Over the years gluten has made its way into the nutritional spotlight.  Gluten is a substance found in cereal grains, especially wheat, that is responsible for the elastic texture of dough. It is a mixture of two proteins, and  it causes serious life threatening illness in people with celiac disease.

To date, approximately 1.5% of the country has been diagnosed with celiac disease and about 1% more are diagnosed with non-celiac gluten sensitivity.  Anyone that has been diagnosed with the actual disease should avoid gluten at all times.  For people that have gluten sensitivity issues, a gluten free diet can be beneficial.

So what do you do if you find out you, a family member, a friend, or even the random dinner guest needs to eat gluten free?  Does that mean bread and cookies are off the table?  Fortunately, that’s not the case.  There are many grains you can prepare and/or serve that are free of gluten and because there is such a great variety, most people won’t even notice the absence of wheat.

Here is a list of grains that do not contain gluten.  Just make sure to read the labels and confirm they are not processed with other gluten-containing grains.

Amaranth

Arrowroot

Buckwheat

Corn and cornmeal

Flax

Gluten-free flours (rice, potato, bean, almond, corn)

Hominy (corn)

Millet

Quinoa

Rice

Sorghum

Soy (I do not recommend eating soy.  I’m only listing it because it qualifies as gluten free and can work in a pinch.)

Tapioca

Teff

The list below contains gluten and should be avoided:

Barley

Rye

Triticale

Wheat

Durum flour

Farina

Graham flour

Kamut

Semolina

Spelt

There are many other foods that contain gluten and there are more gluten free options as well.

For a more complete list and an easy to read article on a gluten free diet, here’s a link to the Mayo Clinic’s website.  This is one of the best I’ve read so far.  You may want to print out multiple copies for easy reference.

If you’ve been diagnosed with celiacs disease or gluten sensitivity, I highly recommend that you print out a list (or save it on your smart phone) of the foods that contain gluten and the foods that are gluten free.  This helps my clients while shopping or eating out until they eventually memorize the list.

Have a tip or a gluten free recipe you’d like to share?

Please leave a comment below.  I love to hear from you!

Jennifer Ledford