Welcome to the life of Gluten Free Living! I also suffer from a gluten allergy and find that it’s a very hard diet to adjust to, especially if you have an allergy and do not choose to go gluten free as part of a diet.  I will share tips and advice for those new to the gluten free diet.

Celiac Disease

“Celiac disease is a serious autoimmune disease that occurs in genetically predisposed people where the ingestion of gluten leads to damage in the small intestine. It is estimated to affect 1 in 100 people worldwide. Two and one-half million Americans are undiagnosed and are at risk for long-term health complications.”

Symptoms:

• Abdominal Pain
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
•  Fatigue
• Irritability
• Bone/joint Pain
• Seizures
• Migraines
• Itchy skin rash

Health Risks

For those dealing with a gluten intolerance who still eat gluten, consider the health risks:

“their body mounts an immune response that attacks the small intestine.”

“Untreated celiac disease can lead to the development of other autoimmune disorders like Type I diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS), and many other conditions, including dermatitis herpetiformis (an itchy skin rash), anemia, osteoporosis, infertility and miscarriage, neurological conditions like epilepsy and migraines, short stature, heart disease and intestinal cancers.”

*All information comes from the Celiac Disease Foundation. More in depth results are on their website.

https://celiac.org/

The basics of Gluten free Foods

When avoiding gluten, the obvious foods to avoid are those made with wheat, barley and rye. These are all “not gluten free” and will almost always be labeled as gluten containing ingredients. However, there are a lot of hidden gluten ingredients, as well as cross-contamination to be aware of.

What Can You Eat?

When I first went gluten free, I thought I had to avoid all types of carbs associated with gluten, like bread and pasta. I ate fruits and vegetables for a while, before discovering that so many brands make gluten free bread, pasta and pastries. Flours not derived from wheat, such as rice flours, almond flour, as well as starches, can produce a great replica of gluten. My absolute favorite gluten free bread is from Trader Joe’s and it tastes like something you would get from a bakery. Trader Joe’s also has one of the largest gluten free selections for a store that is not primarily gluten free.

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Trader Joe’s Gluten Free

Gluten Free Brands

Brands that make gluten free products include:

• Barilla (pasta)
• General Mills (Cereal)
• Udi’s (Bread, muffins, cookies)

Warning

It is up to you to determine your sensitivity to gluten. Many products are not labeled gluten free due to cross contamination in factories or in growing fields. Cross contamination is the reason that oats are not “gluten free”. This is also a common theme in restaurants and bakeries as foods are prepared near each other. If your reaction to gluten is serious, decreasing the amount of times you go out to eat at restaurants that make their own breads, pastas and gluten-containing ingredients could help. Making foods from scratch at home is another solution.

Random sources of Gluten to Look out for

• Maltodextrin (food additive)
• Types of cheeses 
• Chewing gum
• Some painkillers
• Soy Sauce
• Beer

A more detailed list:

About the Author

*I am not a dietitian. My goal is to share what works for me with others, but consulting a GI doctor might be appropriate for a diagnosis.

Hi my name is Nicole. I am a teenager dealing with a gluten allergy and I’ve been gluten free for about 3 years. I  got so stressed out trying to navigate a gluten free diet without any help, so I wanted to be that influence in someone’s life, so I started a blog! I hope to share tips, as well as recipes to help others.

Sources used:

• Celiac Disease Foundation
• Trader Joe’s

Publication date: January 1, 2020

Author: Nicole Pepin

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