shop.
Look into Bread Alternatives
When it comes to zapping finances, gluten free bread is one of the worst things. Why not look into bread alternatives next time your go to lunch is a sandwich?
With the Keto diet being one of the most popular fads in recent months, there are so many suggested sandwich alternatives for lunch out there now, all you have to do is be a little bit creative and look for them. For example, although normal tortillas do include gluten, did you know that corn tortillas do not? When it comes to following the Keto diet, this focuses on the abolishment of carbohydrates rather than gluten, but a lot of the time, the two go hand in hand. Just ensure your replacement also doesn’t have gluten in.
Change the Way You Cook
Why not try changing the way that you cook altogether? If you’re looking to save money, and furthermore time, why not prepare gluten free meals for the week in advance, portion them up and freeze them? This is a great alternative to having to cook them every day, and ultimately can help to eliminate cross contamination when preparing other foods too. The easier you can make it for yourself, the easier it is for the whole family.
Likewise, have you ever thought about making a weekly meal plan? This can not only help save time, and money, but will also make life easier for the gluten intolerant party in your household too. Before doing the weekly shop, sit down as a family and plan your meals for the week. This way you’ll be able to prepare for any difficulties in advance, whilst at the same time keeping everybody happy too.
Make Your Own Lunch
Generally speaking, whether you are gluten intolerant or not, this is a must follow rule for those wanting to live more cheaply. Last but certainly not least, making a packed lunch every day works out to be a LOT cheaper than trying to buy lunch – especially if you’re out looking for a gluten free lunch.
Not only will it save money, but time too. If you think going out and buying lunch takes up a lot of your break when you can eat gluten, try doing it if you have celiac! There is a lot less variety, and a lot more money involved, so pack your lunches! It’ll be better in the long run.
