GFCFSF Diet on a Budget
By Holly Bortfeld
So, you’ve chosen to start your child on the GFCF (gluten-free, casein-free) diet but wondering which bank you will have to rob to be able to pay for the special foods needed, right? Before you get out your ski mask, here are some hints that might help.
There are several approaches to a special diet:
- $$$ – This is when you buy everything pre-made.
- $$ – This is when you buy mixes and such but bake the products yourself.
- $ – This is the easy and cheap “grandma’s method.”
$$$ – Let’s start with the expensive method. There are so many places where you can buy everything pre-made for you nowadays. 10 years ago when I started the diet with my son, there was almost nothing. Now, you can find companies that deliver all pre-made meals, and online retailers like GlutenFreeMall.com that carries products from a wide variety of manufacturers, pre-made and mixes. If you can afford to purchase all pre-made foods, this article is not for you.
$$ – This is the category most people fall into. You don’t have time or the recipes to make all your own breads, muffins, cakes, pie crusts, etc. so you buy mixes and some pre-made things like cookies or sandwich bread, pasta and hot dogs. You also spend a good chunk of time comparison shopping and making sure all the products fit your child’s allergies.
$ – Finally, this is the “grandma method”. I’m going to take you back in time for this one. Think about the way your great-grandmother used to cook before food came in boxes and was heated in microwaves. She made a meat, a vegetable and a starch for each meal and that was all. No muss, no fuss. It’s a healthy, simplification of cooking that uses no pre-made ingredients. That’s the whole process and you’ll find meal ideas and more in GFCF Diet on a Budget Meal Plans. I found this method actually even saved me money compared to the way I used to cook before GFCF. I wasn’t paying $5 a box anymore for his favorite pre-made junk food of which he ate 3 boxes a day, because he was addicted to them.
While I could tell you to move to the country, plant a huge organic garden and start your new career in animal husbandry, I’ll spare you having to learn how to de-worm cows and when to flip your compost pile. I think it will be much more helpful to give you a bunch of time-tested tips that I’ve learned from over the years.
What is GFCFSF?
Gluten is more than just wheat – it’s grains like wheat, barley, oats and rye. Casein is the protein found in all things dairy – more specifically, anything juiced from a mammal – including cow’s milk, sheep, goat and human breast milk. Soyneeds to be removed too. Labels that say “wheat-free” do not necessarily mean gluten-free and certainly not GFCF. Dairy-free isn’t casein-free. Lactose is milk sugar. Lactose-free isn’t casein-free either. Organic doesn’t mean GFCF. Organic milk still comes from a cow and organic wheat is still wheat. Reading labels and understanding the difference is crucial. Gluten-free also includes things that do not have gluten in them but are either grown near them or processed in a facility with them, contaminating them, such as millet and oats.
What Is Organic?
Organic foods are produced according to certain production standards determined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically, its National Organic Program (NOP). For crops, it means they were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without ionizing radiation or food additives. For animals, it means they were reared without the routine use of antibiotics and without the use of growth hormones. In most countries, organic produce must not be genetically modified.
Read more in the Toxins In Food and Environment article.
Here are websites that you can find local farmers and growers with organic products:
- Local Harvest (they have a co-op too)
- Buy Local Food
- Farm Fresh
- Diamond Organics
- Cowboy Free Range Meat
- Wild For Salmon
Tip: Cut out the middleman. Buy directly from farmers rather than through a retailer/reseller who marks up the products.
Learn To Read Ingredient Labels
Learning to read labels will save you much time and effort and that means you can go anywhere confidently. If a store or restaurant sells a food, they must be able to provide you with the exact ingredients list for each food so you can determine if it meets your child’s allergy issues or not. Know that manufacturers can change ingredients without any special alerts, so always check the labels. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer. For the most up-to-date information about food labeling laws and requirements, visit the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website.
- Hidden Sources of Gluten, Casein and Soy
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- Beginning the GFCFSF Diet
Tip: In a hurry? Cook everything in big batches and freeze in individual servings so when you need a quick meal, you can just grab, heat, and go.
Where Can You Buy GFCFSF Products?
There are many great stores, retail and online, to choose from now. Please note that most places also sell things that are NOT GFCF, so please carefully read the ingredients before you buy. See the GFCFSF Shopping List and theGFCF Food Ideas article.
This is just a small sampling of the online retailers:
- Amazon
- Natural Feast
- Gluten Free Mall
- Food Allergy Gourmet
- Bob’s Red Mill
- Ener-g
- Aunt Candice Foods
- Really Great Foods
Tip: Buy in bulk quantities. For meats, you can buy half or whole animals (you can join with other families if needed) and have them processed. Or if a store has meat sales, you can stock up the freezer.
Health Food Store Finder
- www.allstays.com/c/health-food-store-locations.htm
- www.greenpeople.org/healthfood.htm
- www.organicconsumers.org/foodcoops.htm
Tip: Share the load. Have a few families get together to cook multiple dishes in big batches and swap dishes so everyone goes home with several different complete meals.
Your local grocery store. You can buy a lot of GFCF items in your local grocery store. And remember, if there is something you would like your local store to carry, ask the store manager to see if he/she can order it in for you.
A Food List of GFCFSF Products
Tip: Stock up! Get a big stand-alone freezer so you can buy and cook in bulk.
Tip: Join a co-op (or start your own). If you can join with a few other families to buy food in bulk, you can save considerable amounts of money. You can do this with meats if you buy whole animals too (the farmers will still process them into smaller portions).
Co-ops
Groups who use their bulk purchasing power to get lower prices.
Tip: Frequent Buyers. Ask if a store has loyalty or bulk discounts, or participates in local co-ops that you might join. If your store has a Senior Citizen discount, take Grandma shopping too.
Meal Plans Help You Save Money
If you have a list of recipes and the ingredients you need, then you are less apt to buy things you don’t need.
Click here for great Meal Plans to help you plan your shopping trips.
Tip: Invest in a good vacuum food sealer. Package food into individual servings to save yourself time when you need a meal fast, so you can just grab, heat, and go.
School Days
If your child is in public school, federal law says the public schools must provide nutritional meals that fit a special needs diet while special needs children are on campus, at NO additional cost to the families! All you have to do is have your doctor write a letter that states your child’s allergies and include it in the IEP in the medical section. The school must create meals to accommodate those allergies. While you may assist them if you wish, you do not have to provide the food or help the school shop in any way. You may want to still confirm that the foods are GFCF before allowing your child to eat them. You can learn more at these sites:
- Must the School Provide GFCF Foods if Parents Request It?
- USDA Accommodating Children with Food and Nutrition Service: Special Dietary Needs in the School Nutrition Programs (PDF)
- An Essential Handout For Teachers & Aides
Tip: Need dedicated appliances? If you need a second toaster due to cross contamination issues, a separate freezer or a bread machine (for foolproof bread), make sure you check your local Goodwill or another second-hand store. A lot of these appliances can be found in great condition and for the right price.
Cooking Equipment–What to Buy and Where to SAVE YOUR MONEY!
Before you go crazy at Macy’s Home Store, Best Buy, or Wal-Mart buying cooking equipment and supplies–step away from the credit card! Here are the basics I have bought and use a lot:
- Muffin pans
- Kitchen Aid mixer (This is an expensive item but I have to stress it that it was well worth it! I cannot believe I went two years without one on this diet!)
- Bread pans (I do NOT recommend buying a bread maker! All the recipes in this guide are made without yeast in regular pans without a bread maker!)
- Good measuring cups & spoons
- Good cookie sheets
- If your child is a fan of nuggets and fries, then a cookie sheet for the oven will do as well.
- And if you can afford it–a small food processor is great for chopping up veggies and other items used in the recipes. It is recommended that you buy one that can be easily cleaned in the dishwasher.
THAT IS IT! All other cooking gadgets are cool, but they are just gadgets. I went out and bought everything and ended up putting most of them away or giving them away. Save your money! The Recipe Database only uses the gadgets and kitchen items listed above.
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