Gluten free eating is more and more common but it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Sometimes it feels like we don’t have any choice. If you (or someone in your family) needs to eat gluten free then you just think you have to spend lots of money. But that’s not totally true. It is possible to feed a family gluten free on a budget. Yep, I said it. Having to eat gluten free is not an excuse for breaking your grocery budget.
I’ll lay out some tips to help you stick to a grocery budget.
Processed gluten free foods tend to be very expensive.
In order to stick to a budget you’ll need to focus on making your own food from scratch. You don’t have to make all your food from scratch, but the more you do, the more you should save. One more perk of making your own gluten free food – many processed gluten free foods are high in sugar. So, if you make things yourself, you will not only be saving money, but cutting your sugar intake!
There are lots of inexpensive gluten free foods.
Sometimes with gluten free we focus so much on bread, pasta, crackers, chips, etc. substitutes. We forget that there are mountains of food that naturally don’t contain gluten.
Think about it.
All vegetables and fruits are naturally gluten free. Plain meat and dairy are also gluten free (unless they are pre-seasoned or flavored). Potatoes, rice, sweet potatoes, corn, nuts, and beans are all options. It wild just how much there is available.
The key is to focus on what you can eat, not what you can’t. Then you won’t spend so much time trying to substitute. If you focus on these basic gluten free foods and not substitutes, you will save lots of money.
Remember to keep it simple and focus on Whole Foods.
Feeding a family gluten free on a budget is easy once you change your focus away from processed foods. By keeping your meals simple and focusing on whole foods, you will be well on your way to saving lots of money on your grocery budget.
