So, you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a digestive disorder called Celiac disease, and your diet has to be changed to something completely new.
You may be wondering, what exactly Celiac Disease is. The short answer, is the body's inability to process the protein Gluten, which is found in various wheat or grain products. On the surface, this may seem like it will cut out just about all of your guilty pleasures, or favorite foods. Rest assured, that is not the case, many items now have non-gluten alternatives to sacrifice very little, if any of the flavor, and still offer all the nutrition as Gluten containing products.
Do not worry, you do not have to cut out all of your favorite foods and live off of a strict list of unappetizing foods, or drinks. The lists of ingredients you can still eat or use as ingredients in the preparation of other meals, while slightly modified, is still as wide as ever, only now, it may be more important than ever to check the ingredients in some of your food choices, knowing what to avoid can make preparing foods, much easier and still allow you to be as creative as ever in the kitchen.
To start with, it is important to know what types of foods or products to avoid in general, however, some of the items listed do have non-gluten alternatives. When building your Gluten Free grocery list, products to avoid include:
Note: The lists below are only a small sampling of what can be on each list, for a complete list of products, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or consult a nutritionist.
Bread and Bread Roll
Rye Bread, Pumpernickel
Yorkshire Pudding
Pretzels
Cakes
Muffins
Pastry or Pie Crust
Biscuits or Cookies
Crisp Breads
Bulgur Wheat
Durham
Couscous
Semolina
Scones
Anything in Breadcrumbs
All Bran
Sponge Puddings
Breadcrumbed Ham
Barley water drinks
Malted Drinks
Muesli
There are also products that contain wheat or flour, but are available in a non-gluten variety, be sure to check the label and ingredient list. Products with non-gluten alternatives can include:
Stuffing's
Pancakes
Pasta - Macaroni, Spaghetti, Etc...
Crumble toppings
Pizza
Some Breakfast Cereals
It is also vitally important to know that other available products often do include wheat, or wheat products that contain gluten as either an ingredient in the creation of, or used as a filler. These can include:
Sausages
Luncheon Meat (filler)
Blue Cheeses (can be made with bread)
Gravy Powders and Stock cubes, such as OXO
Matzo Flour/Meal
Shredded Suet in packs (flour can be used to keep the strands seperate)
Seitan (does not contain Gluten, it is Gluten)
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protien
Baked Beans (gluten can be in the sauce)
Farina
Meat and Fish Pastes
Pates and Imitation Crab Meat
Self Basting Turkeys
Sauces - thickened with Flour
Cummunion wafers
Soups (Roux based: made with flour)
Mustard - Dry mustard powder has Gluten
Instant Coffee (filler)
Brown Rice Syrup
Cheap Brands of chocolate
Some Potato chips (read ingredients carefully)
Soy sauce (Tamari is ok)
Drinking Chocolate
Licorice
Chutneys and Pickles
Salad Dressing
Curry Powder and other spices
White Pepper
Malt Vinigar
Supplements
Some Toothpaste
Some Lipsticks
Some medicine or pharmaceutical products.
With such an extensive list of items or products to avoid, it is understandable to wonder what is safe to eat, or prepare foods with. Luckily, the list of safe items is just as long, examples include the following Gluten free food products;
Vegetables such as:
Artichokes
Asparagus
Beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Celery
Corn
Cucumber
Garlic
Kale
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Okra
Onions
Peas
Peppers
Potatoes
Radish
Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Turnips
Etc...
Fruits
Apples
Bananas
Blueberries
Cranberries
Dates
Figs
Grapes
Kiwis
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Passion Fruits
Plums
Raspberries
Strawberries
Tangerines
Watermelons
Meat and Poultry products are often okay;
Beef
Buffalo
Chicken
Duck
Lamb
Pork
Turkey
Veal
Venison
Dairy Products
Butter (check to verify no gluten containing products were used)
Cheese (expect blue cheese)
Eggs
Milk
Yogurt (unflavored, plain)
Even some other grains are safe:
Almond Flour
Bean Flour
Brown Rice
Buckwheat
Corn Flour
Corn Starch
Dal
Flaxseed
Millet
Pea Flour
Potato Flour
Rice
Soy Flour
In addition, other safe items are:
Eggs
Fish and Shelfish
Honey
Jams
Rice cakes and rice crackers
Tofu (made from Soybeans)
Yeast
Vegetable Oils
Some drinks you can have are:
Champagne
Fresh Ground Coffee
Fruit Juice
Milk
Soda's
Vodka
Tea
Wine and wine coolers
Finally, some prepared foods can be bought already made and are Gluten Free, some brands or products to watch for include:
Baked Goods from Glutino, KinniKinnick and Ener-G Foods
Baking mixes from Bob's Red Mill, Pamela's Products, Cherrybrook Kitchen
Cereals from Brands such as Enjoy Life.
Pasta's made from corn, such as Glutano and DeBoles
Pasta made from Potatoes like Patado
Even Pasta Made from rice, like Tinkyada and Notta Pasta
Hopefully, these lists of safe and unsafe products and ingredients can help you to better plan your new shopping list, yet still enjoy some of your family's favorite foods.