Clean Out Your Pantry
Evaluate your current pantry items and clean out any products that may contain gluten.
The best way to identify if a product contains gluten is to read the ingredient list. Throw out or donate items that contain grains like wheat, barley, and rye. Check for lesser-known gluten-containing ingredients like malt vinegar, brewers yeast, and seitan.
Eliminating gluten from your diet can be difficult if other household members dont require the same dietary restrictions.
In this case, consider dedicating a section of your pantry to gluten-free items. This also helps avoid potential cross-contamination and accidental gluten exposure.
You can also avoid accidental exposure by using a separate toaster and washing cutting boards and utensils before preparing your meals.
Summary Clean out any items in your pantry that contain wheat, barley, or rye. If other household members dont require the same dietary restrictions as you do, you can dedicate a section of your pantry to gluten-free items to avoid accidental gluten exposure.
How Can I Identify And Avoid Foods And Drinks That Contain Gluten
A registered dietitian can help you learn to identify and avoid foods and drinks that contain gluten when you shop, prepare foods at home, or eat out.
For example, when you shop and eat at home
- carefully read food labels to check for grains that contain glutensuch as wheat, barley, and ryeand ingredients or additives made from those grains.
- check for gluten-free food labeling.
- don’t eat foods if you arent sure whether they contain gluten. If possible, contact the company that makes the food or visit the companys website for more information.
- store and prepare your gluten-free foods separately from other family members foods that contain gluten to prevent cross-contact.
When you eat out at restaurants or social gatherings
- before you go out to eat, search online for restaurants that offer a gluten-free menu.
- review restaurant menus online or call ahead to make sure a restaurant can accommodate you safely.
- at the restaurant, let the server know that you have celiac disease. Ask about food ingredients, how food is prepared, and whether a gluten-free menu is available. Ask to talk with the chef if you would like more details about the menu.
- when attending social gatherings, let the host know you have celiac disease and find out if gluten-free foods will be available. If not, or if you are unsure, bring gluten-free foods that are safe for you to eat.
How To Eat Gluten
Adah Chung is a fact checker, writer, researcher, and occupational therapist.
If you’re diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you’ll need to learn to eat gluten-free since doing so is essential to your long-term health. Or, you may decide to try a gluten-free diet even without a diagnosisespecially if you believe eating gluten-free may help you manage another health condition.
Regardless of your reasons for choosing a gluten-free diet, this can be tricky with a massive learning curve, especially at first. But if you follow these eight stepspreferably in orderyou should be well on your way to safely eating gluten-free.
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How Will I Need To Change My Diet If I Have Celiac Disease
If you have celiac disease, you will need to remove foods and drinks that contain gluten from your diet. Following a gluten-free diet can relieve celiac disease symptoms and heal damage to the small intestine. People with celiac disease need to follow a gluten-free diet for life to prevent symptoms and intestinal damage from coming back. Your doctor or a registered dietitian can guide you on what to eat and drink to maintain a balanced diet.
If you or your child has been diagnosed with celiac disease, you may find support groups helpful as you learn about and adjust to a gluten-free lifestyle. Your doctor or a registered dietitian may be able to recommend support groups and other reliable sources of information.
A Guide To The Gluten
If your child has been diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, theyll need to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Always talk to a doctor before cutting gluten out of your childs diet.
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, rye and the derivatives of these grains, including malt and brewers yeast.
A gluten-free diet excludes all products containing these ingredients. Those who are gluten-free can still enjoy a healthy diet filled with fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, beans, legumes and most dairy products. Such ingredients are naturally gluten-free, and safe for individuals who do not have allergies to these respective food groups.
Eating gluten-free is the only way kids with celiac disease can stay healthy. Theres no medicine or shot you can take to make it go away.
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Removing Gluten From Your Diet
How To Start A Gluten And Dairy
Transitioning to a gluten and dairy-free diet can feel like an intimidating leap to make but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the majority of whole foods are naturally gluten and dairy-free, and new gluten and dairy-free food options in grocery stores are making it easier to find compliant foods than ever before. By focusing on all the foods you can still eat, learning how to read a nutrition facts label, understanding hidden ingredients, and finding gluten and dairy-free substitutes for some of your favorites, you can build a diet that suits your dietary needs without sacrificing delicious food.
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Keep Things As Normal As Possible At First
Part of the reason I advise you to buy ingredients that are gluten free vs. processed gluten free foods is because when youre making such a huge life change, keeping things as normal as possible will help make the adjustment easier. Cook as many of your normal recipes as you can using gluten free ingredients. Dont change your kids snacks right off the bat unless you have to. Keeping some normalcy in your life will make it easier to wean yourself off gluten and for your family to make the needed changes.
Advice On Raising A Gluten
Children with celiac disease can grow up normally and be happy and healthy. It takes pre-planning, either by verifying safe food will be available when they go to someones house, a school activity, a party or some other event or by preparing food that they can take. There are many examples of children whove never let the diet stand in their way from preschool through college.
The best thing a parent can do for a child with celiac disease is convey the message that the gluten-free diet does not have to limit them in any way. Being positive is extremely important. Kids with celiac disease often have a great attitude and deal very well with the fact that there are times when they cant have some foods the other kids are having. Usually, that attitude is fostered by their parents who make sure preparations have been made so their child does not feel deprived. Food is often less of a big deal to kids with celiac disease than their parents.
When she was diagnosed with celiac disease at two years old, I worried that my daughter would not be able to grow up happy and healthy. But shes now 27, and she went through everything from preschool to college in a perfectly normal way. We decided early on that the diet should not stop her from doing anything she wanted, and thats how she has lived her life. She participated in activities ranging from Girl Scouts to dance team, went to college far from home and studied abroad in London. Now shes all grown up and getting married.
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How To Tell If A Product Is Gluten
Its important to pay attention to natural, clean and wholesome ingredients when choosing gluten-free products.
Many say theyre gluten-free but contain a lot of fillers and more salt.
Cereal mixes, high-protein bars or cakes can contain more sugar and additives as a gluten-free version than the one that actually contains gluten.
Check if theres a gluten-free label. If theres none, read the labels and ingredients carefully.
When in doubt, ask. Examine questionable looking ingredients that may contain hidden gluten.
How To Start Eating Gluten Free
You have just found out you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Youve been feeling sick all of your life and are ready to start feeling better. But how do you start? How do you completely change your diet to start eating gluten free?
Dont worry. You arent the only one. There are thousands of other people out there who are in the same tough spot. And every person on the gluten-free diet today has been in your situation.
You are definitely going to change your life. But it wont be for the worse. You can live a happy, normal, gluten-free life. It will get easier as you go along, and changing your diet is a small price to pay for feeling better.
Are you really ready to start feeling better? Are you ready to drop gluten? This isnt the sort of diet you can cheat on. Youre either all in or youre not.
Okay. Ill try to make it as easy as possible. If you have any questions you can totally or comment below. Either way Ill get back to you and help you in any way I can. At the end of this post are a bunch of resources on going gluten-free.
So here are some step by step instructions for you to start eating gluten-free.
Part One: Cleaning out Your House
Step One: Get Rid of the Gluten
Your kitchen is full of gluten. First of all, throw out all your packages of wheat and any products containing the tiniest bit of gluten.
Step Two: More Getting Rid of the Gluten
Step Three: Eating and Cooking Utensils
And what happens to things like bread-makers and toasters?
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A Gluten Free Diet: Is It Forever
Dr. Aviva, I cant believe it. My stomachaches are gone. Im having a normal bowel movement every day! No more gas. And I can think clearly again for the first time in years. Its amazing.
I hear eports like this all the time from my patients. In fact, sometimes the improvements are so stunning, that I have to ask my patients, Really? Or are you just saying that because you think I want to hear it? They all reassure me that the changes are for real. These patients typically have one thing in common: Theyve gone gluten free. Almost invariably, once they start feeling great, which can happen in just a matter of weeks or less, most of them ask me the same question: So, doc, do I have to stay gluten free forever?
Here’s what I tell them
Plan Your Menus For Easy And Reliable Meals
I cant tell you how many almost-meltdowns Ive had while standing in my kitchen feeling like I had nothing to eat because of my food sensitivities. Ive always been a menu planner, but after going gluten-free and dairy-free, this became a non-negotiable.
Plan out what meals you intend to eat throughout the week, so you never find yourself staring into the pantry about ready to cry .
Read here for my full step-by-step process for menu planning on a gluten and dairy-free diet.
I offer a weekly gluten-free dairy-free recipe and menu planning service called if youd love some inspiration and support on getting tasty healthy meals to the table.
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Learn To Read Food Labels
To expand your dietand to figure out which of your old favorites you might be able to includeyou’ll need to learn to find gluten on food labels.
You’ll probably become a bit of a detective, learning to search for the meaning of various terms you’ll find on different products. You’ll also get quite an education on the other ingredients that make up processed foodssome of which are hard to pronounce.
Skip The Processed Junk
One of the biggest mistakes people make when theyre learning to eat gluten free is automatically jumping in to go out and buy a bunch of processed gluten free foods. Usually these gluten free options are almost as unhealthy as their gluten containing counterparts. Gluten free boxed dinners that are high in sodium and carbs. Gluten free dessert mixes that are high in sugar and carbs.
I dont think I have to tell you that those types of foods are not going to help you be any healthier. Not only are they not always healthy, but they are usually pretty expensive too which can make it very difficult to eat gluten free.
Buy Gluten Free Ingredients Not Meals
To make eating gluten free easier both on your family and your wallet, buy ingredients and eat fresh. You will find only one prepared gluten free item in my home currently a box of gluten free mint chocolate chip cookies that I keep as a treat for myself. Normally I have a couple boxes of Barilla gluten free pasta around too but I need to hit the grocery store soon and pick some up. Yes, Barilla is the best that Ive found. You will, however, also find gluten free all-purpose flour and other ingredients. With ingredients, I can cook any meal I want and still keep it gluten free.
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Make Your Home Gluten
Tek Images / SPL / Getty Images
As you get more skilled in following the gluten-free diet, you should consider removing sources of gluten that lurk elsewhere in your home. For example, many hair products contain gluten.
If you’ve ever gotten shampoo in your mouth in the shower, or if you touch your hair and then your mouth, you should consider getting gluten-free shampoo and other hair products. Also, check out your toothpaste to see if it is gluten-free.
Making your bathroom and medicine cabinet gluten-free can be challenging, as well. Cosmetics and prescription medications frequently contain gluten and cause significant symptoms if you’re not careful.
Even art supplies and common household building materials can contain gluten, such as drywall and spackling compound. Therefore, you should stick with gluten-free craft supplies.
Replace Your Cookware And Kitchen Items
Finally, and this one is super important if you or a family member has Celiac, consider replacing all your cookware and bakeware plus any kitchen utensils, dishes, etc. Anything that has potentially come into contact with foods that contain gluten. The reason for this is in how gluten can adhere to those surfaces. It is considered a sticky molecule and is really hard to get rid of once its on a surface.
The only things you may not need to get rid of is glass bakeware. Glass is a non-porous surface so its harder for gluten to stick to it. The exception is if your glass is scratched or etched in any way. In this case, replacing it is best since gluten molecules could be hiding in those scratches or etching.
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Educate Yourself On How To Eat A Gluten Free Diet
The first thing you should do when youre learning how to start a gluten free diet is to educate yourself. No diet especially one that can be as restrictive as eating gluten free is successful unless you arm yourself with the knowledge of how to make it succeed. You need to know the whys and the hows. You need to know what your goal is. You need to know what the benefits of a gluten free diet are and more. Without that education, you are setting yourself up to fail.
Living A Healthy Gluten Free Life
Eating gluten-free is a lifestyle change that comes with its challenges. In order to successfully follow a gluten-free diet, it is essential to have a good understanding of the foods and ingredients that contain gluten. There is a large amount of misinformation available about what constitutes a gluten-free diet. As a result, individuals may avoid foods and ingredients unnecessarily, thus limiting the variety in their diet and resulting in nutritional deficiencies.
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Should I Start A Gluten
No. If you think you might have celiac disease, you should talk with your doctor about testing to diagnose celiac disease before you begin a gluten-free diet. If you avoid gluten before you have testing, the test results may not be accurate.
Also, if you start avoiding gluten without advice from a doctor or a registered dietitian, your diet may not provide enough of the nutrients you need, such as fiber, iron, and calcium. Some packaged gluten-free foods may be higher in fat and sugar than the same foods that contain gluten. If you are diagnosed with celiac disease, your doctor and dietitian can help you plan a healthy gluten-free diet.
If you dont have celiac disease or another health problem related to gluten, your doctor may not recommend a gluten-free diet. In recent years, more people without celiac disease have begun avoiding gluten, believing that a gluten-free diet is healthier or could help them lose weight. However, researchers have found no evidence that a gluten-free diet promotes better health or weight loss for the general population.8
