Gluten-Free Pancakes, and Why I Avoid the G Word

There’s no big secret to making the best gluten-free pancakes; just substitute a gluten-free flour (like Bobs All Purpose Baking Flour) for wheat flour and you’re good to go. There are tons of options for avoiding gluten (almond, oat, buckwheat, sorghum, amaranth), but I like this one because it’s the gluten-free flour for baking dummies (hi, me) and measures just like regular flour (1:1). I’ve experimented with oat and almond flour in the past with good results. The recipes just take a little more time and care, which is really not an option when you’re hangry for pancakes.

To make, combine dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls:

• 1.5 cup Bobs Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 2 mashed ripe bananas
• 1 cup cashew milk (or non-dairy milk)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 T maple syrup or honey
• 1 tsp vanilla

Gradually mix dry ingredients into wet until well combined. Heat non stick skillet and pour 1/4 cup batter into pan, flip once several bubbles form and cook until lightly browned.

Now, I need to make a confession: I was once someone who secretly rolled my eyes behind your back if you said, “Oh I can’t eat that, I’m gluten-free.” I’m sorry, it’s true. I rolled them hard. Granted, it’s a tough thing to say without sounding smug. It’s also tough to know whether someone has self-imposed this extremely strict eating rule based on well-founded evidence, or because they like trendy hipster diets. And I’ll go out on a limb here and say that in my experience, it usually seems to be the latter.

But perhaps the real reason I used to roll my eyes is that I’m a dietitian, who went to traditional dietitian school, where I had the golden rule of nutrition seared in to my brain: never, ever restrict food more than is medically necessary, because you will be sacrificing nutrients your body needs. Therefore, the only people who should follow a gluten-free diet are those with a diagnosis of celiac disease, wheat allergy, or diagnosed intolerance.

At least, that’s what they taught 14 years ago when I was getting my degree in Dietetics. I’m not sure what it’s like now, but things were pretty black and white then. And I’m very thankful for the solid, science-based education I received in school. It has given me a strong foundation on which to grow, and the ability to think critically when nutrition trends pop up. But I’ve learned there’s a whole spectrum of color, especially when it comes to reasons for avoiding gluten. Now, I’m one of the gluten-avoiders I used to judge, and it has nothing to do with being trendy.

Somewhere in my late teens/early 20s, the skin around my elbows and knees began breaking out in to symmetrical rashes. I saw several dermatologists over the years and was given varying diagnoses, but ultimately prescribed steroid creams. The creams worked, almost instantly clearing the rash. And so, I went along my merry way without much thought. I was a college girl after all, with way too many frat parties to attend to worry about some annoying skin thing.

Fast forward to my 30s where I finally have a grip on self-care, listening to my body, and have an interest in finding out why my elbows break out in rashes on a cyclical basis. The creams still work, but I have to use them for much longer to be effective, and fortunately I’m now aware that they’re bad for you long-term (hello, skin thinning). I have also discovered the world of Integrative and Functional Medicine, which looks for and treats the root cause of illness, rather than treating symptoms with say, steroid creams. This approach resonates with me on every level. It’s like the answer I always knew was there, but was too preoccupied to look for.

Well, not anymore. One highly valuable tool in functional nutrition is the elimination diet, which is truly the only way to know for certain whether a food is causing a symptom. I followed a strict elimination diet for several weeks (no gluten, dairy, soy, sugar, alcohol, caffeine, corn, nuts, eggs) to see if it helped my daily headaches. It didn’t, but something amazing happened. My skin rash completely went away, and it helped me identify the culprit: wheat. Once my body was cleared of it, I was able to re-introduce wheat in small amounts to see how much it took to get a reaction. I’ve learned it has everything to to with the quantity and frequency. A sandwich a couple times a week is ok, but if I keep throwing more wheat on top of it, I’m headed for rash city.

Tragically, I’ve found there’s one thing that causes a reaction from only a small amount. It’s something I dearly love and therefore has taken me a long time to fully accept. It’s beer. One beer may or may not result in bumps, but a day of pounding a few watching football or hitting up a brewery leads to a train wreck. The beer reaction has definitely gotten worse as I’ve gotten older, which I can only attribute to years of over-consumption in and after college – keg stands, shotgunning, power hour, water-falling – you get the picture. I probably met my lifetime quota of beer around the age of 25. My body has had enough, and that’s entirely fair.

Now, my life is gluten-free pancakes, the occasional glass of wine and beautifully clear elbows, which I will gladly take.

But seriously, if you have chronic symptoms (digestive, headache, pain, skin irritation, etc) with no apparent cause, don’t keep ignoring it or covering it up with medication while the years tick by. Your body is trying to tell you something, and it’s likely something you can solve. If you think there’s even a chance it’s food related, seek out a dietitian or someone qualified who can guide you through an elimination diet. That way, you can get to the root cause and treat the real problem.