Gluten Free Diet

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Gluten Free Diet

Purpose: This diet is designed to provide adequate nutrition while eliminating foods that contain gliadin, which is the alcohol-soluble extract of gluten, a protein found in barley, oats, rye, wheat, and wheat derivatives.

The dietary guidelines below are intended for people with celiac sprue (also known variously as "celiac disease," "celiac syndrome," "gluten-induced enteropathy," "gluten-induced sprue," "idiopathic steatorrhea," and "nontropical sprue") and/or dermatitis herpetiformis (DH or Duhring's disease), for whom a gluten-free diet will help to prevent such complications as abdominal cramping and bloating, diarrhea, fatigue, excess intestinal gas, and weight loss. People with celiac sprue and/or DH must follow a gluten-free diet for life.

General Guidelines for a Gluten-Free Diet

If you are restricted to following a gluten-free diet, you must be careful in the selection of both the foods you prepare at home and the foods you buy and order when away from home. For preparing food at home you may find specialty cookbooks for a gluten-free diet helpful. DietSite recommends Against the Grain: The Slightly Eccentric Guide to Living Well Without Gluten or Wheat, by Jax Peters Lowell; Wheat-Free Recipes & Menus: Delicious Dining Without Wheat or Gluten, by Carol Fenster, PhD; and More from the Gluten-Free Gourmet: Delicious Dining Without Wheat, by Betty Hagman. Remember that gluten-free products do not contain preservatives; be sure to store all gluten-free foods in your refrigerator or freezer.

For tips and information on reading food products' ingredient labels and on avoiding gluten when dining out, see the following sections.

For detailed information on foods that do and do not contain gluten, refer to Foods for a Gluten-Free Diet

Reading Labels

If you must avoid gluten, you can still eat a variety of foods In fact, by experimenting with a range of gluten-free products, you will be better able to provide your body with the nutrients it needs both safely and enjoyably. In addition to shopping for gluten-free products at your local supermarket or health-food store, you can order foods directly from the manufacturer or through the Gluten-Free Food Vendor Directory. However you choose to do your shopping, you will need to be very careful not only about reading food labels but also about verifying the ingredients of any medications you purchase. The tips and information below may be helpful:

In addition to avoiding all foods that list barley, oats, rye, wheat, or wheat derivatives in the ingredients, avoid products containing gluten stabilizers, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), and texturized vegetable protein (TVP).
Ingredients marked as additives, cereals and cereal grains, colorings, emulsifiers, excipients, flavorings, hydrolized plant protein (HPP), malts, preservatives, starches (including modified starch or modified food starch), vegetable gum, and vinegar may be derivatives of gluten-containing grains
If an ingredient list does not appear on a food product's label, contact the manufacturer for detailed information (the manufacturer's name and address must appear on the label). There are no laws requiring that a product label indicate the inclusion of food sources that contain gluten, and food manufacturers and processors may change a product's formula without announcement. When in doubt about the contents of any commercial product, do not use the product until you have obtained the necessary ingredient information from the manufacturer. Most food manufacturers will provide information about their products upon request.
Before you take any medication, check with your pharmacist or the product manufacturer to make sure that the medication is gluten-free. All medications have fillers or dispersing agents, some of which may include wheat starch.

Dining Out

Restaurant menus almost never provide explicit information about the inclusion of gluten in dishes If you must avoid gluten, order very carefully Always ask your waiter to list the ingredients in dishes, and follow these guidelines:

Ask your waiter specifically whether the dishes that you are interested in contain any of the following ingredients: barley, bran, bulgur, cereal additives or products, durham, emulsifiers, flour, graham, HVP or TVP, malt or malt flavoring, millet, oats, rye, starch (modified starch or modified food starch), wheat, wheat germ, vegetable gum.
Inquire about the methods of preparation as well as about the foods themselves. Flour and cereal products that contain gluten are often used in the preparation of dishes. Order meat, poultry, or fish, for example, only if the dish is prepared without breading, gravy, or sauce.
Beware of food that is grilled; a restaurant's grill may be contaminated with gluten from other foods.
Beware of fried foods; the grease in which a restaurant fries food may be contaminated with gluten from other foods.

Foods for a Gluten-Free Diet

The table below provides detailed dietary guidelines for following a gluten-free diet.

Food Groups

Gluten-Free Foods

Foods Containing Gluten

Breads & Grains

6-11 servings daily

Breads or bread products (bread crumbs, dressings, etc) made from the following flours: amaranth, bean, buckwheat, carob, chickpea (gram), corn, Indian Rice Grass (Montina ™), flax, kasha, maize or waxy-maize, masa, millet, finger millet (Ragi), pea, potato, quinoa, rice, sago, soba (made from pure buckwheat), sorghum (milo), soy, sweet, chestnut, teff, yam

Breads or bread products (bread crumbs, dressings, etc) made from the following starches: arrowroot, corn, potato, tapioca

Breads or bread products (bread crumbs, dressings, etc) made from "gluten-free" mixes

Note: Gluten-free bread products taste better when warmed or toasted

Corn or rice cereals containing malt flavoring derived from: corn, cornmeal, grits, hominy, kasha (buckwheat), cream of rice, puffed rice

Rice of all types (including wild & flaked rice), rice crackers, rice noodles, rice spaghetti, rice wafers

Note: Enriched converted rice may contain a barley additive

Pastas made with the following flours: corn, maize or waxy maize, potato, rice, soy

Oriental bean noodles

Pure-cornmeal chips & tortillas

Polenta

Popcorn (air-popped or popped in oil)

Yeast

Brand-name recommendations:

Aproten hot cereal, Rusk, pasta

Soya crackers

Bread or bread products (bread crumbs, dressings, etc) made from: bread flour, brown flour, "low-gluten" flour, flour, white flour, plain flour, bromated flour, enriched flour, phosphated flour, self-rising flour, dorum, farina

Breads or bread products (bread crumbs, dressings, etc) containing or made from flours containing any of the following grains: barley couscous, durum, far, graham, granary, kamut, oats mir, rye, semolina, spelt, triticale (a cross between wheat and rye),wheat or wheat starch, wholemeal, wheat bran, wheat germ, cracked wheat, hydrolyzed wheat protein

Cereals containing malt or malt flavoring derived from: barley, barley malt, barley-malt syrup

Any foods containing: bran, bulgur, einkorn wheat, emmer

Malt (including malt extract, flavoring, syrup, or vinegar)

Vegetable or wheat starch

Most crackers, Rusk, Zwieback, & pretzels

Matzo

Biscuits, cornbread, muffins, pancakes, & waffles made form commercial mixes

Dumplings, macaroni, noodles, & spaghetti made from wheat flour

Udon (wheat noodles)

Farina

Tabbouleh

Fruit

2-4 servings daily

All fruits (dried, fresh, frozen)

Pure fruit juices

Olives

Canned fruit in heavy syrup

Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice

Thickened fruit sauces

Some commercial fruit-pie fillings

Vegetables

3-5 servings daily

All fresh vegetables (including pickles)

All canned or frozen vegetables not containing ingredients made with gluten

Most breaded or creamed vegetables

Most commercially prepared vegetables

Milk & Dairy

2-3 servings daily

All milk (including condensed, dry, & evaporated)

Homemade chocolate milk made with cocoa powder

All aged cheeses, such as Cheddar, Edam , Parmesan, & Swiss

Pasteurized cottage & cream cheeses that do not contain preservatives or vegetable gum

Yogurt not containing cereal

Malted & instant milk drinks

Commercial chocolate milk or chocolate drinks containing cereal additives

Blue & Roquefort cheese

Processed cheeses, cheese foods, & cheese spreads containing gluten stabilizers

Ice cream

Note: Some ice creams contain wheat flour; contact the manufacturer for complete ingredient information

Meat & Other Protein Sources

2-3 servings or 6 oz daily

Fresh fish & shellfish, meat, poultry

Pure-meat cold cuts

Meat products (canned meats, hot dogs, sausages) made without fillers

Alfalfa

Eggs

Lentils

Tofu-soya curd

Beans (dried or fresh) of the following kinds: adzuki, carob, fava, garbonzo, hyacinth, mung, Romano, soya, tepary, urad

Nuts of the following kinds: acorns almonds, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts (peanut butter),walnuts

Peas (dried or fresh) of the following kinds: cowpeas, pigeon, sweet, urad dal

Seeds of the following kinds: flax, mustard, poppy, safflower, sesame, sunflower

Any meat prepared with barley, oats, rye, wheat, or gluten stabilizers

Breaded meat, fish, shellfish, poultry (croquettes, patties, loaves)

Any canned meats, cold cuts, hot dogs, sandwich spreads, & sausages that contain fillers

Meat with added HVP (as in some turkey bastings)

Freeze-dried meals

Canned baked beans

Soups

Homemade soups not containing barley, oats, rye, or wheat in any form

Soups containing barley, oats, rye, or wheat in any form

Note: Most canned soups and soup mixes contain gluten

Stews containing noodles

Bouillon or broth containing HVP

Miso

Fats & Oils

Butter, lard, margarine, & salad dressings not containing emulsifiers, gluten stabilizers, or HVP

Note: Some margarines contain flour as an additive

Cream, sour cream, & whipping cream made with gluten-free flours (see list above) or cornstarch

Cooking oils of the following kinds: corn, hydrogenated, olive, peanut, safflower, sunflower, vegetable

Most commercial salad dressings

Nondairy cream substitutes & some nondairy creamers

Fat substitutes (Olestra, Oatrim, Replace)

Canola oil & vegetable oils that do not list the full ingredients & sources

Cooking sprays that contain grain alcohol

Suet (in packets)

Note: May contain wheat flour

Snacks & Desserts

Desserts not containing barley, oats, rye, or wheat in any form, such as:

Fruit ices

Gelatin

Most ice creams

Junket

Most sherbets

Homemade puddings: custard, rice, tapioca

Note: Homemade puddings may be thickened with cornstarch, which does not contain gluten

Puddings made from mixes not containing gluten stabilizers or wheat flour

Chocolate, chocolate syrup, cocoa, coconut, hard candy, honey, jam, jelly, marshmallows, pure molasses, meringue, sugar

Some chewing gum

Cakes, cookies, donuts, pastries, & pies prepared with barley, oat, rye, or wheat in any form

Cakes, cookies, & puddings made from commercial mixes

Chocolate products made with gluten stabilizers

Homemade puddings thickened with wheat flour

Ice cream or sherbet containing gluten stabilizers

Ice cream cones

Jell-O Brand pudding

Some commercial candies

Note: Almond Roca , for example, is dusted with wheat flour

Beverages

Pure tea, hot cocoa, or coffee (instant & decaffeinated)

Note: For flavored coffees, contact the manufacturer for complete ingredient information

Carbonated beverages (except some root beers)

Pure fruit juices (including apple cider)

Drink mixers, and alcohol of the following kinds: brandy, champagne, cognac, grappa, mead (honey wine), ouzo, potato vodka, most rums (light rums are recommended), sake, tequila not containing dyes or additives, white wine made in the United States

Note: Alcohol manufacturers may change their ingredients; be sure to read the label and check with the manufacturer for a full list of ingredients

Coffee, tea, or coffee substitutes containing gluten additives

Herbal teas containing malted barley

Hot cocoa or hot chocolate made from commercial mixes

Ovaltine

Postum

Lemon or orange barley water

Hawaiian Punch

Most root beers

Some ginger beers & cloudy lemonades

Alcohol of the following kinds:

Beer (ale, lager, porter, stout)

Gin

Vodka made from grain

Corn whiskey (made with a grain mash)

Whiskey (including bourbon, Scotch, & Canadian blends)

Baking Products, Condiments, & Seasonings

Black pepper, salt

All herbs

Pure spices

Balsamic, rice, & wine vinegars

Baking powder

Note: Must not contain wheat flour; check ingredient list

Bicarbonate of soda

Cornstarch

Corn syrup

Food coloring

Gravies & sauces made with gluten-free flours (see "Breads & Grains") or cornstarch

Some ketchups & mustards

Pure mayonnaise

Monosodium glutamate (MSG)

Note: Avoid completely if you are sensitive to MSG

Soy sauces that do not contain wheat or barley (try Lachoy or Chun King brands)

Cream of tartar

Flavorings not containing alcohol

Most white pepper

Ground spices

Note: Wheat flour is commonly included to prevent clumping

Vinegar distilled from grain (white vinegar)

Some curry powders & mixes

Mustard powder

Note: May contain wheat flour

Some dry seasonings, gravy & stock cubes, & extracts

Gravies & sauces prepared with flour containing gluten (see "Breads & Grains")

Mayonnaise containing gluten stabilizers or wheat flour

Sauces of the following kind: fish, some meat sauces, most soy sauces (shoyhu), steak, teriyaki, Worcestershire

Most dips

Vanilla & other flavorings containing alcohol

Note: For specific information on serving sizes for the foods listed in the table above, refer to the US FDA food pyramid (US Food and Drug Administration). To substitute ethnic foods, see the ethnic food pyramids.

For related information, consult the following links:

Gluten-Free Additives

Gluten-Free Flours & Thickening Agents

Gluten-Free Menu

Celiac Sprue

DietSite is intended for educational purposes only and is meant to complement the advice and guidance of your doctor Always seek the advice of your doctor or qualified health provider prior to starting any new diet or treatment and with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition The creators, distributors, producers, and participants of this site disclaim any liability or loss in connection with the content provided here