One of the things people with gluten intolerance, such as celiac disease, find to be the hardest is figuring out the food to eat and avoid.
The food to avoid is even trickier since most people love enjoying contains this allergic protein.
On one side, you want to eat nutritious food that your taste buds will enjoy.
On the other hand, you don’t want to eat anything with gluten because it will trigger a bad reaction in your body.
What about a discussion that will help you avoid the wrath of consuming gluten when suffering from celiac disease or gluten sensitivity?
Check out the food to avoid in a gluten-free diet.
Condiments
People often assume that condiments aren’t sources of gluten.
Far from the truth, most popular condiments have gluten, and they include the following;
- Barbecue sauce
- Cream sauces
- Gravy mixes
- Ketchup
- Malt vinegar
- Marinades
- Salad dressings
- Soy sauce
- Spice blends
Grains
Avoid the following grains since they contain gluten;
- Barley
- Couscous
- Bulgar wheat
- Farina
- Farro or Elmer
- Kamut or Khorasan wheat
- Rye
- Spelt
- Triticale, which is a blend of wheat and rye
- Wheat
- Wheat berries
- Semolina
- Pearl barley
- Einkorn
- Durum wheat
Whereas oat isn’t on the list because it is naturally gluten-free, how it is processed can make a huge difference.
For instance, oats processed with various gluten sources may contain gluten due to cross-contamination.
Pastas
As long as pasta is wheat-based, eliminate it from your gluten-free diet.
It is no secret that wheat is one of the major sources of gluten.
Traditionally, pasta was made of gluten-containing grains, but that has changed.
It would be good to go for those gluten-free pastas and steer away from the following;
- Dumplings
- Noodles
- Spaghetti
- Wheat flour gnocchi
Baked Goods
Most baked goods are a no-go zone if you are on a gluten-free diet.
They are often made of wheat flour hence contain ingredients and such as the following;
- Cakes
- Cookies
- Doughnuts
- Muffins
- Pancakes
- Pastries
- Soft and hard pretzels
- Waffles
Beverages
It is advisable to avoid the following drinks since they often contain gluten;
- Beer
- Bottled wine coolers
- Commercial chocolate milk
- Drink mixes
- Premade coffee drinks
Snacks
Another major source of gluten is snack foods.
That’s why you should avoid various snacks, including the following;
- Candy bars
- Cereal bars
- Chips
- Cookies
- Energy bars
- Granola bars
- Pretzels
- Snack mixes
What Else Should You Avoid in a Gluten-Free Diet?
Besides the long list of foods to avoid in a gluten-free diet, add the following items as well;
Most Breads, Wraps and Crackers
One of the ingredients of most breads, wraps and crackers is grains.
Whereas there are various flours, the ones containing gluten include durum flour, rye flour, spelt flour, wheat flour and whole wheat flour.
As long as the grains used to make the flour have gluten, avoid such food items if you are gluten-free.
The most common sources of gluten that follow under this category include the following;
- Bagels
- Flatbread
- Flour tortillas
- Potato bread
- Rye bread
- Sourdough bread
- Wheat crackers
- White bread
- Whole wheat bread
- Whole wheat wraps
Certain Processed Foods
Most processed foods, including the following, contain gluten;
- Breakfast cereals
- Canned soup mixes
- Canned soups
- Egg substitutes
- Flavored tofu
- Fried foods, including French fries
- Ice creams
- Instant dessert mixes
- Meat substitutes, including veggie burgers and hot dogs
- Prepared lunch meats
- Processed cheeses
- Puddings
Tips to Avoid Gluten When Eating Out
Eating out means you have little to no control over how the food you order is prepared, cooked and served.
Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean you can’t eat gluten-free food in restaurants.
To avoid the allergen, you must apply some of these tips when eating out.
First, it is common to find that restaurants don’t serve gluten-free dishes.
That’s why choosing a restaurant and meals carefully is vital to avoid gluten.
Go the extra mile and tell the staff you have gluten sensitivity or celiac disease.
It alerts the chefs and servers to ensure no gluten traces reach your plate.
Chefs will be willing to change chopping boards, utensils, and gloves to avoid cross-contamination if you make that request.
Again, your choice when selecting a restaurant will make a huge difference since staff members must also be informed about gluten and its consequences to serve you right.
Since most grains, bread and pasta contain gluten, it would be great to avoid them when eating out.
However, remember they have gluten-free alternatives you can order to avoid gluten.
Other dishes to avoid should include mozzarella sticks, fried fish, fried chicken and French fries, among other fried foods.
Avoiding bread baskets is also advisable.
How Can You Know If Food Does or Doesn’t Have Gluten?
Besides cramming the food to avoid if you are on a gluten-free diet, you can also use a few tricks to navigate this arena.
One of the strategies is checking whether your product has a gluten-free label.
As long as the food item is labelled without gluten, no gluten or gluten-free, you can consider it for your diet.
Nevertheless, man is to error, and that’s why checking the list of ingredients is also important.
After all, an error, although often rare, may arise and the gluten-free label lands on a product containing the protein.
The only thing that can save you from this mix-up is checking the ingredients and ruling sources of gluten.
Packaged foods also have allergen statements, and you can rule out the ones containing gluten.
According to the FDA rules, food manufacturers must point out whether the food has wheat or any of its products.
Remember that the statement doesn’t have to point out other gluten sources, such as barley and rye, according to FDA guidelines.
So, it is equally important to go over the list of ingredients despite the allergen statement saying that the packaged foods lack wheat or wheat products.