When I mention I follow a gluten-free diet, people often ask why I would do such a thing! “How do you live without pizza?” is a question I get asked often. Imagine the horror when I tell them I am also dairy-free…HA! But beyond pizza and pasta, lots of people don’t know how ubiquitous gluten really is and how hard it is to avoid. It also commonly gets associated with foods like white potatoes and rice, which don’t naturally contain gluten.
So, in this blog post, I’m going to break it down:
- What is gluten?
- Do all carbs have gluten?
- What role does gluten play in our health?
WHAT IS GLUTEN?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. It is one of the top food allergens and sensitivities.
For those with celiac disease, gluten damages the body and it’s very important for those individuals to remove it from their diet.
FOODS THAT CONTAIN GLUTEN
Common gluten-containing foods include beer, soy sauce, bread, breaded food, baked goods, fried foods, flour, pasta, cereal, and crackers.
If an ingredient list has “wheat,” chances are it naturally contains gluten unless otherwise stated.
And although oats may be naturally gluten-free, they have been known to irritate those with gluten sensitivity (like myself), likely due to cross-contamination with other glutenous grains.
WHAT ABOUT CARBS? DO THEY CONTAIN GLUTEN?
Gluten does not = carbs. Starches like potatoes and rice may confuse people, but they do NOT contain gluten.
GLUTEN SENSITIVITY SYMTOMS
For those who don’t have celiac, gluten can still cause sensitivity symptoms including:
brain fog, memory issues, and concentration (I call this gluten brain)
mood changes or depressive symptoms
joint pain
skin issues, including acne, dermatitis, and rashes
digestion problems and severe bloating; causes irritation to the gut lining and could contribute to intestinal permeability, aka leaky gut.
headaches and migraines
THE PROBLEM WITH GLUTEN
While a diverse diet is definitely a good thing for our gut, gluten can be highly inflammatory, especially for those with underlying health conditions like IBS, IBD, diabetes, and auto-immune conditions.
This isn’t to say ALL people should remove gluten from their diet, but if you suspect you have issues with gluten, an elimination diet might be a good place to start. Remove gluten for about 2 months before slowly adding it back in.
GLUTEN-FREE ALTERNATIVES
Some gluten free alternatives for pastas and breads include brown rice, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, corn, potatoes, and sorghum just to name a few. But also be aware that many gluten-free substitutes can cause a spike in blood sugar. So, if you’re watching your carbohydrate intake (if you have diabetes, as an example), a high-fiber option like lentils might be best.
Some of my favorite brands of gluten-free foods include Jovial, Tolerant, Siete, Lotus Foods, and Simple Mills. We love them because they only use recognizable ingredients with REAL food.
FOOD LABELS
Check the food packaging for “gluten free certified” labels or eat single-ingredient fruits and vegetables! And don’t forget that “gluten-free” also does not automatically mean “healthy”.
You can get gluten-free chicken nuggets but they’re still loaded with natural flavors, inflammatory oils, and added sugar.
IF I GO GLUTEN-FREE, WHAT CAN I EAT?
Literally everything but gluten 😀
Here’s a chart of some great whole-food, plant-based foods that you could incorporate. Note that that this is not exhaustive (it merely shows the variety of the foods you could possibly eat):
| GRAINS | MEATS | FRUITS | FRUITS | NUTS/SEEDS/BEANS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oats Millet Sorghum Quinoa Buckwheat Rice Corn Teff Amaranth | Chicken Beef Salmon Tuna Turkey Pork Bison | Asparagus White potatoes Sweet potatoes Beets Green beans Peas Mushrooms Cauliflower Zucchini/squash Carrots Kale Cassava Arrowroot Bell peppers | Bananas Strawberries Blueberries Blackberries Peaches Oranges Kiwi | Chickpeas Hemp seeds Chia seeds Walnuts Almonds Cashews Brazil nuts Pumpkin seeds Pistachios Walnuts Beans Legumes Lentil |
Here’s another chart that might help you determine what a gluten-containing grain is. Again, not exhaustive, but does provide some of the most common foods.
| Glutenous Grains | Gluten-Free Grains |
|---|---|
| Wheat Spelt Kamut Durum Barley Rye | Oats Millet Sorghum Quinoa Buckwheat Rice Corn Teff Amaranth |
A LOCAL OPTION AND PHONE APPS
If you’re local to NE Ohio, try some delicious, nutrient-dense, gluten-free food at 24 Karrot Kitchen at Marigold Wellness Collective in Wadsworth, OH (https://www.24kkitchen.com/).
You can also download an app called “Find Me Gluten Free” to search for gluten-free restaurants in your area (Apple: https://apps.apple.com/…/find-me-gluten-free/id431006818; Google: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details…)!
AND you can download a “gluten free scanner” app on your phone to make grocery shopping easier (Here’s one for Apple: https://apps.apple.com/…/the-gluten-free…/id969482476)