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LIVING
WHEAT AND GLUTEN FREE
LIVING WHEAT
AND GLUTEN FREE
What exactly is gluten. Gluten is a protein
that stabilizes food and gives it texture. It is found in
bread, sauces, medications even some beers. Some people are
highly allergic and have been diagnosed with celiac disease
others are just sensitive. I learned this from my clients
who often came in with an auto immune disease such as Rheumatoid
arthritis, fibromyalgia, lupus or had symptoms that were not
related to any disease such as a non-specific rash on the
hands.
If you have celiac disease you may have severe stomach cramps,
diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, distended stomach,
gas , joint or bone pain, skin rashes, muscle cramps -- as
you can see the list of symptoms is quite long and we have
not covered them all. Since each person is an individual,
not everyone has the same symptoms which just adds to the
confusion. My advice is if you think that you have this disease,
work with your physician to obtain the tests necessary for
a diagnosis. By the way do not change your eating habits,
it will make it harder to diagnose celiac disease. The test
that has proved to be specific is the test or presence of
specific HLA ( human leukocyte antigen) DQ2 and /or DQ8. You
must have these to develop celiac. However since this test
is usually quite expensive, your doctor will most likely perform
a celiac panel ( blood test) and possibly recommend a biopsy
of your small intestine.
Most of my clients have elected to change their diet for
a month or two and noted if there was any change in their
health. This was strictly a personal decision on their part
and one that many are grateful that they have made.
To make it easy, here is a list of foods that you can eat
and foods to avoid.
EVERYDAY GLUTEN FREE FOODS
| Fresh Meat |
Fish and Shellfish |
Poultry and Game |
| Vegetables |
Fresh Herbs |
Fruit |
| Dried Fruit |
Nuts |
Eggs |
| Cheese |
Cottage Cheese
(not Cheese spreads) |
Milk (when newly diagnosed you may be lactose intolerant) |
| Dried Beans, Peas and Pulses |
Vegetable Oils, Sunflower Oil, Olive Oil |
Almonds Grounds or Whole |
Rice, Ground, Long
or Short Grain |
Rice Cakes/Crackers |
Rice Flour |
| Yeast |
Cream of Tartar |
Bicarbonate of Soda |
| Sugar |
Dried Peppercorns |
Corn Flour (from the Maize Plant) |
| Tamari Soy Sauce |
Wine Vinegar |
Yogurts (without crunchy bits) |
| Cider Vinegar |
Tapioca |
Distilled Vinegar |
| Sago |
Flax Seed |
Millett |
| Quinoa |
Popcorn (check any coating) |
Corn Tortillas |
| Corn Tacos |
Jam |
Homemade Soups (not roux based) |
| Jelly (jello) |
Golden Syrup |
Marmalade |
| Honey |
Fruit Juice |
Black Treacle or Molasses |
| Tea (check herb teas first) |
Wine |
Fruit Squash |
| |
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Xanthan Gum (replaces "elastic" quality of
gluten) |
GRAINS AND BAKED GOODS THAT CONTAIN GLUTEN
| Bread and Bread Rolls |
Rye Bread, Pumpernickel |
Yorkshire Pudding |
| Pretzels |
Cakes |
Stuffing |
| Muffins |
Pastry or Pie Crust |
Pancakes |
| Biscuits or Cookies |
Pasta - Macaroni, Spaghetti, etc. |
Crisp Breads |
| Bulgar Wheat |
Durham Wheat |
Crumble Toppings |
| Couscous |
Pizza |
Semolina |
| Scones |
Anything in Breadcrumbs |
Some Breakfast Cereals |
| All Bran |
Sponge Puddings |
Bread Crumbed Ham |
| Barley Water Drinks |
Malted Drinks |
Muesli |
FOODS CONTAINING HIDDEN GLUTEN
Other foods containing gluten could trick the unsuspecting
newly diagnosed Celiac sufferer into thinking they are safe.
The list below shows things that should be checked.
| Sausages - often contain rusk (and the machines used
to make them are often cleaned out with bread |
Luncheon Meat - may contain fillers |
Blue Cheeses (may be made with bread) |
| Gravy Powders and Stock Cubes such as OXO Cubes |
Matzo Flour/Meal |
Shredded Suet in packs (flour is normally used to keep
the strands separate) |
| Seitan (doesn't contain gluten, it IS gluten!) |
Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) |
Baked Beans (there may be gluten in the tomato sauce) |
| Farina |
Meat and Fish Pastes |
Pates and Imitation Crab Meat |
| Self Basting Turkeys |
Sauces - often thickened with flour |
Alcoholic Drinks - such as beer, ale, lager |
| Soups - may be roux based (made with flour) |
Mustard - dry mustard powder contains gluten |
Instant Coffee - may be bulked out with flour |
| Brown Rice Syrup |
Cheap brands of chocolate |
Potato Chips - some are OK, read the ingredients! |
| Soy Sauce - only Tamari is OK |
Drinking Chocolate |
Licorice |
| Chutneys and Pickles |
Salad Dressings |
Curry Powder and other spices (can be bulked out with
flour) |
| White Pepper |
Malt Vinegar |
Play Dough |
| Supplements |
Some Toothpastes |
Some Lipsticks |
| Some Pharmaceutical Products |
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I am also including a pantry list supplied by one of my clients
who has been following this diet.
"We currently have Gluten-Free items in our freezer (freezing
is the best choice for a busy family - the products do not
store well) consisting of:
pizza, mac and cheese, bread, bagels, muffins, english muffins,
bread crumbs, hamburger buns, hot dog buns, hoagie rolls,
pot pies and chicken nuggets. Lots of snacks, noodles, crackers,
cereal, granola, brownie mix, pancake mix, cereal bars etc.
in the closet".
Many of these items can be found in grocery stores, locally
we have Wegmans which has a nice selection and the Grainless
Baker in Hamlin PA (www.thegrainlessbaker.com). For those
of you who are outside of our area Trader Joes also has a
gluten free products and most local health food stores (Nature's
Grace in Honesdale).
This is just the tip of the iceberg about gluten free diets
but it should be enough to get you started. There is also
a wealth of information on the internet and some really good
books out there. Just remember, it is you taking control of
your health, as one of my favorite Captains would say "Make
it happen."
Written by: Dr. Betty deMaye-Caruth,
PhD., RN, CHTP, RM/T
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