So, you just found out you have celiac disease. You attended doctor’s appointments, met with dietitians and nutritionists, and are still left with the question— what foods do I need to avoid? You are lost and have found yourself aimlessly wandering around Trader Joe’s. Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Your list of food options has decreased, however, it is not as bad as it sounds. You will just need to spark your inner food creativity. Almost everything you ate prior to starting a gluten free diet can be made without gluten. And yes, it can taste just as good, if not better! I can’t tell you how many times family and friends were shocked to find out the best-tasting food at an event was indeed gluten free. Additionally, I have heard “This tastes better than the regular ones!” countless times.
Following a gluten free diet isn’t as bad as people make it out to be, and it becomes easier with each year that passes if you are willing to cook and bake new recipes. Of course, it’s much easier and helpful if you are aware of which foods and ingredients you need to avoid. Below is a list of what you will need to avoid, or double-check.
Let’s start with the basics. The 3 main ingredients you must avoid are:
- Wheat
- Rye
- Barley
These 3 ingredients are in many different foods and can be listed as something else when searching the ingredient list. If you have celiac disease, it’s very important to learn how to read the ingredient list of each food product.
Foods to avoid if you have celiac disease:
- Beer
- Bread
- Desserts
- Cereal
- Chips
- Crackers
- Fries
- Oats
- Malt
- Pasta
- Processed meat
- Salad dressings
- Sauces
- Soups
- Soy sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
Beer
Though most beer has wheat in it, there are plenty of gluten free beer and gluten free beverages available. Beer is something that we have seen grow in the gluten free industry. The list below is popular beer that is gluten free:
There are plenty of other gluten free beers that are not listed. Additionally, there is plenty of hard seltzer that is naturally gluten free and low in sugar.
Bread
Of course, bread is one major food item you will need to substitute. Luckily, the gluten free bread game advances each year. Here are some yummy gluten free bread alternatives:
Cereal
Most cereal has some form of gluten in it. There are many different kinds of cereal that are certified gluten free. The list below are cereals that are gluten free:
Many cereal brands are working on creating a gluten free version of their existing cereal. Brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, and Rice Krispies have released gluten free cereals, however, it’s important to take note that they may be processed with gluten-containing cereals and you may run the risk of cross-contact when eating these cereals.
Desserts
Fortunately, gluten free desserts have become quite popular. However, it is much rarer to come across gluten free desserts. All desserts typically contain wheat flour such as cake, cookies, donuts, cupcakes, candy bars, funnel cakes, brownies, and ice cream. Though these are examples of common desserts that contain gluten, you’ll be relieved to hear all of these can be made gluten free with gluten free flour like King Arthur’s Gluten Free Flour, or are sold at grocery stores, but made be hard to find at times. Here is a list of gluten free desserts that are popular among common grocery stores:
- Tate’s Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Angie’s Boom Chicka Pop Popcorn
- Mochi Ice Cream
- Daiya Cheesecake
- Katz Desserts
- Heavenly Hunks
Chips
Chips are tricky when trying to find out if they are gluten free or not. When eating chips it’s important to look for the gluten free label or review the ingredients list. Many potato chips, corn chips, and Cheetos are gluten free.
When dining out, it’s easy to quickly order a basket of chips. However, chips are usually a cross-contact food. Essentially, this is when your gluten free food has been exposed to food that contains gluten, and tiny gluten-filled crumbs made their way to your gluten free food. If you haven’t come across this term yet— tiny, microscopic crumbs will negatively affect you and your digestive tract.
So, while eating out and ordering chips, it’s important to double-check how the fries were made, and if they come in contact with gluten during the process. Many restaurants fry their chips in the same fryer as gluten-containing foods such as fried shrimp, and churros.
Here is a list of certified gluten free chips:
- Santitas Gluten Free Tortilla Chips
- Kettle Brand Gluten Free Potato Chips
- Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten Free Honey Mustard Pretzels
- Gluten Free Cheetos
- Perfection Snacks Gluten Free Snack Mix
Crackers
Just like bread, crackers are made with wheat and will need to be completely substituted. I have yet to find crackers that match the flavor and texture of gluten-filled crackers, however, there are still plenty of tasty gluten free crackers. Gluten free crackers quickly made a come up and we can expect them to only get better.
Here is gluten free cracker options to try out:
- Simple Mills Gluten Free Crackers
- Milton’s Gluten free Crackers
- Schar ‘s Gluten Free Table Crackers
- Good Thin’s Gluten Free Crackers
Fries
How do fries have gluten if they are just made of potatoes? Similar to chips, fries are often cooked in the same fryer as gluten-containing foods, such as onion rings. With celiac disease, it is extremely important to consider cross-contact
Prior to ordering fries, ensure they are safe for you to eat. There are still many places you can order fries at while dining out. Here are a few of them:
Depending on the location and if they are aware of celiac disease, the following restaurants may also offer gluten free fries that are fried in a separate fryer as their gluten-containing options:
- Five Guys
- Red Robin
Otherwise, consider store-bought fries such as Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Crinkles French Fried Potatoes Gluten Free.
Oats
While oats are naturally gluten free, they are often made in a facility that also processes wheat products. Unfortunately, many celiac disease patients have experienced symptoms and side effects from eating oats that did not state they were gluten free.
There are plenty of gluten free oat options, but for a heavier price.
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal Packets
- Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal Cups
- Quaker Oats Gluten Free
- Quaker Oats Gluten Free Instant Oatmeal
Malt
Malt is an ingredient that celiac disease patients can’t have. It is often used for milkshakes, beer, bagels, etc. Unfortunately, there is not an alternative for this ingredient. However, there are alternative recipes you can use for foods and beverages that normally have malt.
Pasta
There are many gluten free pasta options that taste very similar to wheat pasta. My entire family now uses gluten free pasta although they do not have celiac disease. Here are gluten free pasta options to try:
Processed & marinated meat
Process and marinated meat are where gluten is often found hiding. Many celiac disease patients do not think of checking if the meat they purchase is gluten free. It’s especially important to double-check the ingredients on any pre-made marinated meat. The following list are examples of meat that is certified gluten free.
- Gluten Free Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Oven Roasted Turkey Breast Sliced Lunch Meat
- Gluten Free Jenni-O Ground Turkey
- Gluten Free Laura’s Ground Beef
Salad dressings
Ingredients like soy sauce, and malt can also be found hiding in salad dressings. Here is a list of gluten free salad dressings to try:
- Gluten Free Primal Kitchen Salad Dressings
- Gluten Free Olive Garden Signature Italian Dressing
- Gluten Free Annies Dressings
- Gluten Free Skinny Girl Dressings
Sauces
Sauces are another type of food that have gluten hiding in them. Many celiac disease patients don’t think twice about certain sauces because they just expect them to be gluten free, but there are many sauces that do have gluten. For example, some BBQ sauces contain gluten. Here is a list of sauces that are typically gluten free:
Soups
Soups are normally made by throwing in a list of different ingredients with noodles. Almost every soup can be made gluten free with gluten free pasta/noodles and ingredient substitutions. Below is a list of store-bought gluten-free soups.
- Amy’s Soup
- Great Value Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
- Great Value Gluten Free Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
Soy sauce
Soy sauce doesn’t have very many ingredients but it does have wheat. Fortunately, many restaurants have caught onto this, and offer gluten free soy sauce. Otherwise, consider buying gluten free soy sauce.
- Kikkoman Gluten Free Soy Sauce
- Kikkoman Sauce Tamari Gluten Free
- San-J Organic Tamari Gluten Free Soy Sauce
Teriyaki sauce
Teriyaki sauce also has few ingredients but it contains soy sauce which is not gluten free. Here are gluten free teriyaki sauce alternatives.
- Kikkoman Gluten-Free Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
- Primal Kitchen No Soy Teriyaki Sauce & Marinade
- Kikkoman Gluten Free Teriyaki Marinade & Sauce
- San-J Gluten-Free Stir-Fry & Marinade Teriyaki
The above lists are gluten free food options to consider when substituting gluten-filled foods, however, there are many more that are not listed. In general, there are gluten free substitution options for just about everything, and we still can enjoy flavorful foods. There are plenty of gluten free substitutions and we will continue to see the gluten free food industry evolve.
