Are you or a family member gluten intolerant? Struggling to come up with a varied diet? There’s no reason why food-loving coeliacs shouldn’t enjoy as hearty and diverse a diet as any other gourmet. Your days of not being excited about lunchtime are well and truly over. Consider just some of these great lunchbox ideas to keep you, your child or partner full of energy for a day at work, school or in the great outdoors. Forget being upset about your dietary limitations as a gluten free diet has been proved to be a particularly healthy one.

Leftovers

A really simple way to fill up your lunchbox is to take the leftovers route. As you’re guaranteed to be cooking gluten free meals in the house, next time cook that little bit more so you have at least a day’s worth of lunch too. Most workplaces and schools will have facilities for you to warm it up.

That way you’ve no longer any reason to be jealous of colleagues who keep buying warm, deliciously-smelling but gluten-based meals from the deli around the corner.

Homemade Bread and Soup

For those keen on spending a bit of time in the kitchen over the weekend, baking your own bread is a fantastic way of making sure all your week’s sandwiches are safe to eat. Prepare a big, crusty loaf that will see you through the week. Stock up on a range of different toppings, dips and veggies so you have different flavours to savour each day.

A nice, big pot of soup can last a while too. Add lots of veggies and a bit of meat to make a thick, filling stew. Have a bit of your homemade bread on the side or eat it on its own. Most vegetable-based soups like carrot and coriander or onion are completely safe for coeliacs.

Salads, Sushi and Dips

Vegetables alone may not be enough to satisfy the hungriest of eaters. Luckily, there are a whole host of hearty salad recipes that provide enough calories for that much needed afternoon energy boost. Look towards the Mediterranean and Middle East regions for recipe ideas and recommendations. Many of their traditional recipes revolve around quinoa and rice, both gluten free grains.

Tabbouleh is a flavoursome Moroccan dish, traditionally made with cous cous, but tastes equally good when substituted with quinoa.

Avocado is great mixed with rice. The flavours work well together both in salad and sushi form. The versatile vegetable can be used to make guacamole too, a superb dip that can be eaten with all sorts of fresh crudités and gluten free crackers like oatcakes.