Going Gluten Free

One of the best decisions of your life will be to take on living gluten free and seeing if the results optimize your health and symptoms of pain and inflammation. It’s a difficult diet to get used to, but don’t despair. Lots of individuals, organizations, and resources are available to help you learn to thrive on it.

What is Gluten?

Gluten is the protein contained in wheat, barley, and rye. Many people are not able to break down this tough protein. The body perceive this substance as a toxin.

Hidden Sources of Gluten

Gluten is found not just in the obvious places. It’s in the molds that give chocolate candies their shape. It makes soups and gravies thicker, and salad dressings creamier. It keeps yogurt and soft cheeses from getting runny, and dried spices from clumping in their little jars. It keeps candy bars from sticking to the factory conveyor belt. It’s in the “caramel coloring” added to soft drinks. It’s in the “natural flavoring,” “modified food starch,” and “textured vegetable protein” added to thousands of food products. It’s in veggie burgers, turkey burgers, and hot dogs. It’s in chewy candies. It’s in the decaffeinating process used for coffees and teas. It’s in fliller in medicnes.

What It All Means

Aim to be vigilant about what you eat. Unless you are absolutely certain that a food has no gluten hidden in its ingredients or contaminating it from other sources, don’t even taste it.

Grain Guidelines for Gluten Sensitive People

Gluten-Free Grains and Starches
Amaranth Arrowroot Buckwheat Chickpeas (Garbanzos) Corn Flax Flours from nuts/beans/seeds Millet Oats- Scottish or Irish only Potato starch or flour Quinoa Rice (and rice bran/flour) Soy (but not most soy sauce) Tapioca
Grains/Grain Products to Avoid	Also Beware of These
Barley Barley malt/extract Bran Bulgur Couscous Durum Farina Faro Kamut Malt Matzo flour/meal Orzo Panko Rye Seitan Semolina Spelt Triticale Udon Wheat Wheat bran / germ / starch	Ales Artificial Colors Artificial Flavors Beer unless Gluten Free Breading Brown rice syrup Coating mix Condiments Croutons Food Starch / Modified Food Starch Luncheon/Deli Meats Marinades Maltose Maltodextrin Medications Mustard unless Dijon Natural Flavors Salad dressings Sauces Soups / broths Stuffing Soy Sauce unless Wheat Free SanJ Thickeners Vitamins / Mineral and herbal supplements Lipstick, Gloss and Balms Envelope Glue

Items for the Gluten-Free Shopping List

PRODUCE
All fresh fruit, All fresh vegetables, Fresh herbs and spices

FATS AND OILS
Coconut, almond and olive oils, Mayonnaise, Salad dressings

FROZEN FOODS
Plain frozen fruits and vegetables,

REFRIGERATOR SECTION
Milk, half-and-half, cream, whipping cream, Aged cheeses, Butter, Yogurts, Kefir Cottage cheese, Sour cream, Eggs,Tofu,

PACKAGES, CANS, JARS
Plain canned fruits and vegetables, Applesauce, Canned beans and lentils, Spaghetti sauces, Canned fish (e.g., tuna, salmon, sardines), Organic packaged soups, Gluten-free quinoa and rice pastas( use sparingly), Corn tortillas

SNACKS
Rice cakes, rice crackers, Popcorn, whole grain corn chips, Dark chocolates, Dried fruit

MEAT AND FISH
All grass fed fresh beef, lamb and poultry, All wild caught fish and shellfish, better quality luncheon meats (For anything prepackaged or prewrapped, check labels for additives)

GRAINS, SEEDS, AND STARCHES
Quinoa, Rice, Buckwheat, Chickpeas, Flax, Sunflower seeds, Cornstarch, Potato starch

CONDIMENTS
Vinegars (but not malt vinegar), Mustard, Ketchup, Horseradish, Jams and jellies, Honey, Maple syrup, Relish, pickles, olives

BREAKFAST FOODS
Irish oats, Scottish oats, Cream of Rice cereal, Puffed rice, puffed corn, Gluten-free cereals, Gluten-free frozen waffles

BAKING SUPPLIES
Sugar, Salt and pepper, Herbs and spices, Evaporated or condensed milk, Corn meal, Tapioca, Baking soda, Baking powder, Gluten-free flours, Baking chocolate, Cocoa

BEVERAGES
Instant and ground coffee (but not decaffeinated), Teas, Soft drinks, Fruit juice

NUTS AND BEANS
Dried beans and peas, Plain nuts, Peanut butter, Almond butter, Cashew butter

Gluten Free Snacks you can keep on hand

• Almonds or mixed nuts
• Gluten-free low sugar crackers and 1 oz of cheese
• I hardboiled egg and celery
• Dried fruit (raisins, apricots, mango, etc.)
• Lara Bars, or another gluten-free energy bar
• Gluten-free crackers (my favorites for the car are from Mary’s Gone Crackers)

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Gluten Free Resources

www.enterolab.com /great resource for testing for gluten sensitivity.. tell them Jeanne Sent you

www.celiac.org Celiac Disease Foundation

www.csaceliacs.org Celiac Sprue Association

www.gluten.net Gluten Intolerance Group

www.nourishingwellness.com for testing kits, cooking classes and on-line support

Library Resources

Sully’s Living Without Magazine

Bette Hagman’s gluten-free cookbooks

Eating Gluten-Free With Emily (kid’s book)

Dangerous Grains by Braly and Hoggan

Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic by Dr. Peter Green

Jeanne Peters RD

Nourishing Wellness Nutrition Director

3655 Lomita Blvd

Suite 307

Torrance,CA 90505

310-373-7830

www.nourishingwellness.com