How to Be Gluten Free

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Gluten is a protein found in wheat and also in a number of other cereals including oats, rye and barley. If you have coeliac (celiac) disease you need to avoid foods made from these cereals, including most types of bread, pasta, pizza, pastry and cakes.
Wheat ingredients are used in many foods, such as some sausages and burgers, over the counter ready-to-eat meals and many sauces. Foods in batter or breadcrumbs are not suitable for people with celiac disease either. If you have coeliac disease, always check the ingredients on the foods you buy. You will also need to avoid some alcoholic drinks made from barley, such as beer and lager and some medications containing starch.
Gluten-free products do not contain gluten, but they may still contain other proteins found in wheat (albumins, globulins and starch granule proteins). These products are not considered suitable for those who are intolerant or allergic to wheat. It is important to understand that products labelled "wheat free" are not the same as those labelled "gluten free" - ie, they may contain gluten in the form of oats, rye, barley, etc.

Steps

1. Be sure it is gluten free. Some foods labelled as 'gluten free' will contain small amounts of gluten. This is because some of these contain a special starch that has been treated to reduce the amount of gluten in it and it's impossible to remove the gluten entirely.
   
2. Understand what is gluten free. Currently there isn't a legal definition of what 'gluten free' means, but there is an international standard for 'gluten free' products produced from cereals containing gluten. This is the Codex Alimentarius, and it permits products to be called 'gluten free' if there are less than 200 parts per million of gluten in the finished product. This means that if the food was divided equally into a million parts, no more than 200 of these would be made up of gluten. Many manufacturers follow this standard for products labelled 'gluten free'.
   
   • A new standard has been proposed for 'gluten free' products made from foods that do not naturally contain gluten. This would allow a product to be called 'gluten free' if there were less than 20 parts per million of gluten in the finished product. It isn't always possible to make products absolutely free of gluten, because tiny amounts of food containing gluten could get into these products when they are being made or transported. However, 20 parts per million is a very low level.
     
   • Of course, some foods are naturally free from gluten, including potatoes, maize and rice. These are good sources of starchy carbohydrates for those who need to adhere to a gluten-free diet. Fruit, vegetables, unprocessed meat and fish don't contain gluten, but some processed meats such as sausages and burgers are made with cereals that contain gluten.
     
3. Read the packaging. Since November 2005 food labelling rules require pre-packed foods sold in EU, to show clearly on the label if they (or one of their ingredients) contain any cereal containing gluten – this applies even if the cereal has been specially treated to remove gluten. These new rules should make it easier for you to choose foods that are suitable for you. Bear in mind that there could still be foods on the shelves that were produced before this date.
   

Tips

• What can you eat?
  
  • Cereals and grains: rice, maize, quinoa, tapioca, sago, buckwheat, and sorghum
    
  • Meat, fish and eggs: all are basically fine - just check any coatings, sauces and spices you add, and check wafer-thin meats too (sometimes wheat flour is added to make them ‘peel apart’). If eating fish in a restaurant, check with the chef - sometimes, fish is fried with flour to stop it from sticking to the pan.
    
  • Dairy products: milk and most cream, cheese and yoghurt - check any added ingredients, and check ready-grated cheese (sometimes wheat flour is added to stop the slivers of cheese sticking together). Sometimes, after diagnosis, coeliacs are dairy-intolerant because their guts have been damaged so much from ingesting gluten - this can take up to 2 years to rectify itself, but it's important to keep eating dairy foods during this time, even just a little cheese every day, to stop oneself from becoming permanently dairy-intolerant.
    
  • Flours: rice, corn, potato, maize, gram, soya, chickpea, sorghum, tapioca and chestnut flours are all OK - but check the laBbel for possible contamination
    
  • Fruit: all fruits are naturally gluten free - check ready-made pie fillings, though, as these can be thickened with flour
    
  • Vegetables: all vegetables are naturally gluten free - check any coatings, sauces and spices
    
  • Fats: you can eat butter, margarine, oils, but avoid suet and check low-fat spreads
    
  • Breakfast cereal: tricky one - check carefully, and avoid any containing wheat, oats, barley rye, or malt extract. No Rice Krispies!! - these contain barley malt extract. Gluten-free muesli is good, but boil thoroughly first, as it's made from crushed rice. Add fruit for flavour!
    
  • Bread, crackers and crispbreads: avoid all the conventional ones, and eat only those labelled as gluten free, or those you’ve made yourself and know to be gluten free. Toast or microwave bread products before eating, to refresh them - they'll taste MUCH better
    
  • Cakes, pastries, cookies and biscuits: avoid all the conventional ones, and eat only those labelled as gluten free, or those you’ve made yourself and know to be gluten free
    
  • Pizza and pasta: avoid all the conventional ones, and eat only those labelled as gluten free, or those you’ve made yourself and know to be gluten free
    
  • Soup and sauces: check every time, in case wheat flour has been used to thicken a soup or a sauce
    
  • Pies, quiches, flans and tarts: avoid all the conventional ones, and eat only those labelled as gluten free, or those you’ve made yourself and know to be gluten free
    
  • Puddings and desserts: check every time - meringue, jelly and most icecreams and sorbets will be fine, but unless specifically labelled gluten free, cheesecakes, pies etc will not be good for you
    
  • Snacks: nuts, raisins and seeds are all naturally gluten free, but check any added coatings and check all packets of crisps (chips) and other savoury snacks - we’ve been caught out by these before, especially when the recipe is changed. Check every label, due to contamination issues.
    
  • Sweets (candy): check every time - chocolate is usually OK to eat, but not if it covers a biscuit! All sorts of unexpected sweets contain wheat and licorice
    
  • Alcohol: wine, spirits, liqueurs, most whiskeys and cider - avoid real ale, beer, lager and stout (unless specifically labelled as gluten free)
    
  • Soft drinks: coffee, tea, juices, cocoa, fizzy drinks and most squashes - but check that they don’t contain barley or ‘cloud’, and don’t drink from vending machines
    
  • Spices and seasonings: pure salt, pepper, herbs, vinegar - check spices and mustard powder for added flour.
    
  • Spreads and preserves: jam, marmalade, honey, Marmite (UK only - check in other countries), nut butters
    
  • Pickles and dressings: check every time
    
  • Cooking ingredients: yeast, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar - check baking powder for added flour
    
• Glutenfree drinks:
  
  • water - whether tap, mineral or flavoured should be fine. There’s no gluten in pure water, and we should all be drinking more of this
    
  • pure fruit juice - no gluten in this - just flavour and vitamins
    
• Be careful about smoothies - these are usually just fruit juice and yoghurt, but do sometimes have other ingredients, so just check*
  
  • milk is gluten free. If you’re lactose intolerant, or avoiding dairy for other reasons, try soya milk or rice milk (check label for contamination). You may be able to handle goat’s milk. Don't worry if you suddenly turn intolerant to soya - it's just because of the gut damage, and should clear up eventually.
    
  • probiotic drinks are a new trend. Check them, but they should be fine if you can handle dairy products
    
  • plain tea is gluten free, as should be any milk or sugar that you add, but be wary of drinks from vending machines, as there may be cross-contact
    
  • herbal or fruit teas and infusions should all be gluten free
    
  • plain coffee is gluten free (and so are milk and and sugar) but be careful of flavourings and other additions (e.g. some chocolate toppings to go on cappuccinos, lattes, etc). Again, be careful about using vending machines
    
  • coffee substitutes, such as chicory blends or decaffeinated drinks may contain gluten.
    
  • pure instant chicory is gluten free
    
  • drinks: pure cocoa powder is gluten free, but check drinking chocolate because this can contain wheat
    
  • most fizzy drinks are gluten free, but be alert to ‘cloud’ - this can be wheat-based
    
  • most fruit squashes are gluten free, but don’t drink the ‘fruit and barley’ squashes.
    
  • avoid malted drinks (because of the barley malt)
    
  • cider, sherry, port and liqueurs are gluten free. Some fortified wines and sherry may contain caramel colour, which may be derived from wheat starch, but doesn’t contain detectable gluten, and is considered to be gluten free
    
  • wine should be gluten free, whether still, fizzy, sweet or dry, but we have had reports that some Australian wines are treated with hydrolysed wheat gluten as part of the fining process. Again, the level of gluten is not detectable in the final product, and it is considered to be gluten free
    
  • spirits are gluten free as long as no gluten product is added after distillation. Be careful of cocktails, which may have a gluten-containing product in them
    

Warnings

• Several types of "alternative" grains often found in breads and other products from health food stores are actually varieties or hybrids of wheat plants. These include teff, spelt, bulgur, couscous, durum, semolina, kamut, and triticale.
  
• In order to survive as glutenfree, you have to:
  
  • Be brave - and optimistic. It will be difficult, but you will feel better as your intestine heals. Don't worry if this appears to take a long time - in the most severe of cases, the gut is fully better within 2 years.
    
  • Clear out some cupboard space, dedicated for your gluten free products. Ideally, a whole cupboard should be mde gluten-free; if this is impracticable, then use the highest shelf or shelves in a cupboard, in order to minimise contamination.
    
  • Join the local support organisation, even if you’re not a natural joiner. Here in the Turkey, go to my website: http://www.colyak.web.tr , for advice, tips and other helpful material. It's in Turkish, but if you click on Celiac Tutkiye you can get information in English or send me an email. Use an Internet Search Engine to find your local organisation.
    
  • Read every label.
    
  • Learn as much as you can - even if you end up knowing more than the local doctor does:))
    
  • Find other people in the same situation. It is a great source of support.
    
  • Don’t ever be persuaded by people saying “just one [cream cake, doughnut, slice of quiche] won’t hurt”. It will, even if you can’t feel any difference. It will be eating away at your small intestine, and set your recovery back. Don’t do it.
    
  • Do be prepared to explain it often, and sometimes over and over again. No - it's not a fad, yes - it's a medical requirement, no - it will not go away.
    
  • Be prepared to be pushy - you will have to ask what is in dishes, and double-check if necessary. From now on, there'll be no secret ingredients in your aunt's delicious dishes! But do be polite. You don’t want someone just to pick the croutons out of your portion of soup and give you the same bowl again! ..Or never again to invite you to dinner!
    
  • Read every label again. Sometimes manufacturers change the recipes of your trusted favourites, so don’t assume it will be OK.
    
  • Do avoid cross-contamination. Some people set up dedicated ‘areas’ for gluten free preparation - with dedicated chopping boards, knives, pans etc. Even if you don’t go this far, do think about a dedicated toaster (or buy lots of foil for the grillpan), your own breadbin and even your own pots of butter, jam etc. It only takes someone to dip a knife with gluten crumbs into the butter for you to spend the night in the bathroom...or the month.
    
  • Do look forward to festivities and celebrations. Plan ahead - what will you eat?
    
  • Consider travelling and days out - an emergency travel pack of gluten free snacks - eg popcorn - can be invaluable, especially if it is a gluten free child you are travelling with!
    
  • Don’t forget drinks - these can contain gluten too, whether they are alcoholic or soft drinks. Be careful.
    
  • Praise your significant other/parents/siblings/friends etc for getting your meal right, when it happens, but do make a fuss when you're contaminated - otherwise, it'll become a regular occurence, and they won't learn.
    
  • Don't give up - remember your favourite chocolate cake? Well, it's even nicer if you modify the recipe..add more chocolate..then have your cake and eat it (without any painful repercussions)!
    
  • At the end of the year - celebrate! (With something gluten free, obviously).
    

Related wikiHows

• How to Accommodate Vegan and Vegetarian Guests
  
• How to Become a Vegan
  
• How to Be Vegetarian in Non Vegetarian Country
  
• How to Be a Polite Vegan/Vegetarian in Social Situations
  

Sources and Citations

• http://tr.wikihow.com/Glutensiz
  
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac
  
• http://www.colyak.web.tr
  
• http://www.free-from.com/
  
• http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/
  
• http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Glutensiz
  

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