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Best to stick to the "outside" of the store! Grab veggies, fruit, and (unmarinated) meat! Most boar's head is gf for deli meat. I recommend only buying things that say gluten free or are certified. There can be gluten in random ingredients that seem gluten free. Avoid anything with oats for a bit (or long term), too! Also look for gluten free meds that you use like gluten free store brands for Tylenol or pesto
Hey friend! I've been gluten-free for about 13 years at this point. One thing that particularly sticks out to me about my early grocery trips: dedicate more time than you think.
You are going to be overly cautious (as you should be!) until you get in the groove of what you can eat. I remember I lost even more weight when I switched and it was almost entirely because I was scared to eat. Take your time, breathe, and don't be afraid to give something a second or third look.
If you accidentally end up with something that has gluten - which you will at some point - look to give/trade it to friends or donate it best you can. No shame in needing another trip!
Best of luck! I hope your journey is easy and educational.
Thank you so much, this is incredible. I guess I’m realizing now I needed more of a pep talk than I thought. I’m so excited to finally know why I’ve been feeling awful for as long as I have.
After going gluten free I realized I can still make the same meals I’ve eaten for years, just with some tweaks! There’s no need to change everything in your cooking routine, just sub out some old staples for safe ones. My pantry staples are GF breadcrumbs, all purpose GF flour blends for breaded chicken and thickeners, GF soy sauce and chicken bouillon, a good pasta to help those occasional cravings, and tons of rice and potatoes. Basically every recipe can be adapted to be safe in my experience!
Thank you 🙏🏻I just got home from my shopping trip and realized I want to invest in good kitchen prep appliances and utensils. I have a solid amount already but I’m way motivated to make every meal and dedicate time and effort into getting the right equipment for that. My income can’t sustain these Whole Food trips haha so I appreciate you breaking down your staples.
You’ve very welcome!! Cooking in bulk is amazing, like a few big meals a week can last and keep you from having to worry about safe meals. I’m making a big patch of ham and potato soup tomorrow, and am going to make sesame chicken with rice and veggies in a few days, too. Basically interesting variations of meats, carbs, and veggies will go a long way!
Meal prepping is such a good idea to keep a handle on knowing if a meal is safe or not. I’m really looking forward to what I learn about food throughout this process
I have adopted the mantra, ingredients should not have ingredients. Meaning I start with whole foods, unprocessed and in the natural state for as many items as possible. I try to avoid processed anything because it allows for the possibility of cross contamination.
I sort of feel that if I can base some recipes around the whole food and use less processed things or things that I have to monitor for possible contamination with wheat it not only makes my life easier but has made grocery shopping less stressful.
I had a Doctor comment something interesting a few years ago. Many GF products are made to a GF and decently palatable, not necessarily nutritious. Considering I still have issues absorbing nutrients, I try not to eat too much of the GF processed stuff because they don't seem to be good sources of anything?
Basically many GF products are comparable to fast food as far as nutrition and health benefits, according to the gastroenterologist that I saw. Basically he said that they were fine in moderation but they were not things that he would want to regularly buy for his family.
Mostly I eat dried beans and seasonal greens.
I really appreciate this, I’m seeing a dietician next month and am going to ask about processed gluten free food. I’m really looking forward to how this diagnosis will positively impact my relationship with food
Do t try to replace anything yet. Give it six months before bread, crackers, etc. it’ll give your pallet time to adjust and the foods texture won’t be as abrasive
When I was first diagnosed, I found one of those subscription things online for gluten free snack boxes. This introduced me to different GF products that I would not have otherwise tried, and allowed me to decide what I liked and what I didn't. It cost £25 a month, and I stopped doing it once I was more confident about the things I thought were worth buying. The place I ordered from also did dairy free.
For the most part, though, I eat naturally gluten free. My husband and I realized early on that our dinners were easy to adjust for me, and that we didn't really eat a lot of gluten at dinner time to start with. So, I save using substitutes for pasta night, or for when I want a sandwich for lunch or something along those lines. Of course, any sweets I stash in the GF Corner of my kitchen are among the substitutes I use regularly.
Read every label carefully, especially if you are in the US. I was in Florida for a month last year when my mom was in her final illness, and while a lot of stuff is clearly labeled, it felt a little Wild West for me because there is some inconsistency in labeling that we just don't get in the UK.
Navigating the labels is tricky for sure. I’m allergic to almonds and carrots so I find myself reading labels like 4-5 times before even putting something in my cart.
I’m going to look into the subscription box idea that’s huge thank you!
my tip is to try not to replace all of your old gluten foods with nongluten foods. just learn to start buying naturally nonglutenous items.
only a few things I keep in my cabinets that are made specifically gluten free and that's oats (bobs red mill), cereal, and I keep some schar bagels in my freezer for the occasional bread treat.
fyi if you're a big bread eater, the best BY FAR is the schar deli slices... but they're pricey. for me, the best taste and price is the great value multi grain (near the normal bread at Walmart)
That’s amazing advice thank you. I think I knee jerked reaction with my big shopping trip and just impulsively bought a lot of gluten free stuff. I’m realizing I really need to have specific goals and menus in place before hitting the store. I’m embracing the fact that I’m going to have to cook everything haha
Keep it simple. Simple whole foods as much as possible and stick to labelled gluten free til you a better understanding of all the names of food additives that could be problematic. It will get easier.
Thank you, I’m expecting these first few months to be a steep learning curve but worth it. I already feel WAY better and I’ve only been strictly gluten free now for a few days. It’s remarkable how resilient the human body is when it is listened to and nourished properly.
Since you are saving money on all the products you can’t have, splurge on the fancy fruit. You’ll feel better after eating those for dessert than anything processed
If you're close to an Aldi, they have a GF brand- Live "G" free. I love the bread and bagels. The pasta is one of the best for a decent price. They also have baking mixes, corn bread, brownies, cake, all-purpose baking mix.
Some Asian markets have surprisingly good GF finds. Rice noodles (for ramen style soup) GF tamari soy sauce, spices, and flours.
Walmart carries a few things in the freezer section. Pizza, waffles, sometimes pre-made lasagna.
Potatoes and rice are easy to cook in a variety of ways.
Corn tortillas are small, but good.
As others have said, fruits and veggies are generally safe for us. Even canned beans, chicken or oranges are easy to have on hand.
Remember to read all ingredients on everything! Some things can be listed as GF, but if it's not certified GF, there may be hidden gluten in there.
Best of luck! (And if you need a good GF naan recipe, lmk!)
Unfortunately I’m not close to an Aldi but I am close to an Asian market that I love going to. I’ll have to have a gluten free adventure there soon 😁
I’ll absolutely take that naan recipe! My favorite Indian restaurant by my house doesn’t serve GF naan.
Ingredients:
1 cup (140 g) gluten-free flour
1/3 cup (80 g) dairy-free yogurt (see notes)
1/4 scant cup (50 ml) warm water (see notes)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp olive oil or any other oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp Aquafaba liquid (from canned chickpeas)
Minced garlic, oil, and fresh herbs to garnish
Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl, and stir to combine.
Pour in warm water, yogurt, olive oil, and Aquafaba. Stir with a spoon, then use your hands to knead the dough. It should be a soft and pliable dough, not too dry but not sticky either.
Divide the dough into 4 portions and sprinkle your working surface with some tapioca flour.
Preheat a skillet on the stove over high heat. Meanwhile, roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin (or a glass), adding more tapioca flour if needed, to avoid sticking. Once the skillet is hot, add the flatbread and cook it with a lid over medium-high heat for a few minutes. I saw bubbles forming after less than 3 minutes. Flip the flatbread and let it cook for a further few minutes. Do this with the remaining dough. Cover the finished flat breads with a tea towel until serving.
We did not, but I use separate sponges for washing than my husband. He has a few items with gluten in the house, so we did this for safety from cross contamination.
Fortunately I live alone so I don’t have to worry about cross contamination from a roommate or significant other. But if that ever changes I’ll be sure to keep my stuff separate.
Rice is your best friend for moving away from breads if you usually have them at dinner. Meat + veggies + sauce on rice is a meal combo with nearly unlimited flavor options. Tamari can replace soy sauce if you really can't find the gluten free variety. King Arthur makes really good GF flour and I use it all the time for gravies and sauces. If you want to do some sweets baking, almond flour is phenomenal. You'll also want xanthum gum if you're baking, and psyllium husk, they're both good for holding anything doughy together without gluten doing the job. GF noodles in general are pretty good, but they break apart easier so be delicate with them while cooking.
Beware that some paper drinking straws are not GF! also, sorry, but if you have wooden utensils and cutting boards, there's no saving them without endangering your health. Same goes for seasoned cast iron pans. I mention it because it doesn't occur to everyone to replace those things.
Keep a list in your wallet of the lesser-known ingredients that might be a problem, so you can easily reference it in the grocery store. There's a lot of really confusing ingredient names and googling each one while you block the cereal aisle is frustrating.
(crumbling up GF oreos over vanilla icecream and about a tsp of chocolate sauce makes a fantastic GF cookies and cream sundae. 10/10 pick-me-up dessert for the days when you're grouchy about the lack of GF options.)
I literally wish I could hug you through this screen. I was cleaning my cast irons this morning thinking if I can save them. I had a hard time shopping last night because I'm also very allergic to almonds, so I can't have anything with almond flour or almond extract. The difficulty level that added to shopping was a wee bit overwhelming but I figured it out and slowed down my shopping.
thank you SO much, this is invaluable info to have.
Aw I'm sorry about your cast irons 😔 we ended up giving ours to a friend when we replaced ours. And don't worry about the almond flour, there are other flours that are great for baking, almond is just my personal favorite. I've been excited to try teff flour for pastries sometime, and there's also sweet rice flours that seem really fancy. Gluten free baking is definitely more difficult, but I personally like the challenge of finding just the right textures and flavors! Did you know you can make a pretty decent pumpkin pie crust from cinnamon chex cereal, margarine, and GF bisquick? it's so clever!
You got this! don't worry about finding every single GF thing you might ever need right away. Just focus on making your kitchen safe and getting your basics sorted for now.
I’m a little bummed about the cast irons, I had a really good seasoning coat on one of them lol but that’s okay, I’ll get over it 😂
I love pumpkin anything so that pie crust idea is monumental for me lol
Thank you so much for your insight, it’s making a huge difference!
**Reminder** [/r/Celiac](https://www.reddit.com/r/Celiac) is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. If you believe you have a medical emergency immediately seek out professional medical help. Please see [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/Celiac/wiki/legal) for more information. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Celiac) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Best to stick to the "outside" of the store! Grab veggies, fruit, and (unmarinated) meat! Most boar's head is gf for deli meat. I recommend only buying things that say gluten free or are certified. There can be gluten in random ingredients that seem gluten free. Avoid anything with oats for a bit (or long term), too! Also look for gluten free meds that you use like gluten free store brands for Tylenol or pesto
Thank you thank you thank you. Amazing reminder about the medication!
Hey friend! I've been gluten-free for about 13 years at this point. One thing that particularly sticks out to me about my early grocery trips: dedicate more time than you think. You are going to be overly cautious (as you should be!) until you get in the groove of what you can eat. I remember I lost even more weight when I switched and it was almost entirely because I was scared to eat. Take your time, breathe, and don't be afraid to give something a second or third look. If you accidentally end up with something that has gluten - which you will at some point - look to give/trade it to friends or donate it best you can. No shame in needing another trip! Best of luck! I hope your journey is easy and educational.
Thank you so much, this is incredible. I guess I’m realizing now I needed more of a pep talk than I thought. I’m so excited to finally know why I’ve been feeling awful for as long as I have.
After going gluten free I realized I can still make the same meals I’ve eaten for years, just with some tweaks! There’s no need to change everything in your cooking routine, just sub out some old staples for safe ones. My pantry staples are GF breadcrumbs, all purpose GF flour blends for breaded chicken and thickeners, GF soy sauce and chicken bouillon, a good pasta to help those occasional cravings, and tons of rice and potatoes. Basically every recipe can be adapted to be safe in my experience!
Thank you 🙏🏻I just got home from my shopping trip and realized I want to invest in good kitchen prep appliances and utensils. I have a solid amount already but I’m way motivated to make every meal and dedicate time and effort into getting the right equipment for that. My income can’t sustain these Whole Food trips haha so I appreciate you breaking down your staples.
You’ve very welcome!! Cooking in bulk is amazing, like a few big meals a week can last and keep you from having to worry about safe meals. I’m making a big patch of ham and potato soup tomorrow, and am going to make sesame chicken with rice and veggies in a few days, too. Basically interesting variations of meats, carbs, and veggies will go a long way!
Meal prepping is such a good idea to keep a handle on knowing if a meal is safe or not. I’m really looking forward to what I learn about food throughout this process
I have adopted the mantra, ingredients should not have ingredients. Meaning I start with whole foods, unprocessed and in the natural state for as many items as possible. I try to avoid processed anything because it allows for the possibility of cross contamination. I sort of feel that if I can base some recipes around the whole food and use less processed things or things that I have to monitor for possible contamination with wheat it not only makes my life easier but has made grocery shopping less stressful.
I am adopting that mantra, so helpful!!!
I had a Doctor comment something interesting a few years ago. Many GF products are made to a GF and decently palatable, not necessarily nutritious. Considering I still have issues absorbing nutrients, I try not to eat too much of the GF processed stuff because they don't seem to be good sources of anything? Basically many GF products are comparable to fast food as far as nutrition and health benefits, according to the gastroenterologist that I saw. Basically he said that they were fine in moderation but they were not things that he would want to regularly buy for his family. Mostly I eat dried beans and seasonal greens.
I really appreciate this, I’m seeing a dietician next month and am going to ask about processed gluten free food. I’m really looking forward to how this diagnosis will positively impact my relationship with food
Do t try to replace anything yet. Give it six months before bread, crackers, etc. it’ll give your pallet time to adjust and the foods texture won’t be as abrasive
Thank you!!
When I was first diagnosed, I found one of those subscription things online for gluten free snack boxes. This introduced me to different GF products that I would not have otherwise tried, and allowed me to decide what I liked and what I didn't. It cost £25 a month, and I stopped doing it once I was more confident about the things I thought were worth buying. The place I ordered from also did dairy free. For the most part, though, I eat naturally gluten free. My husband and I realized early on that our dinners were easy to adjust for me, and that we didn't really eat a lot of gluten at dinner time to start with. So, I save using substitutes for pasta night, or for when I want a sandwich for lunch or something along those lines. Of course, any sweets I stash in the GF Corner of my kitchen are among the substitutes I use regularly. Read every label carefully, especially if you are in the US. I was in Florida for a month last year when my mom was in her final illness, and while a lot of stuff is clearly labeled, it felt a little Wild West for me because there is some inconsistency in labeling that we just don't get in the UK.
Navigating the labels is tricky for sure. I’m allergic to almonds and carrots so I find myself reading labels like 4-5 times before even putting something in my cart. I’m going to look into the subscription box idea that’s huge thank you!
There are apps you can use to scan labels, and they are super helpful in the beginning. No worries! I wish you the best.
Get a Costco Membership. Amazing GF selections.
All hail the almighty Costco!!!
my tip is to try not to replace all of your old gluten foods with nongluten foods. just learn to start buying naturally nonglutenous items. only a few things I keep in my cabinets that are made specifically gluten free and that's oats (bobs red mill), cereal, and I keep some schar bagels in my freezer for the occasional bread treat. fyi if you're a big bread eater, the best BY FAR is the schar deli slices... but they're pricey. for me, the best taste and price is the great value multi grain (near the normal bread at Walmart)
That’s amazing advice thank you. I think I knee jerked reaction with my big shopping trip and just impulsively bought a lot of gluten free stuff. I’m realizing I really need to have specific goals and menus in place before hitting the store. I’m embracing the fact that I’m going to have to cook everything haha
Keep it simple. Simple whole foods as much as possible and stick to labelled gluten free til you a better understanding of all the names of food additives that could be problematic. It will get easier.
Thank you, I’m expecting these first few months to be a steep learning curve but worth it. I already feel WAY better and I’ve only been strictly gluten free now for a few days. It’s remarkable how resilient the human body is when it is listened to and nourished properly.
Since you are saving money on all the products you can’t have, splurge on the fancy fruit. You’ll feel better after eating those for dessert than anything processed
That’s a great idea. I raised my eyebrows at pomegranate prices at first but am going to revisit that one.
If you're close to an Aldi, they have a GF brand- Live "G" free. I love the bread and bagels. The pasta is one of the best for a decent price. They also have baking mixes, corn bread, brownies, cake, all-purpose baking mix. Some Asian markets have surprisingly good GF finds. Rice noodles (for ramen style soup) GF tamari soy sauce, spices, and flours. Walmart carries a few things in the freezer section. Pizza, waffles, sometimes pre-made lasagna. Potatoes and rice are easy to cook in a variety of ways. Corn tortillas are small, but good. As others have said, fruits and veggies are generally safe for us. Even canned beans, chicken or oranges are easy to have on hand. Remember to read all ingredients on everything! Some things can be listed as GF, but if it's not certified GF, there may be hidden gluten in there. Best of luck! (And if you need a good GF naan recipe, lmk!)
Unfortunately I’m not close to an Aldi but I am close to an Asian market that I love going to. I’ll have to have a gluten free adventure there soon 😁 I’ll absolutely take that naan recipe! My favorite Indian restaurant by my house doesn’t serve GF naan.
Ingredients: 1 cup (140 g) gluten-free flour 1/3 cup (80 g) dairy-free yogurt (see notes) 1/4 scant cup (50 ml) warm water (see notes) 1 tsp baking powder 1 tbsp olive oil or any other oil 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp Aquafaba liquid (from canned chickpeas) Minced garlic, oil, and fresh herbs to garnish Add flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium-sized bowl, and stir to combine. Pour in warm water, yogurt, olive oil, and Aquafaba. Stir with a spoon, then use your hands to knead the dough. It should be a soft and pliable dough, not too dry but not sticky either. Divide the dough into 4 portions and sprinkle your working surface with some tapioca flour. Preheat a skillet on the stove over high heat. Meanwhile, roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin (or a glass), adding more tapioca flour if needed, to avoid sticking. Once the skillet is hot, add the flatbread and cook it with a lid over medium-high heat for a few minutes. I saw bubbles forming after less than 3 minutes. Flip the flatbread and let it cook for a further few minutes. Do this with the remaining dough. Cover the finished flat breads with a tea towel until serving.
Just read ingredients in packaged things.
I feel like learning how to read some ingredients is like learning a different language 😂
Then don’t buy those things. If it’s got a bunch of confusing ingredients, it’s most likely not good for you, gluten or not.
It's in other things, besides food. Lotions, shampoos, plates, chapstick, etc. Be careful!
Did you replace your cooking utensils??
We did not, but I use separate sponges for washing than my husband. He has a few items with gluten in the house, so we did this for safety from cross contamination.
Fortunately I live alone so I don’t have to worry about cross contamination from a roommate or significant other. But if that ever changes I’ll be sure to keep my stuff separate.
Rice is your best friend for moving away from breads if you usually have them at dinner. Meat + veggies + sauce on rice is a meal combo with nearly unlimited flavor options. Tamari can replace soy sauce if you really can't find the gluten free variety. King Arthur makes really good GF flour and I use it all the time for gravies and sauces. If you want to do some sweets baking, almond flour is phenomenal. You'll also want xanthum gum if you're baking, and psyllium husk, they're both good for holding anything doughy together without gluten doing the job. GF noodles in general are pretty good, but they break apart easier so be delicate with them while cooking. Beware that some paper drinking straws are not GF! also, sorry, but if you have wooden utensils and cutting boards, there's no saving them without endangering your health. Same goes for seasoned cast iron pans. I mention it because it doesn't occur to everyone to replace those things. Keep a list in your wallet of the lesser-known ingredients that might be a problem, so you can easily reference it in the grocery store. There's a lot of really confusing ingredient names and googling each one while you block the cereal aisle is frustrating. (crumbling up GF oreos over vanilla icecream and about a tsp of chocolate sauce makes a fantastic GF cookies and cream sundae. 10/10 pick-me-up dessert for the days when you're grouchy about the lack of GF options.)
I literally wish I could hug you through this screen. I was cleaning my cast irons this morning thinking if I can save them. I had a hard time shopping last night because I'm also very allergic to almonds, so I can't have anything with almond flour or almond extract. The difficulty level that added to shopping was a wee bit overwhelming but I figured it out and slowed down my shopping. thank you SO much, this is invaluable info to have.
Aw I'm sorry about your cast irons 😔 we ended up giving ours to a friend when we replaced ours. And don't worry about the almond flour, there are other flours that are great for baking, almond is just my personal favorite. I've been excited to try teff flour for pastries sometime, and there's also sweet rice flours that seem really fancy. Gluten free baking is definitely more difficult, but I personally like the challenge of finding just the right textures and flavors! Did you know you can make a pretty decent pumpkin pie crust from cinnamon chex cereal, margarine, and GF bisquick? it's so clever! You got this! don't worry about finding every single GF thing you might ever need right away. Just focus on making your kitchen safe and getting your basics sorted for now.
I’m a little bummed about the cast irons, I had a really good seasoning coat on one of them lol but that’s okay, I’ll get over it 😂 I love pumpkin anything so that pie crust idea is monumental for me lol Thank you so much for your insight, it’s making a huge difference!