How To Eat A Gluten-Free Diet

A gluten-free diet is ESSENTIAL for those with Celiacs, however, even those without Celiacs disease might want to live a gluten-free diet. Anecdotally, a gluten-free diet could lead to overall improved health, more energy, and of course, weight-loss. More research into this is needed, but if you’re looking to go gluten-free, then here are the foods YOU need to AVOID!:

Wheat

Wheat is commonly found in:

breads
baked goods
soups
pasta
cereals
sauces
salad dressings
roux

Barley

Barley is commonly found in:

malt (malted barley flour, malted milk and milkshakes, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring, malt vinegar)
food coloring
soups
beer
Brewer’s Yeast

Rye

Rye is commonly found in:

rye bread, such as pumpernickel
rye beer
cereals

Other Grains

Triticale

Triticale is a newer grain, specifically grown to have a similar quality as wheat, while being tolerant to a variety of growing conditions like rye. It can potentially be found in:

breads
pasta
cereals

Oats

Oats can add diversity and offer many nutritional benefits to the gluten-free diet. Celiac Disease Foundation’s medical experts recommend only oats labeled gluten-free as cross-contact may occur when oats are grown side-by-side with wheat, barley or rye.

Patients eating oats from any source may complain of symptoms. This could be due to one or more of several factors, including intolerance to the increase in fiber, food intolerances, contamination with gluten, or, rarely, the development of an immune response to oat protein, similar to that occurring due to gluten.

The decision to include oats in your diet should be made with your physician or dietitian and should include monitoring of your anti-tissue transglutaminase (anti-tTG) antibody levels.

You may be asking yourself, “What exactly IS gluten, anyway?”

Well, here’s your answer: Gluten is a general name for the proteins found in wheat (wheatberries, durum, emmer, semolina, spelt, farina, farro, graham, KAMUT® khorasan wheat and einkorn), rye, barley and triticale – a cross between wheat and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. Gluten can be found in many types of foods, even ones that would not be expected.