Gluten Free Basics: Food Types to Enjoy and to Avoid

Going gluten free means watching out for wheat, barely, and rye in our foods (and drinks), but let’s look at some basic types of foods that are gluten free in their natural form:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Potatoes
• Rice
• Beans
• Meat
• Milk
• Yogurt
• Butter

The key here is “in their natural form.” Going to the butcher shop and selecting a steak, that is naturally gluten free. Going to the Whole Foods counter and asking for the steak tips in teriyaki marinade, that is not natural or gluten free. Steak doesn’t naturally come marinaded (at least not in this world), and the marinade here most likely contains soy sauce (more on this in a minute). Foods that are left in their original form, from nature, are usually safe to eat. So dried beans in a bag are probably okay, but beans in a can will contain other ingredients may not be safe.

*Always read the labels*

I will be a broken record about that. Mostly as a reminder to myself, because I still make mistakes (darn you Key Lime Pie Gelato containing crust!). Then there are the foods that are obliviously going to have gluten and you have to avoid (unless a gluten free non contaminated option is available to you). These foods almost always contain flour or wheat:

• Obvious Foods to Avoid (or find gluten free alternatives):
  • Bread, rolls, buns
  • Waffles, pancakes, muffins, bagels
  • Cupcakes, cakes, pies, tartes, tortes
  • Pastry
  • Pizza Crust
  • Cookies
  • Crackers
  • Pita chips
  • Fried Chicken, fried mozzarella
  • Cereals
  • Beer

Then there are the sneakier foods or ones that might not be as obvious that contain gluten. These can include sauces, marinades, spices, candy, cereals, alcohol, and lots of other items:

• Sneaky Foods to Avoid:
  • Soy Sauce (first ingredient is wheat)
  • Red or Black Licorice (primary ingredient is wheat)
  • Kellogg’s Corn Flakes (contain malt)
  • Kellogg’s Rice Crispies (contain malt)
  • Smirnoff Ice (malt liquor beverages)
  • Double Chocolaty Chip Crème Frappuccino® (contains cookie crumbs, i.e. flour)
  • Milkshakes (when the machine is shared with malts or cookie crumbs)
  • Ice Cream (when in contact or containing cones)

Now we have covered the basics of gluten free food (and a few drinks) to avoid and enjoy we can begin to dig a little deeper into specific types, product reviews, and of course recipes (special post on how to convert your recipes coming up!). Which I have found so much more helpful for anyone (like myself) who has ventured to the store, purchased all the “gluten free” products and thrown more than half of them away because they tasted like cardboard or had the texture of rubber.

Much Joy!

Your Fellow Gluten Free Adventurer