Gluten free, Now What?

Getting started, if you have just been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance it can be a bit daunting trying to plan an entirely new diet, learning what you need to avoid, and not letting it take over your life. It can take a great deal of time to research and hopefully this site will make it easier for you.

The transition to a gluten free diet can be easy or difficult depending on how you currently eat and your tastes. If your diet consists mostly of fast food it is going to be quite difficult, if you cook often, enjoy cooking and are open to new flavors it can be very easy.

Fresh is best, unprocessed simple foods are your best bet for staying gluten free. Grilled fish, chicken, steak, plain vegetables, rice and fresh fruit are safe choices for most people. The more processed or seasoned the more likely to contain gluten or be cross contaminated with something that does contain gluten. 

Reading Labels, when you start reading labels it is amazing how many products contain gluten. They put wheat in things you would never think, I had some mustard (Sweet Hot) not even thinking about reading the label.  About an hour later got my gluten pain, so I went looking for the source and found wheat starch in the mustard. Always read the labels.

Preparing your own meal is the best way to ensure you do not get anything that could cause a reaction and the best way to avoid cross contamination. 

Convenience foods, gluten free frozen dinners have the same problems regular frozen dinners have, lack of taste, high in salt, high cost, but they are handy to have around when you don’t want to cook. 

What to eat? The USDA recommendations are a starting point, 4-5 fruits, 4-5 vegetables, 6 oz of protein, and 2-3 servings of dairy are not hard to get but the 7-8 servings of grain can be a bit difficult when the most common grain is poison, I start most days with oatmeal, that gives me 2 servings, here are some other ideas Gluten free Grains, Gluten Free Pasta, and Gluten free Cereal.

There are several products listed here, I am only trying to show there are several options available, I am not trying to endorse or denounce any product.