Gluten-Free Diet

Information on Celiac Disease

Challenges of Gluten-Free Diets

Diets that are gluten-free can be challenging. They require a completely new approach to eating that affects a person's entire life. People with conditions that require a diet of gluten-free foods, along with their families, may find support groups to be particularly helpful as they learn to adjust to a new way of life. People with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis have to be extremely careful about:

What they buy for lunch at school or work
What they purchase at the grocery store
What they eat at restaurants or parties
What they grab for a snack.

Eating out can be a challenge. If a person is in doubt about a menu item, ask the waiter or chef about ingredients and preparation, or ask if a gluten-free menu is available.

Unexpected Products That Contain Gluten

Gluten is also used in some medications. Check with your pharmacist to learn whether medications used contain gluten. Since gluten is also sometimes used as an additive in unexpected products, it is important to read all labels. If the ingredients are not listed on the product label, the manufacturer of the product should provide the list upon request. With practice, screening for gluten becomes second nature.

Examples for a Gluten-Free Diet

The following table provides examples of foods that are allowed and those that should be avoided when eating a diet that is gluten-free. This list is not complete, so people should discuss gluten-free food choices with a dietitian or healthcare provider. People with celiac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis should always read food ingredient lists carefully to make sure that the food does not contain gluten.

Food Categories	Foods Recommended	Foods to Omit	Tips
Breads, cereals, rice, and pasta: 6 to 11 servings each day
Serving size = 1 slice bread; 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal; ½ cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta; ½ bun, bagel, or English muffin	Bread made from corn, rice, soy, arrowroot, corn, or potato starch; pea, potato, or whole-bean flour; or tapioca, sago, rice bran, cornmeal, buckwheat, millet, flax, teff, sorghum, amaranth, quinoa Hot cereals made from soy, hominy, hominy grits, brown rice, white rice, buckwheat groats, millet, cornmeal, or quinoa flakes Puffed corn, rice, or millet; other rice and corn made with allowed ingredients Rice, rice noodles, or pastas made from allowed ingredients Some rice crackers and cakes; popped corn cakes made from allowed ingredients	Breads or baked products containing wheat, rye, triticale, barley, oats, wheat germ, bran; graham, gluten, or durum flour; wheat starch, oat bran, bulgur, farina, wheat-based semolina, spelt, kamut Cereals made from wheat, rye, triticale, barley, and oats or made with malt extract and malt flavorings Pastas made from above ingredients Most crackers	Use corn, rice, soy, arrowroot, tapioca, and potato flours or a mixture of them instead of wheat flours in recipes. Experiment with gluten-free products. Look for gluten-free products at the supermarket, health food store, or directly from the manufacturer.
Vegetables: 3 to 5 servings each day (includes starchy vegetables)
Serving size = 1 cup raw leafy, ½ cup cooked or chopped, ¾ cup juice	All plain, fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables made with allowed ingredients	Any creamed or breaded vegetables (unless allowed ingredients are used); and canned baked beans Some French fries	Buy plain, frozen, or canned vegetables seasoned with herbs, spices, or sauces made with allowed ingredients.
Fruits: 2 to 4 servings each day
Serving size = 1 medium size, ½ cup canned, ¾ cup juice, ¼ cup dried	All fruits and fruit juices	Some commercial fruit pie fillings, dried fruit
Milk, yogurt, and cheese: 2 to 3 servings each day
Serving size = 1 cup milk or yogurt, 1½ oz natural cheese, 2 oz processed cheese	All milk and milk products, except those made with gluten additives Aged cheese	Malted milk Some milk drinks, flavored or frozen yogurt	Contact the food manufacturer for product information if the ingredients are not listed on the label.
Meats, poultry, fish, dry beans and peas, eggs, and nuts: 2 to 3 servings or total of 6 oz daily
Serving size = 2 to 3 oz cooked; count 1 egg, ½ cup cooked beans, 2 Tbsp peanut butter, or ¼ cup nuts as 1 oz of meat	All meat, poultry, fish, shellfish, eggs Dry peas and beans, nuts, peanut butter, soybeans Cold cuts, frankfurters, sausage without fillers	Any prepared with wheat, rye, oats, barley, gluten stabilizers, fillers (including some frankfurters, cold cuts, sandwich spreads, sausages, canned meats) Self-basting turkey Some egg substitutes	When dining out, select meat, poultry, or fish made without breading, gravies, or sauces.
Fats, snacks, sweets, condiments, and beverages
	Butter, margarine, salad dressings, sauces, soups, desserts made with allowed ingredients Sugar, honey, jelly, jam, hard candy, plain chocolate, coconut, molasses, marshmallows, meringues Pure instant or ground coffee, tea, carbonated drinks, wine (made in United States), rum, alcohol distilled from cereals such as gin, vodka, whiskey Most seasonings and flavorings	Commercial salad dressings, prepared soups, condiments, sauces, seasonings prepared with ingredients listed Hot cocoa mixes, nondairy cream substitutes, flavored instant coffee, herbal tea Beer, ale, malted beverages Licorice	Store all gluten-free products in your refrigerator or freezer, because they do not contain preservatives. Avoid sauces, gravies, canned fish, products with hydrolyzed vegetable protein or hydrolyzed plant protein (HVP/HPP) made from wheat protein, and anything with questionable ingredients.

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