There was a time when I didn’t think I could cut back on wheat. I loved my pastas, cereals and breads. But there are lots of alternatives that can still be delicious!
My diet has changed and evolved over the years, but for a couple of years my husband and I ate a primarily gluten free diet. Now I’ve found that the type of wheat makes a big difference for me, eating organic wheat makes me feel much better. But we still try to limit breads, pastas and such to a few days a week.
Now, if you’ve seen my recipes, you know that I’m not 100% wheat-free! One of my overall goals with my blog is to promote a healthy lifestyle through the recipes and ideas I share. I think that it’s ok to treat yourself every once and awhile! But I also try to share modified recipes to help with a healthy lifestyle.
Coconut Flour
A few months ago I tried using coconut flour to make these healthy pancakes. Coconut flour can be used to replace flour in many different types of recipes. It has a different flavor that takes a little getting used to, but now I really like it.
Rice Noodles
I recently tried Trader Joe’s Fresh Rice Noodles to make this Thai Red Curry Chicken with Rice Noodles. They only take a few minutes to make, and taste so good. I actually prefer them to wheat pasta.
Cauliflower
When we did a month of Paleo earlier this year, I tried a few different cauliflower recipes. It can be made into mashed potatoes, “rice”, pizza crust and more. You’ll definitely want to have a good food processor if you want to use cauliflower to make these wheat replacements.
Rice
Try using rice as your go-to starch rather than pasta or bread. Be sure to look for rice that is not enriched. It’s relatively inexpensive and you can buy it in bulk so it will last awhile. We use rice for almost every meal! Try sautéing all of your meat and veggies with the rice in a skillet.
Spaghetti Squash
I rediscovered spaghetti squash lately. It’s perfect for replacing pasta or even for making a crust, such as for my Turkey and Ricotta Spaghetti Squash Crustless Quiche, pictured above. Typically the crust is my favorite part of a quiche, but I didn’t even miss it!
Another favorite recipe we tried was this Stuffed Spaghetti Squash from Add a Pinch. Growing up, my mom usually made spaghetti with the meat mixed in rather than with meatballs. This recipe tasted just like it, but without the wheat!
Zucchini Noodles
I bought a Spiralizer (affiliate link) recently to try making zucchini noodles. They taste almost exactly like pasta. One of my favorite ways to prepare them is to cook bacon in a skillet and then cook the zucchini noodles in the bacon grease. Add crumbled bacon and blue cheese and you’ve got a simple, healthy meal in less that 15 minutes.
We also made a super-healthy “pasta” meal using this recipe for Creamy Avocado and Spinach Sauce (similar to alfredo) and adding zucchini noodles instead of pasta. It was so good!
Brown Rice Pasta
I’ve found that the longer I go without eating pasta, the less I crave it. But every now and then I really want some alfredo or vodka sauce. I’ve tried brown rice pasta a few times, and it’s a great substitute.
It has a little bit more texture than wheat pasta has, but I am all about texture so I prefer it. Another great option is quinoa noodles.
Gluten Free Bread
Andrew and I love making over-the-top sandwiches with all sorts of deli meats and cheeses, avocados, bacon, or whatever we can think of. We gave gluten free bread a try awhile back and we both love it! It has a great texture that adds a lot to the sandwich.
One of the problems with gluten free bread for me is how much it costs! The one I like costs about $6 for a tiny loaf of around 15 slices.
Blue Diamond Nut Thins
One of my favorite wheat free and gluten free snacks are Blue Diamond’s Nut Thins. They have several different varieties, made with almonds or pecans instead of flour. My favorite is the Almond Nut Thins with a Hint of Sea Salt.
Lately one of my favorite packed lunches consists of mini sandwiches made with these crackers and sliced deli meat and cheese.
Quinoa
Have you jumped on the quinoa craze yet? There’s a reason it’s so popular. Not only is it delicious, but it’s great for you, too. You can use it to add protein to a salad, replace pasta or rice, and so much more.
Are you trying to cut back on wheat? What are some of your favorite alternatives?
Daisy @ Simplicity Relished says
I’m definitely not trying to cut wheat out, but I do like exploring alternatives for fun (and diversifying our diet even more)! But sometimes, as I’m sure you know, wheat is the only thing that does the job (fluffy croissants, for example!). Love this list!
Jenna Brussee says
I’m sure you will love trying some of these alternatives, even if you don’t cut out wheat. Definitely the times that I “cheat” and eat wheat are for situations like that. Sometimes the wheat-free alternatives just aren’t as good 🙁
Gennie says
These are such great alternatives that I never thought of!! Healthier is so much better and definitely makes me feel better too!
Jenna Brussee says
You should give some of these a try! I definitely am much healthier and feel better since I cut back on wheat. It makes such a difference!
Nina B says
Great alternatives! I prefer to use something like spaghetti squash over gluten free noodles because I think they taste better! haha. And GF bread…I have yet to have a good one so if you have one, let me know!
Jenna Brussee says
I just found a really good GF bread this weekend! It’s from Richard’s, which might be a local store but I’m not sure. I’ll look up the brand and let you know!
Mandy says
This post is so useful! I have quite a few friends who either can’t eat wheat or try to avoid it as much as possible. It’s also probably something I should get better about. Pinning for future reference!
Jenna Brussee says
It’s made a big difference for me to cut back on it. When I eat it now, I feel sluggish and it usually hurts my stomach, too.
Anna @ The Beauty Section says
This is a really great post! If I ever decide to cut out wheat this will definitely be the first place I come as a resource. I do have friends that don’t eat wheat and they would really benefit from this! I will most definitely share this!! 🙂
Jenna Brussee says
Thanks, Anna! It seemed impossible to cut back on, but it gets easier as I go. Now I hardly miss it!
Jaelan @ Making Mrs. M says
Whoa! There are so many alternatives out there. I haven’t noticed an aversion to wheat, but I’d be down for trying all of these options just for fun.
Jenna Brussee says
It’s fun to be able to have some different options! For me, I didn’t notice an aversion to wheat until I got off of it. After I cut it out I noticed a few things I had just thought were normal before!
TheAdventuresofBugandBoo says
Yes!! I ate so much wheat before but my daughter has had to go gluten free so that means I am too 98% of the time! I have always loved quinoa and wild rice (both great in warm dishes and cold salads!) and now I’m on the Udi’s & Schär train ha. The GF bisquick is great for pancakes and biscuits, Jovial is my favorite rice pasta brand, and I like the blends pastas too (rice/corn/soy). Snackwise I like Van’s cheese crackers and Popcorners! Of course, luckily, tortilla chips are naturally gf so I’m all set! 😉
Debbie wilson says
Hi I just found out last Friday I’m allergic to wheat. I’ve been staying so sick with vomiting and stomach pains chills. I never knew wheat could do this to me. I was wondering if you might have some recipes or suggestions on some foods we can cook for me. The only thing I’d i have dentures so it will have to be soft foods. lol thank you in advance if you can help. God bless you. Debbie
A Savory Feast says
Oh no! Here is a link to one of my favorite wheat free dinners: https://www.asavoryfeast.com/turkey-ricotta-spaghetti-squash-crustless-quiche/