Food Elimination: Gluten
Gluten Grains
● Wheat
● Barley
● Rye
● Farina
● Graham flour
● Semolina
● Durham
● Bulgur
● Kamut
● Kasha
● Matzo meal
● Spelt (a form of wheat)
● Triticale
Non-Gluten Grains
(If you have celiac disease, you may also wish to look for “glutenfree” confirmation on the label, indicating no/low risk of crosscontamination during food manufacture – an extra precaution.)
● Rice, Amaranth, Millet, Buckwheat, Quinoa, Teff (and their flours)
● Corn and cornmeal
● Soy
● Potatoes (all types)
● Wine and distilled liquors, ciders, spirits
● Garbanzo and other bean/legume flours
● Oats (make sure they are labeled “gluten-free” as many oat products are contaminated with wheat in processing)
● Potato and Tapioca starch (though I do not recommend these for regular consumption as they are very high-glycemic and spike blood sugar)
Read Labels
Unfortunately many processed foods use preservatives or additives for texture that include gluten, but they can be hidden from you. In particular, this means you will need to avoid almost all baked goods unless they are specifically labeled “gluten-free”.
To help you to be diligent in your elimination, here are some particular foods and gluten sources to be wary of and read their ingredient labels carefully:
● Breading for fried foods (including panko used in tempura)
● Cereals, Pasta and Noodles
● Crackers and Chips (besides corn and potato)
● Croutons
● Cookies, Cakes Pastries, Pies
● Flavored spirits (e.g. orange cream vodka)
● Soups
● Gravies
● Sauces (including soy sauce unless glutenfree)
● Salad dressings
● Coffee creamer
● Beer
● Flavored coffee and tea, especially mixes
● Stuffing
● Spice and Marinade mixes and any pre-seasoned meat items (esp. key at restaurants)
● Baking soda and powder
● Bouillon and Stocks
● Artificial butter flavor
● Candy
● Imitation meat or seafood
● Sausages and other preserved meats
● Processed luncheon meats
● Self-basting poultry
● Medications & vitamins (gluten as binding agent)
● Lipstick and lip balms
● Toothpaste
● Postage stamps and mailing envelopes (it’s in the adhesive)
● Play dough
Food additives to avoid
Bran, Malt, Malt flavoring, Gelatinized starch, Germ, Artificial flavoring, Natural flavoring, Hydrolyzed vegetable protein, Modified food starch, Modified starch, Vegetable Starch, Rice Syrup (unless product is specifically labeled gluten-free), Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), Caramel coloring.
Information compiled from these excellent resources:
www.celiac.com http://celiacdisease.about.com
www.mayoclinic.com/health http://www.webmd.com
