The ultimate guide to a gluten-free diet

If you’re one of the millions of people who have celiac disease or gluten sensitivities, you know that searching for gluten-free food can be an added dietary challenge. It takes effort to find which foods are safe to eat and which foods can cause negative reactions.

Despite this challenge, it is still possible to enjoy variations of any dish you desire, as long as the correct ingredients are substituted. Below is a list of gluten-free foods you can enjoy, as well as a few ingredients to avoid.

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in certain grains like wheat, barley, and rye. For the wide range of foods that contain these grains, gluten can help give shape, elasticity, and a chewy texture.

Gluten is safe for most people to eat, but it can also create adverse health effects for those with celiac disease. Gluten also affects people who have non-celiac gluten sensitivities and some people with irritable bowel syndrome. For these groups, a gluten-free diet is essential to preventing negative immune responses.

Gluten-free whole grains

With a few prominent exceptions, most types of whole grains are actually gluten-free. These gluten-free whole grains include:

• Rice: This includes rice of any kind—brown rice, wild rice, jasmine rice, basmati rice, and many more types can be included in a gluten-free diet.
• Quinoa
• Buckwheat
• Sorghum
• Tapioca
• Millet
• Amaranth
• Teff
• Arrowroot
• Gluten-free oats: While oats themselves don’t contain gluten, they are often processed in the same facilities as gluten-containing grains like wheat. To avoid cross-contaminated oats, read labels to confirm that they are certified gluten-free.

Grains to avoid

Unfortunately, many of the grains most commonly used for products like bread, crackers, pasta, cereals, baked goods, and snack foods contain gluten. These gluten-containing grains to avoid include:

• Wheat: Wheat is a cereal grain found in bread and other products. There are several different types of wheat to avoid, including whole wheat, spelt, and durum wheat.
• Rye: Rye is used for a wide variety of products including rye beer and various forms of rye bread (including pumpernickel, Jewish rye, and dark rye bread).
• Barley: Barley is a cereal grain used in breads, soups, stews, and beer.
• Triticale: While less common than the other gluten-containing grains, triticale is a hybrid of wheat and rye to watch out for.

Fruits

Fresh fruit is naturally gluten-free. Although processed fruit can have additives or flavorings that contain gluten, you can still enjoy a wide variety of fruits in their natural state, including:

• Apples
• Bananas
• Citrus fruits, like oranges and lemons
• Berries
• Grapes
• Melons, like watermelon and cantaloupe

Vegetables

Fresh vegetables are also naturally gluten-free. As long as they are unprocessed (as found in a grocery store produce section, not pre-packaged), there is no limit to the range of whole vegetables a person can enjoy while avoiding gluten. This includes:

• Greens, like spinach, kale, collards, and chard
• Starchy vegetables, like potatoes, corn, and turnips
• Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli and cauliflower
• Carrots
• Onions
• Bell peppers
• Asparagus
• Green beans
• Zucchini

Fruits and vegetable products to avoid

While whole fruits and vegetables are always gluten-free, processed fruits and vegetables are sometimes packaged with gluten-containing ingredients and sauces. Checking labels is a must for the following processed fruits and vegetables:

• Certain canned fruits and vegetables: It is common for the sauces in canned goods to get their thickness from gluten-containing ingredients. Read labels carefully so you can avoid these sauces.
• Certain frozen fruits and vegetables: Bags of frozen fruits and vegetables can add gluten-containing flavorings and sauces.
• Certain dried/pre-chopped fruits and vegetables: Cross-contamination can occur when dried or pre-chopped fruits and vegetables are processed in the same facilities as gluten products.

Meats and proteins

Legumes and animal proteins do not naturally contain gluten. Unless gluten-containing ingredients are added—in the form of sauces, breading, and other preparations—the following proteins are safe to eat:

• Red meat
• Poultry
• Seafood
• Beans and legumes
• Nuts and seeds
• Unflavored soy foods: Processed soy foods like tofu and tempeh are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet, as long as they aren’t flavored with gluten-containing sauces like soy sauce or other additives.

Meats and proteins to avoid

These processed proteins have additives that could contain gluten:

• Certain lunch meats and cold cuts
• Certain ground and processed meats: Double-check the labels of ground and processed meat, like ground beef, hot dogs, sausage, and bacon.
• Proteins that have been combined with gluten-containing sauces or seasonings
• Any protein that has been breaded
• Seitan: This plant-based meat substitute is actually made from wheat gluten.

Dairy products

Most unflavored dairy products do not contain gluten. Again, it’s essential to check labels to ensure that no gluten-containing ingredients have been added. People on a gluten-free diet can enjoy:

• Milk
• Cheese
• Butter
• Cream and sour cream
• Cottage cheese
• Yogurt

Dairy products to avoid

• Certain flavored yogurts and milks
• Certain processed cheese products, like cheese spreads and sauces
• Certain ice cream flavors: Toppings mixed into ice cream may contain gluten.
• Anything with malt: Check milkshakes for malt, which is made from gluten-containing cereal grain.

Gluten-free drinks

Most non-alcoholic drinks (and even some alcoholic ones) can be enjoyed by people on a gluten-free diet. Among these gluten-free beverages are:

• Water
• 100% fruit juice
• Coffee
• Tea
• Wine
• Hard Ciders
• Beer made from gluten-free grains
• Most sports drinks, sodas, and energy drinks (check labels for the rare exception)

Drinks to avoid

• Beverages with gluten-containing flavorings and mixes, like certain pre-made coffee drinks or mixed drinks
• Certain liquors: Even when vodkas, whiskeys, and gins are labeled as gluten-free, they are sometimes cross-contaminated with gluten during processing and storing.
• Certain beers, ales, and lagers: Many of these alcoholic drinks are made from gluten-containing grains like barley and rye.
• Certain pre-made smoothies
• Undistilled/fermented liquors

Gluten-free condiments, sauces, and spices

While these products vary widely by ingredients, there are certain condiments, sauces, and spices that never contain gluten. These include:

• White vinegar, distilled vinegar, and apple cider vinegar.
• Tamari
• Coconut aminos

Condiments, sauces, and spices to avoid

Although it’s rare for most of these products to contain gluten, some brands and recipes do. It is important to check the label for gluten in:

• Certain ketchups, mustards, and relishes
• Certain Worcestershire sauces
• Certain tomato and pasta sauces
• Certain mayonnaises
• Certain salad dressings
• Certain dry spices
• Certain salsas
• Some rice vinegars
• All wheat-based soy and teriyaki sauces
• All malt vinegars

Takeaways

While adopting a gluten-free diet can occasionally seem limiting, there is still a wide range of foods to enjoy. All unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and meats are naturally gluten-free and can make up a healthy and satisfying diet. Prepackaged forms of these ingredients may have additives that contain gluten. Most dairy products and many sauces are also gluten-free, but these products also need to be checked for added flavoring or thickeners that might contain gluten. Reading labels is the key to spotting gluten in these products.

The most limiting factor of a gluten-free diet is the inability to eat products with wheat, rye, and barley, which are the most common grains. However, for grain products like crackers, pasta, and bread, gluten-free alternatives are easy to find.

Although it takes a little extra attention and planning, navigating a gluten-free diet can be done, and you will avoid troubling symptoms when you work with unprocessed whole ingredients, read labels, and avoid the major gluten-containing grains.

Ben Iboshi

25 Jul 2024, 6 min read