Getting Started With the Gluten-Free Diet

When you've been diagnosed with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you need to eliminate all traces of gluten in your diet. Gluten hides in unexpected places, and it takes some time to learn them all.

You also need to take steps to avoid gluten cross-contamination in your food. Although this may sound difficult, there are some simple things you can do to make this easier when you set up a non-gluten friendly kitchen.

For many, the hardest part of going gluten-free is changing your relationship with food. You will likely find yourself mourning the loss of some of your favorite foods or being frustrated with the lack of inexpensive, convenience foods. This is a normal reaction and will take time to adjust to. However, for people with celiac disease or a true gluten sensitivity, eliminating gluten is medically necessary and will create noticeable positive changes in your health that will more than make up for the inconvenience.

On a gluten-free diet, you can still eat a lot of healthy and delicious foods. And fortunately, as gluten-free eating has gained popularity over the years, there are more convenient options available and plenty of ways to make gluten-free variations of your favorite comfort foods.

Your Calorie and Nutrition Goals

Studies show that it's not uncommon for people to be overweight or obese at the time they're diagnosed with celiac disease. In addition, some people are underweight—in some cases severely underweight—when they're first diagnosed, and want to gain weight.

The gluten-free diet is not designed to be a weight-loss diet, however, when people who are diagnosed with celiac disease eliminate gluten, their weight may naturally normalize. However, if you're actively trying to gain or lose weight it is helpful to be aware of how many calories you're consuming.

Not all gluten-free foods are considered healthy. Choosing whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, lean protein, gluten-free whole grains, nuts, and seeds, is important for increasing nutrient content as well as limiting calories.

Grocery Staples

When you're first starting the gluten-free diet, meal planning and grocery shopping can present a challenge. The good news is gluten-free foods are easier to find these days and are usually labeled prominently. In fact, many grocery stores have a section devoted to gluten-free alternatives.

Many whole foods are gluten-free in their natural state. For example, fresh vegetables and fruits, regular milk, rice, potatoes, meat, seafood, and poultry are all safe on a gluten-free diet. However, some prepackaged foods may have hidden gluten and it is important to read ingredient lists.

It can help to do some research before you venture into the grocery store. Check your favorite prepackaged foods to determine whether or not they're gluten-free; if they're not, then see if you can identify a gluten-free version of the same food to try. For example, there are many different types of gluten-free pasta, some of which are made by the same companies as regular, wheat-containing pasta.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store, where you'll find the produce, meats, poultry, fish, dairy, and eggs. Whole, fresh foods are gluten-free. If you are looking for a gluten-free grain that is easy and inexpensive, opt to purchase a big bag of brown rice. Rice is an inexpensive, versatile grain that makes an easy addition to meals. Only purchase grain-based products such as cookies or crackers if they're specifically labeled "gluten-free."

Gluten can hide in unexpected places. For example, some ice cream manufacturers use wheat as a thickener. In addition, conventional soy sauce, which you might think is made from soybeans, contains wheat as its top ingredient (gluten-free soy sauce is available in most supermarkets).

When it comes to prepared foods, such as condiments or frozen meals, rely on gluten-free lists of products or on grocery store shelf tags (some grocery store chains, such as Publix and Wegmans, label prepared foods "gluten-free" on the shelves).

Creating a Gluten-Free Kitchen

If you are eating gluten-free due to celiac disease or gluten sensitivity, it is important to have a safe, gluten-free place to cook to avoid cross-contamination—even a tiny bit of gluten may make you sick. That means ridding your kitchen of gluten foods and ingredients and probably replacing some of your cooking pans and utensils.

If the rest of your household is not going gluten-free with you, establish rules to share a kitchen. Create your own gluten-free space in the kitchen, and keep your cooking pans and utensils separate. Many people buy two sets of tools in different colors. For example, the blue spatulas could be for gluten-free while the yellow spatulas would be for gluten-containing foods. Having the cooperation of your entire household is important for this approach to work.

Hydration

Some beverages may contain gluten and you'll want to avoid those as well. Water, plain coffee, tea, most fruit juices, sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks are all safe options.

Conventional beer is not gluten-free (this includes light beers). Some popular coffee drinks (iced and hot) are not considered safe on the gluten-free diet. In addition, you should beware of certain smoothies, especially "green" smoothies that include wheatgrass, which is not guaranteed to be gluten-free.

Recipe Ideas

Gluten-free recipe ideas abound online and in cookbooks. But a recipe doesn't need to be specifically labeled "gluten-free" to fit into a gluten-free diet; it simply needs to not include gluten ingredients.

For example, a vegetable stir-fry recipe or a paella rice dish may already be gluten-free. If it's not, you may find it's easy to make the dish gluten-free by substituting gluten-free soy sauce or by choosing different spices. Likewise, you can make any pasta recipe gluten-free by substituting gluten-free pasta and making certain to pick a gluten-free pasta sauce. However, cooking time for gluten-free pasta may differ from wheat pasta and you should refer to the package instructions.

Breakfast

There are two approaches you can take when planning your gluten-free breakfasts: you either can replace gluten-containing breakfast foods such as cereal and toast with gluten-free versions of those foods, or you can eat naturally gluten-free foods. Many people combine these two approaches. For example, a healthy gluten-free breakfast can include:

• a summer vegetable omelet with potatoes oven roasted in olive oil
• gluten-free whole-grain cereal topped with milk and half a banana
• gluten-free hot cereal with a fruit cup on the side
• gluten-free breakfast casserole made with gluten-free bread, eggs, chicken sausage, and cheddar cheese
• gluten-free frozen waffles topped with strawberries and whipped cream

If you're in a hurry, grab a gluten-free bagel and layer it with cream cheese (Philadelphia Brand is gluten-free), a hard-boiled egg or handful of nuts and some fresh fruit, or snatch a gluten-free yogurt from the refrigerator on your way out the door. If you make them ahead of time, flourless banana breakfast cookies also can be a time-saver on busy mornings.

On the other hand, if you want something more interesting, consider gluten-free egg and black bean breakfast tacos, or baked eggs and red cabbage with Parmesan cheese. You even can host an entirely gluten-free and vegetarian brunch.

Lunch and Dinner

There are so many delicious gluten-free recipes available that it's impossible to list them all. Here are a few that would make a substantial lunch or dinner main course:

• Pork and Apple Kebabs
• Spinach and Pesto Salmon
• Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes with Salsa

For a lighter lunch or dinner, consider:

• Seared Tuna Salad with Fennel and Orange Salsa
• Mediterranean Grilled Eggplant Salad
• Vegetable Cheese Enchiladas

Gluten-free appetizers or side dish ideas include:

• Restaurant-Style Creamy Fish Chowder
• Sweet and Tangy Maple-Roasted Root Vegetables
• Kale and Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potato
• Fruit Salad with Citrus Dressing

Dessert

Sure, you can stick with gluten-free ice cream or sorbet for dessert—those both are safe choices. But there are many more delicious options available:

• Brownie Bites
• Cinnamon Lemon Coconut Bliss Balls
• Wild Blueberry Orange Scones
• Chocolate-Covered Banana Walnut Bites

Snacks

As you saw above, there are plenty of gluten-free snacks available (some healthy and some not). But if you have the time, you can make your own snacks from scratch:

• Banana Peanut Butter Smoothie
• Spicy Edamame Dip (remember to only use gluten-free crackers)
• Garlicky Olive, Walnut, and Edamame Mix

Cooking and Meal Planning

There's no doubt about it: following the gluten-free diet means you're likely to cook more meals from scratch. That's good news; cooking from scratch generally makes your meals healthier, because you can choose the best ingredients. But the bad news; cooking from scratch definitely takes more time. You'll need to allow for that when planning your weekly schedule.

There are a few ways you can save time and still make healthy, homemade gluten-free meals:

• Plan ahead to have leftovers by making half again as much food as you think you and your family will eat in one sitting.
• Clean out and reorganize your freezer (or even consider investing in a standalone freezer) so that you can freeze homemade single serving entrees.
• Purchase a countertop rice cooker that makes perfect rice every time.
• Buy pre-chopped vegetables at the grocery store (make sure they're prepared in an area that's separate from the bakery; fortunately, most are).
• Try gluten-free slow cooker recipes that you can leave cooking while you do other things (this Moroccan beef stew is delicious).

Recipes that include wheat flour are more difficult to make gluten-free. However, seasoned chefs often have decent luck replacing flour with corn starch in certain recipes. In addition, gluten-free flour blends such as Cup4Cup claim to be direct replacements for wheat flour in baking recipes (although your mileage may vary somewhat, depending on the recipe).

A Word From Verywell

The gluten-free diet is essential for your health if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. For those with celiac disease, continuing to consume gluten-containing foods can lead to severe intestinal damage, complications such as osteoporosis, and even certain rare cancers. For people with gluten sensitivity, most doctors don't believe permanent damage is done by continued gluten ingestion, but it's likely to cause unpleasant symptoms.

Still, the gluten-free diet isn't guaranteed to be healthy. To improve your health (and potentially lose weight, assuming that's also your goal), you'll need to make sure the gluten-free meal plans you follow include good nutritional choices: lots of fresh vegetables and fruit; lean meats, poultry, and fish (assuming you aren't vegetarian); and whole gluten-free grains.

You also can't neglect other issues that affect your health, so make certain to get plenty of good sleep, follow a regular exercise routine, and manage your stress. Taking care of your digestive health is critical, especially if your health requires you to be gluten-free, but simply going gluten-free won't solve all your problems unless you practice other healthful habits at the same time.