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So, you, or someone in your household suddenly finds they have to start a gluten free diet right away. It can most definitely catch you off-guard and may lead to some panic. But don’t worry: the learning curve seems steep, but you can understand the gluten free basics quite easily.
When I was told my very young son needed a strict gluten free diet in 2005, I had to adapt quickly, without much information. Today, my life’s work is to help you get started and to hold your hand along the way as you learn all about eating gluten free.
We have endless gluten free recipes for all your favorites, so you won’t have to give up anything. And many of them are way easier than you might think. This article is about the gluten free diet for beginners. If you’re more advanced, you may want to dive right in to the gluten free baking guide, or straight into the gluten free recipe index to look for your old favorites.
Disclaimers: All of the content on this website, including this page, is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, which I am not in any way qualified to give. All information, especially about processing and labeling, is specific to the United States.
Affiliate disclosure: Product links contain affiliate codes. Please see our disclosure policy.
What is a gluten free diet?
A gluten free diet is one that excludes gluten. Gluten is a family of proteins found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye. It acts like a glue that holds food together, maintaining its shape and giving it that characteristic chewy texture we often associate with bread, pasta, and other baked goods.
A gluten free diet for beginners and the more experienced among us is a lifestyle that requires careful attention to what we eat. It means avoiding obvious sources of gluten, like bread or pasta, but also hidden sources of gluten in many processed foods, and anything you put on your skin or otherwise in your body.
But don’t let that intimidate you. While it may seem daunting at first, a gluten free diet quickly becomes second nature.
Why follow a gluten free diet?
Anyone with a gluten-related disorder should follow a gluten free diet. This generally includes people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS). Whether you have a diagnosis, a doctor suggested you might try a gluten free diet, or you’ve found you feel better without gluten, you are welcome here!
Non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS)
People with non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) experience symptoms similar to those of celiac disease, but without the damage to the small intestine of celiac disease.
Symptoms of NCGS begin after eating gluten and can include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, bone or joint pain, and chronic fatigue.
Diagnosing NCGS can be hard because there’s no specific test for it. Doctors rule out other conditions (like celiac disease and wheat allergy) first. Regardless, it is a real condition that can significantly impact an individual’s quality of life.
If you suspect you might have NCGS, please seek medical advice before starting a gluten free diet. The elimination of gluten from your diet can affect test results if you haven’t already been tested for celiac disease.
Celiac disease
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine.
When someone with celiac disease eats gluten, their body’s immune system attacks the attacks villi in the small intestine, which are small finger-like projections that are responsible for nutrient absorption. This can lead to malnutrition, among other things.
Celiac disease symptoms vary widely, from bloating, pain, diarrhea, weight loss, and malnutrition, to pain in the nerves or joints. Some silent celiacs show no outward symptoms, yet their small intestine is still being damaged.
The only currently known effective treatment for celiac disease is strict adherence to eating gluten free.
Benefits of a gluten free diet
If gluten is affecting your health for any reason, adopting a gluten free lifestyle can be transformative. Some of the potential benefits are:
- Reduced pain and inflammation, which can reduce pain and discomfort.
- Improved digestive health, including potential benefits like less bloating, cramping, constipation and/or diarrhea.
- Increased energy levels, leaving you more vibrant and alert
- Improved nutrient absorption if you have celiac disease particularly, as the villi in the small intestine have a chance to heal.
- Weight management may come along with making better and healthier food choices, or as a result of having more energy and a renewed ability to exercise.
What gluten-containing ingredients should you avoid?
There are four main types of gluten-containing grains: wheat, barley, rye, and triticale:
- Wheat is the most common source of gluten, and all varieties of it must be avoided on a gluten free diet. These varieties include: spelt, kamut, farro, and einkorn.
- Barley is another common gluten-containing grain. In addition to being added to soups and stews for its chewy texture, barley is often used to make malt, which you also must avoid
- Rye is another gluten-containing grain, and it’s commonly found in rye bread, pumpernickel bread, many beers, and some breakfast cereals
- Triticale is a hybrid grain that was made by crossing wheat with rye. It’s often used as a flour in breads and other baked goods.
Common food products containing gluten
Gluten is in food, of course, but it also appears in the most random products, even shampoo. Those with significant sensitivity or gluten-related disease, including dermatitis herpetiformis, need to avoid even this level of gluten exposure.
Here is an overview of these common examples:
- Breads and baked goods: It’s safe to assume that all traditional breads and baked goods that are made with some form of wheat. Gluten gives these baked goods their structure and chewy texture.
- Processed meats: Many deli meats and hot dogs contain gluten as a filler or binder; meatballs and meatloaf usually contain traditional breadcrumbs, which are off-limits. There are some brands of processed meats that are safe on a gluten-free diet, like Applegate, Boar’s Head, and Dietz & Watson, but always read labels.
- Sauces, soups, and condiments: Gluten is often used as a thickener in gravies and sauces and as an anti-caking agent in marinades. Soy sauce is made from wheat, so avoid it in favor of gluten free tamari or gluten free soy sauce brands. Consider making your own sauces and condiments at home so you can control the ingredients. For example, my gluten free barbecue sauce is so easy and tastes better than store-bought.
- Anything with malt: included malted milk beverages, candies, and snacks, plus malt vinegar.
- Cereals and breakfast foods: Most traditional breakfast cereals, pancakes, waffles, and breakfast bars contain gluten. Look for products made from gluten-free grains like rice or corn.
- Snack foods and candies: Regular pretzels, many chips (opt for corn-based chips), some gummy candies and even licorice usually contain wheat flour.
- Beverages: Most beer is gluten-containing and some spirits are, too. There are many gluten free beers on the market today, though, so you don’t have to do without!
- Medications and supplements: Prescriptions and over the counter medications used to use wheat as a binder very frequently. It’s less common now, but it’s always smart to check. If you’re unsure, as the pharmacist, call the company, and check this drugs database maintained by a pharmacist as a public service as a starting point.
- Other products: Check products like toothpaste, shampoo, skincare products, mouthwash, and lipstick.
5 Steps to kick-start your gluten free diet
Check labels
Some products will tell you if they’re processed in a facility and/or on equipment that also processes gluten-containing foods. Check manufacturing processes, learn which companies you can trust, like Trader Joe’s and Kraft, which practices truth in labeling and will always call out gluten in any form on its labels.
Be vigilant when eating out
When dining out or ordering in, ask how the food is prepared, and whether the restaurant has a way of avoiding cross-contamination of gluten free food with gluten-containing foods.
Research before you go out to find out if there’s a restaurant that has a gluten free menu or safe menu items marked clearly. Try using the app Find Me Gluten Free to find safe places to eat wherever you are. And if you think a restaurant has good intentions but you’re still unsure, select naturally gluten free dishes prepared simply, liked grilled meats and steamed vegetables and potatoes.
Separate utensils and cookware
At home, consider having separate utensils, cutting boards, and pots (especially ones used to make pasta, which is sticky) for your gluten free cooking. Ask others to use only a clean knife that hasn’t touched gluten when dipping into the peanut butter jar.
Store foods separately
If you share your home with gluten-eaters, come up with a plan for storing your gluten free pantry items on a separate shelf of the pantry and fresh foods on a separate shelf of the refrigerator, if possible.
Be totally gluten free
This was the option I chose because my son went gluten free when he was just a small child. Instead of trying to run two kitchens in one, I made my whole house gluten free. This is not an option that everyone can choose, though, and it’s not the only way.
Where to find the best gluten free recipes?
Well, I thought you’d never ask! Gluten Free on a Shoestring is the blog that I started in 2009 when my son was newly gluten free. I have over 800 gluten free recipes here on the blog from gluten free basics to advanced-techniques like gluten free puff pastry. I began to develop these recipes because I loved to bake, and there simple weren’t that many resources available at the time.
If you’d like to start gluten free baking, but you don’t have a good all purpose gluten free flour blend yet, try some of our flourless baking recipes. They’re made with regular pantry ingredients, and you can make a flourless chocolate cake and flourless brownies to start.
You’ll also find lots of gluten free dinner recipes so you don’t have to rely on expensive takeout all the time. When you have a flour blend and you’re ready, there will be plenty of time to make the perfect gluten free cake and turn Friday night back into pizza night with our gluten free pizza dough.
FAQs
A gluten free diet can be expensive for a couple reasons. The cost of alternative ingredients is higher, it’s more expensive to maintain dedicated gluten free production facilities, the overall market for these products is smaller, so they’re less efficient. All naturally gluten free foods, like fruits, vegetables, meats, rice, and many other gluten free grains don’t cost any more.
Try making it yourself, and you’ll find that even gluten free bread is less expensive. Try buying non-perishable staples like pasta, flour, and grains in bulk at stores like Costco. Plan your meals ahead of time so you avoid waste, and of course shop sales and use coupons. There are enough gluten free packaged foods on the market these days that grocery stores run sales on them, too.
The Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act applies to most packaged food products sold in the United States. It requires that packaged food products that include an ingredient that contains a protein from any of the top eight allergens (milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, soy, wheat and Crustacean shellfish) be either named clearly in the ingredient list, or in a separate “contains” statement near the ingredient list on the package.
Food bearing a claim of “gluten free” that was labeled after August 5, 2014 must be inherently gluten free, or does not contain an ingredient that is derived from a gluten-containing grain that has not been processed to remove gluten to less than 20 parts per million (ppm). Since the use by manufacturers is entirely optional, many non-labeled products are gluten free. The difference now is that no foods that bear the term gluten free may have more than 20 ppm gluten. See FDA Guidance and an FDA Consumer Update on the subject.
Packaged gluten free foods are about as likely to be healthy as their gluten-containing counterparts, with the possible exception of bread products. Most conventional bread products contain “enriched wheat” that has had vitamins and minerals added to it and most gluten free bread products don’t.
Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
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