If you have celiac disease, your immune system reacts to the presence of gluten, damaging your small intestine. This in turn reduces your ability to absorb nutrients, which causes vitamin deficiencies that affect your other organs, according to MayoClinic.com.
Although there is no cure for celiac disease, following a gluten-free diet is an effective treatment. But wheat--one of the grains that contains gluten--is so common throughout the typical American diet that finding gluten-free foods can be a challenge, requiring careful attention to detail.
Step 1
Draw up a meal plan once a week so that you know exactly what you're looking for when you go shopping. Safe, gluten-free foods include rice, corn, quinoa, fruits, nuts, vegetables, meats, milk, butter, eggs, most yogurts and real--not processed--cheeses. Create a shopping list of the ingredients you need, and take it with you to the store.
Step 2
Start shopping in the produce section, which is usually the first thing you see when you come in the door. All raw fruits and vegetables are gluten free. Be aware that although fruit on its own is gluten free, some dried fruits may be dusted with wheat powder to keep them from sticking together.
Step 3
Continue to the health food section, where you're most likely to find gluten-free versions of processed foods that might tempt you, like pasta and bread. You might find gluten-free versions of these foods in the main aisles too, but it's highly unlikely.
Step 4
Move on to the dairy, fish and meat sections--almost everything in these sections will be gluten-free. Watch out for breaded fish and anything else that has been processed. If it's been processed, check the ingredients list closely for any mention of wheat. The people behind the counter should be able to provide ingredients lists for any prepared foods--for example, ready-to-cook breaded chicken--so you can know whether it was prepared with wheat or not.
Step 5
Shop for processed foods only sparingly. Gluten can crop up in some surprising places under some surprising names. Wheat may be listed as durum, semolina or farina. Gluten-containing ingredients may be listed as modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, malt vinegar, natural or artificial flavor, malt flavoring and mono and di-glycerides. Gluten may also be added to prepared frostings, sauces, jams, gravies and condiments. To be absolutely safe, either look for a gluten-free label on the product or research its gluten-free status online before your next visit to the store.
Tips and Warnings
- Avoid barley, rye and wheat--in all its forms--as ingredients, since they contain gluten. Whether or not oats are safe for those with celiac disease remains a point of some controversy; if you do use oats, choose a variety that is certified gluten-free. Focus on the positive. Instead of focusing on a lengthy list of foods to avoid--you might need to carry such a list at first, as you learn to spot gluten-containing ingredients on labels--build your diet around a list of the foods that you can safely eat. Beware of foods that were prepared in a facility where wheat, rye or barley is processed. Even if they don't contain these grains as an ingredient, they may be contaminated from being processed on the same equipment.
Things You'll Need
- Paper
- Pencil or pen
