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Gluten Free Foods

When you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, it can seem as though all your favorite foods are off limits, but the list of naturally gluten free foods is quite long and more and more gluten free specialty foods are being introduced. While you won't be able to return to your "normal" diet, learning to use a variety of gluten free options will let you be creative in the kitchen.

Eating a Gluten Free Foods Diet can be challenging but stick to it the health benefits for people with Celiac Disease, wheat and gluten intolerance, wheat allergies and multiple food allergies or ADHD are incredible. The challenge is in knowing what you can and cannot eat and how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals within your restricted dietary requirements.

Gluten can be hidden in processed foods. It is important to read food labels for ingredients that may harm your system. In our opinion it is best to keep your food as close to nature as possible. Eating fresh, unprocessed foods isn't that difficult, however, it may take a little longer to prepare and cook your meals, but that is a small price to pay for good health.

A lot of the food that is included in a "normal" diet nowadays is just junk food. If food is packaged in any way, check the ingredients to see if it is gluten free! This isn't always as simple as it sounds as some manufactures hide gluten under various other names.

The list of gluten free foods below show items that are safe to eat as part of a gluten free foods diet.
You can also buy special gluten free foods online on this site.


Everyday gluten free foods list:
• Fresh meat
• Vegetables
• Dried fruit
• Cheese
• Dried beans, peas and pulses
• Rice, ground, long or short grain
• Yeast
• Sugar
• Tamari soy sauce
• Cider vinegar
• Sago
• Quinoa
• Corn tacos
• Jelly (jello)
• Honey
• Tea (check herb teas first)
• gluten free beer
• Fish and shellfish
• Fresh herbs
• Nuts
• Cottage cheese (not cheese spreads)
• Vegetable oils, sunflower oil, olive oil
• Rice cakes/crackers
• Cream of tartar
• Dried peppercorns
• Marmite (only if made in the UK)
• Wine vinegar
• Tapioca
• Flax seed
• Popcorn (check any coating)
• Jam
• Golden syrup
• Fruit juice
• Wine
• Poultry and game
• Fruit
• Eggs
• Milk (when newly diagnosed you may be lactose intolerant)
• Almonds, ground or whole
• Rice flour (and other gluten free flours)
• Bicarbonate of soda
• Cornflour (from the maize plant
• Yoghurts (without crunchy bits)
• Distilled vinegar
• Millet
• Corn Tortillas
• Homemade soups (not roux based)
• Marmalade
• Black treacle or molasses
• Fruit squash (not barley water
• Xanthan gum (replaces "elastic" quality of gluten)



Seasonal Vegetables and Fruit

If you are on a gluten free foods diet, a vegan or vegetarian, it is nice to eat fresh vegetables and fruit that are in season as an accompaniment to main meals or the main meal itself.

Spring:
• Purple Sprouting Broccoli
• Carrots
• Spring onions (Scallions)
• New potatoes
• Spring greens
• Lettuces
• Asparagus
• Broad beans
• Spinach
• Rhubarb

Summer:
• Asparagus
• Courgettes (Zucchini)
• Mange Tout
• Globe Artichokes
• Garden Peas
• Green beans
• Cucumber
• Lettuces
• Radishes
• Watercress
• Peppers
• Tomatoes
• Sweetcorn
• Summer berries
• Cherries
• Currants
• Plums
• Melons
• Apricots

Winter:
• Beetroot
• Cabbage
• Leeks
• Onions
• Brussels Sprouts
• Shallots
• Parsnips
• Swede
• Spinach
• Curly Kale
• Artichokes
• Pumpkin
• Apples
• Pears
• Nuts
• Bananas (year round)
• Oranges (year round)

Autumn:
• Wild mushrooms
• Sweetcorn
• Beetroot
• Sweetcorn
• Cauliflowers
• Carrots
• Marrows
• Broccoli
• Butternut squash
• Turnips
• Cabbages
• Parsnips
• Celery
• Leeks
• Apples
• Pears
• Almonds
• Chestnuts
• Elderberries
• Grapes
• Figs

List of foods containing gluten

Some foods containing gluten are obvious to everyone that needs to follow a gluten free foods diet, but many could slip by unnoticed, especially if this way of eating is new to you. If you need to be on the gluten free foods diet then you need to remove every trace of gluten or your health will not improve.

The list of foods below will help you to avoid gluten if you have coeliac disease or suffer a gluten allergy or intolerance. Many of these products can be made with alternative gluten free flours, making it easier to enjoy the foods you like without them doing you harm.
So what foods should you avoid?

Grains and baked foods containing gluten

• Bread and bread rolls
• Pretzels
• Muffins
• Biscuits or cookies
• Bulgar wheat
• Couscous
• Scones
• All Bran
• Barley water drinks
• Rye bread, pumpernickel
• Cakes
• Pastry or pie crust
• Pasta - macaroni, spaghetti, etc.
• Durham
• Pizza (click here for a safe pizza dough recipe)
• Anything in breadcrumbs
• Sponge puddings
• Malted drinks, such as Horlicks
• Yorkshire pudding
• Stuffings
• Pancakes
• Crispbreads
• Crumble toppings
• Semolina
• Some breakfast cereals
• Breadcrumbed ham
• Muesli


Foods containing hidden gluten

Other foods containing gluten could trick the unsuspecting newly diagnosed Coeliac 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)
• Gravy powders and stock cubes such as OXO cubes
• Seitan (doesn't contain gluten, it IS gluten!)
• Farina
• Self basting turkeys
• Soups - may be roux based (made with flour)
• Brown rice syrup
• Soy sauce - only Tamari is OK
• Chutneys and pickles
• White pepper
• Supplements
• Some pharmaceutical products
• Luncheon meat - may contain fillers
• Matzo flour/meal
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP)
• Meat and fish pastes
• Sauces - often thickened with flour
• Mustard - dry mustard powder contains gluten
• Cheap brands of chocolate
• Drinking chocolate
• Salad dressings
• Malt vinegar
• Some toothpastes
• Blue cheeses (may be made with bread)
• Shredded suet in packs (flour is normally used to keep the strands separate)
• Baked beans (there may be gluten in the tomato sauce)
• Pates and imitation crab meat
• Alcoholic drinks - such as beer, ale, lager
• Instant coffee - may be bulked out with flour
• Potato crips/chips - some are OK, read the ingredients!
• Licorice
• Curry powder and other spices (can be bulked out with flour)
• Play Dough click here for a cornflour recipe
• Some lipsticks

How to avoid gluten in your food

Gluten can be hidden in processed foods. It is important to read food labels for ingredients that may not be as harmless as they seem. In our opinion it is best to keep your food as close to nature as possible.

Wouldn't it be nice if every product on the shelves told you in plain English that they are gluten free foods or that they contains gluten? Some do, of course, but it isn't always that easy. Gluten can be hidden in obscure terms that can trick the unsuspecting shopper. There are ways to spot these ingredients that make it easier to avoid gluten.

Some products are easy to avoid as they list "wheat flour" in their ingredients. But what if they mention thickener or binder, are they safe?

Avoid gluten in disguise

Learning how to read food labels is important. The following list gives words and phrases that could spell danger and are best avoided on a gluten free foods diet.
• Flavourings
• Edible or Food Starch
• Fillers
• Seasonings
• Binder
• Rusk
• Bran
• Wheatgerm
• Wheat protein
• Wholegrain
• Thickening
• Wheat starch
• Glucose syrup
• Malt

Check with the manufacturer

So what do you do if a product lists a suspect ingredient? Avoid it just in case? Well that is the safest option, but you could try phoning the manufacturer for more information. Tell them you need to avoid gluten in your diet and ask if they can assure you that the product is safe for you to eat.

Some companies will be very helpful and may even send you a list of all the products they make that are gluten free foods. Others may not be so knowledgeable, especially if they use bought-in ingredients.
But remember that manufacturers can, and do, change their ingredients often, so always check the label even if they have told you in the past that their food is safe to eat. Strangely, you will often find that a certain sized packet is safe, whereas the same product in a smaller or larger quantity is not!

You can also get caught out by products that use such a tiny amount of a gluten containing food that it does not have to be listed on the packaging. For example some confectionary manufacturers can use flour to stop the sweets sticking to the conveyor belt. It isn't an actual ingredient but it can still be enough to make you sick if you need to avoid gluten.


Allergy Advice for gluten free foods

Some products have an Allergy Advice section on the label. This will tell you if the food contains wheat, gluten, nuts or other ingredients that can cause problems. Check for this section before you read through all the ingredients, as it could save you some time when shopping for gluten free foods.
What happens if the allergy label states that the food has been prepared in a facility that uses gluten in other items?

Unless the producer is extremely careful and cleans the equipment thoroughly in between batches, traces of gluten can remain to contaminate the supposedly safe gluten free foods. Wheat flour can also float in the air and settle on foods that should have been safe. If you are very sensitive to gluten then it can be a good idea to avoid gluten contamination by avoiding these products completely.



Shopping List of Gluten Free Foods

PRODUCE
All fresh fruit, All fresh vegetables, Fresh herbs and spices

FATS AND OILS
Vegetable, canola and olive oils, Shortenings, Mayonnaise, Salad dressings

FROZEN FOODS
Plain frozen fruits and vegetables, Ice creams, sherbets, ices, Gluten-free frozen waffles

REFRIGERATOR SECTION
Milk, half-and-half, cream, whipping cream, Aged cheeses, Butter, Margarine, Yogurts, Cottage cheese, Sour cream, Cream cheese, Eggs,Tofu, Jello, Rice pudding, Tapioca pudding, 100% fruit juices

PACKAGES, CANS, JARS
Plain canned fruits and vegetables, Applesauce, Cranberry sauce, Canned beans and lentils, Spaghetti sauces, Canned fish (e.g., tuna, salmon, sardines), Organic packaged soups, Gluten-free pastas, Corn tortillas

SNACKS
Rice cakes, rice crackers, Soy crisps, Popcorn, Cheese puffs, Potato and corn chips, Jello, Candies, Chocolates, Dried fruits

MEAT AND FISH
All fresh beef and poultry, All fish and shellfish, Hot dogs and luncheon meats (For anything prepackaged or prewrapped, check labels for additives)

GRAINS, SEEDS, AND STARCHES
Quinoa, Rice, Buckwheat, Chickpeas, Flax, Sunflower seeds, Cornstarch, Potato starch

CONDIMENTS
Vinegars (but not malt vinegar), Mustard, Ketchup, Horseradish, Jams and jellies, Honey, Maple syrup, Relish, pickles, olives

BREAKFAST FOODS
Cream of Rice cereal, Puffed rice, puffed corn, Gluten-free cereals, Gluten-free frozen waffles

BAKING SUPPLIES
Sugar, Salt and pepper, Herbs and spices, Evaporated or condensed milk, Corn meal, Tapioca, Baking soda, Baking powder, Gluten-free flours, Baking chocolate, Cocoa

BEVERAGES
Coffee and Tea (but check the gluten-free status of flavored coffees and teas), Soft drinks, Fruit juice

NUTS AND BEANS
Dried beans and peas, Plain nuts, Peanut butter, Almond butter, Cashew butter




Our Bakery section stocks exclusively products that are Gluten Free. You will find a wide variety of delicious gluten free foods and gluten free gourmet baking mixes, breads, cookies and snacks.

Bakery (gluten free)

You will also find gluten free foods amongst our pastas, beverages, vitamins, and baking ingredients.

Pastas
Ground Flours
Grains & Rices