Several years ago I had a food sensitivity test where my blood was taken and tested on over 100 foods to see what I would react with and gluten (as well as nearly all forms of dairy and coffee) came back as the foods I was most sensitive to. So out it went from my diet. I say it so simply here, but the actual removal of it from my diet was much more difficult. Click here to learn more about the test I had done, and click here to learn more about what food sensitivities are.
Here I am shortly after receiving the news of needing to go gluten-free after I did my initial pantry search for any and all items containing gluten and out they went (I gave them to friends and family members who could tolerate gluten). But that was the easy part. The more difficult part came from trying to replace those foods I had eaten for years but served me or my digestive system very well.
 |
| Here I am saying my final good-bye to gluten back in 2009 as I cleaned out our pantry with all the food I thought was healthy... unfortunately it wasn't healthy for me anymore. |
Starting with the basics, you first need to know what it is you can have and what you can't on a gluten-free diet, so here's the list.
Ingredients that contain gluten: (If you see this on the ingredient list...stay away from it):
- whole wheat
- enriched bleached white flour
- kamut
- spelt
- rye
- triticale
- malted barley (beer)
- oats (because of cross contamination)
- couscous
- soy sauce
- modified food starch (questionable)
Ingredients that are gluten-free: (So...what's left?):
- corn
- potatoes
- rice
- tapioca
- amaranth
- arrowroot
- millet
- quinoa
- sorghum
- sweet potatoes
- teff
- beans
- buckwheat (even though the name doesn't seem like it would).
These tips will apply if you have a member/members of your family that are gluten-free as well as those who eat gluten. If you're whole house is gluten-free, well, you're lucky and disregard these tips!
How to Make Your Home Gluten-Free Friendly...
1. Try to keep gluten-free food away from gluten-food as much as possible. In my house we have separate toasters, one is gluten-free one is not.
 |
| My designated GF toaster. |
And it's a good idea to get separate condiments like butter, peanut butter, and jelly that way the knife that's spreading the condiments does not put gluten bread crumbs back into the condiment. Be sure to label the condiments so others know which is cluten-contaiminated and which is gluten-free. Another alternative is to just have the gluten-eating person scoop out their food (butter/jelly etc.) onto a small plate and then spread it from there that way their knife does not touch the condiment a second time.
 |
| Here you can see some butter on a small plate to be used to spread it without contaminating the butter tub with gluten. |
2. Cook gluten foods away from gluten-free foods. Use separate pans, pots, and baking sheets so the gluten items do not come in contact with the gluten-free times. Also while you're cooking make sure to use different spoons or spatulas. You don't want to stir the gluten item and then risk putting it right into the gluten-free item. One tip we do is for things like grilled cheese sandwiches, we cook our gluten-free ones first on the pan and then my husband cooks his gluten sandwich, that way we don't risk any contaminating of the surface.
3. Avoid eating out especially in the beginning. Restaurants are very tricky, unless they state that they are allergy-friendly and that they cook gluten-free food in a gluten-free space, you can bet your "gluten-free food" may come in contact with gluten in some form at the restaurant. The best tip I can give is to do your research before going out to eat. Most restaurants list ingredients and allergens online so that's a good way to narrow down what you can and can't eat. But even then you'll still want to notify your waiter when you order that you have a "gluten allergy" (I find they understand this best) and that you need it to avoid being around other gluten products if possible.
Now that we know some ground rules, then comes the more difficult part, shopping for the gluten-free items. This can be a time of stress and confusion as you try to read the backs of food boxes and search to make sure it is a "safe" food. But I saw it as a fun time to try new foods and almost like a challenge, can I find something that tastes like what I used to eat or maybe even taste better? But before you head out to the store, here's a few tips.
Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Tips:
1. Just because it's gluten-free doesn't mean it's healthy. Just a simple stroll down the aisles in the gluten-free section of my favorite health food store leads me to find gluten-free versions of foods like pop-tarts, Oreos, donuts, cakes and cookies. But don't think that just because it's gluten-free it's healthier in some way. These items are still "sometimes" foods as I call them, because they contain a lot of sugar and a long ingredient list. Now don't get me wrong, it's nice to have a treat "sometimes" but don't see being gluten-free as an excuse to need these foods, especially if it was something you didn't usually eat before.
 |
| Oreos are can be fun, but just because they are gluten-free doesn't mean they need to be in your grocery cart. |
 |
| Keep walking, keep walking...pretend you did not just see frosted "pop tarts"! |
Instead look for gluten-free alternatives to your basic healthy staples, like pasta, breads, cereals, and crackers, aka "anytime foods".
2. Be weary of sauces, soups, and spice packets like for gravy or other meals like this sloppy joe packet as they sometimes contain wheat flour...beware. You wouldn't think this sloppy joe packet would be a gluten-offender but it is. Pay close attention to any type of spice mix, sauce, or pre-made meal, there's a pretty good chance they probably contain some type of gluten.
3. You may find in all your shopping that sometimes it's cheaper and healthier to make your own gluten-free food, especially for baked goods like pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc. Similar to the first tip, I got suckered into thinking that the brand of gluten-free pancakes on the shelf was a better choice for me because it was certified gluten-free, but guess what, I can make my own gluten-free pancakes at my house for much cheaper and with less ingredients and even less sugar. So try your hand at baking (maybe not at first) and see what you can skip buying at the store and make at home instead.
4. If you choose to try your hand at gluten-free baking, you'll need to start a collection of a few gluten-free flours. Unlike wheat-based flours, where you pretty much only need one to get the job done in all your recipes, you will usually need several in most gluten-free recipes to re-create the "gluten-like" texture.
Some of my favorites include: brown rice flour, millet flour, tapioca flour/starch, gluten-free all purpose flour, sorghum flour, potato starch, guar gum/xanthan gum. All of which you can see in my "gluten-free baking cabinet" shown above. Lately I've also been trying Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour, and it's been working pretty well.
 |
| The gluten-free baking flour section of my local health food store. |
My Favorite Gluten-Free Swaps...
Bread: Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Whole Grain Bread *does contain egg whites*
 |
| It's the softest, most gluten-like bread I've had. Very yummy. |
English muffins: Food for Life Gluten-Free English Muffins
 |
| Perfect topped with some vegan butter and strawberry fruit spread. |
Muffins and Biscuits: I used to buy Udi's Gluten-Free Muffins, but then I got tired of paying for them and for all the sugar they contained, so I started making my own. This helped me save money, cut down on sugar, and control all the ingredients. Win-win.
 |
| I like these "Pumpkin Chia Muffins" (I add 1/2 cups of chocolate chips to the recipe and only use 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, Lakanto in the recipe). |
 |
| Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins |
 |
| See my recipe for these "Sweet Potato Biscuits" coming up in next week's video. |
Cereal: My favorite: Quinoa Chia Crunch
My girls' favorite is anything type of Envriokids cereal.
Another one I like is: Erewhon Crispy Brown Rice Cereal Nice and simple, I like to add a little Lakanto sugar on top.
Pasta: My all-time favorite gluten-free noodle is the brand Tinkyada.
 |
| Never mind this throw-back from my "Say No to GMOs" video! |
But Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice and Quinoa Noodles are also a common staple in my home.
Pizza Crust: I used to make buy my pizza crust at the store (Udi's Gluten-Free Pizza Crusts) but as I did with other items mentioned above, I got tired of paying for it and decided to make my own.
Now I use and love this homemade recipe from Minimalist Baker for the "Best Damn Vegan Pizza".
Snack Bars: I love the short ingredient list of Larabars, my girls love to have one for breakfast or a snack.
Pretzels: Gratify Gluten-Free Pretzels
Graham Crackers: S'moreables Graham Style Crackers
Chips: Bearitos Yellow Corn Tortilla Chips
We also like these Trader Joe's Organic Corn Tortilla Chips.
Cookies: My favorite store-bought cookie are: Lucy's Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ice Cream Cones: Let's Do Gluten Free Ice Cream Cones
Soy Sauce: Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Oatmeal: You could use any type of Certified Gluten-free oats oatmeal brands out there, but personally I can't tolerate oats even if they are gluten-free so instead I use these Ancient Harvest Hot Cereal Flakes to make my own "quinoa oatmeal." Click here to get the recipe.
 |
| My oat-free quinoa oatmeal. |
Grains: There are still many types of grains left for you to cook with, here are some of my favorites:
Quinoa: Quinoa is such a great super-grain that's packed with protein. One surprising way I like it is in burritos...
Rice: Rice is another staple in our house and it serves as a great base for veggies with a vegan cheese.
Millet: While not the most commonly used grain, millet can take the place of rice or quinoa in any dish as well. It's a fluffy and smaller than rice.
Well there you have it, how and why I went gluten-free, as well as some of my favorite gluten-free swaps. If you have other favorites to add to the list or other tips for those that are transitioning to a gluten-free diet, post them below. Or if you have any questions for me, post them there too.
Happy gluten-free eating!
The author
