Celiac disease, also known as gluten intolerance, is a genetic disorder that causes your body to react adversely to gliadin, a gluten protein found in wheat and other related grains. According to Medical News Today, about one in every 133 people in the United States is gluten-intolerant. Because wheat and other gluten-containing grains are a common ingredient in breakfast foods, this meal of the day can be especially challenging.
Gluten Sources
The three most common sources of gluten to look out for are wheat, rye and barley. Because wheat comes in a variety of species, it may also crop up under a number of names. If you're gluten-intolerant, you should also avoid bulgur, couscous, dinkle, durum, einkorn, emmer, farina, fu, gliadin, graham flour, kamut, matza, mir, seitan, semolina, spelt and triticale, all of which are forms of wheat.
Prevention/Solution
Read labels carefully to spot any gluten-containing ingredients. Be especially vigilant with breakfast cereals, as wheat is a very common ingredient, even if the cereal has "rice" or "corn" in its name. Other common breakfast foods that are likely to contain gluten include breakfast pastries, pancakes, waffles, sandwich bread, English muffins, bagels, tortillas and anything containing malt, which is produced from barley. If you live near a large supermarket or health food store, you can probably find gluten-free versions of these foods. If no gluten-free version is available, you'll simply have to avoid them.
Alternatives
Gluten-free breakfast foods you should be able to eat, barring any additional food sensitivities, include hot cereals made from corn, rice, flax, soy and hominy. Eggs, fruit and vegetables are all acceptable breakfast foods. There are also commercial gluten-free breads, plus bread, waffle and pancake mixes made with rice, arrowroot, potato, tapioca, beans and nuts instead of wheat.
Controversial Alternative
There is no general consensus on whether oats are safe for Celiac sufferers or not. According to Medical News Today, studies indicate that oats may be safe. However, the Celiac Solution lists oats as unsafe for gluten-intolerant individuals. Even if the oats themselves don't contain gluten, they're often processed on equipment used for processing wheat or other grains with gluten, which introduces the possibility of cross contamination.
Preparation
A gluten-free breakfast menu doesn't just come from careful ingredient selection. If you share a kitchen with individuals who do eat gluten, take extra care when preparing breakfast. Celiac Solution warns that crumbs of wheat products left in a communal toaster, for example, can contaminate your gluten-free products. Therefore, it recommends having a separate toaster for non-gluten products. Other recommendations include using a marble cutting board, or--if you must use wood--keep a separate cutting board for non-gluten products only. Don't allow double-dipping in condiment jars because of the danger of cross contamination. Always prepare gluten-free products before you prepare products containing gluten, to avoid cross contamination of utensils.
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