Printable Shopping List

Is there a pocket book that has list gluten free foods that is help full when grocery shopping?

I was just diagnosed with a gluten allergy. I was wondering if there was a book or reference guide to bring along to the store when shopping. A book that has updated products/foods that are gluten free. Also if it could have a list of the hidden ingredients to look out for. I have gone shopping but get overwhelmed. I think if I had a book I could carry along and to look at it would help. Any suggestions?

Public Comments

1. hi welcome to the club. i self diagnosed after noticing my symptoms. no health care here. but ive found that the manufacturers can be really helpful . lays gave me a complete list. fritos and regular lays chips are okay imagine that. i might suggest the yahoo group on celiac or gluten free. there are a few other group sites on the internet too. ive found that kroger will have lots of gf products in the health food section. but the local health food store will have better selection. its really a work in progress for me an i still havent fouund a good substitute for breakfast. you can find tons of recipes on the net and there are some books out there.
2. I don't know of a single book that will tell you what you can and can't have, you're better off learning to read the labels very carefully - some manufacturers change the ingredients from time to time, so a book would very quickly become out-dated anyway. There's a great magazine to subscribe to, called Living Without - it deals with all kinds of food allergies, there are lots of websites for GF foods, and tons of tips for dealing with learning a whole new way of eating. More and more foods are advertising that they are GF, Rice Chex cereal is just one that's not any more expensive than the regular stuff, but there are several GF types that are pretty good. If you have a Whole Foods in your area, they are a freat place to find GF breads, pizza crusts, tortillas, chicken tenders, bagels...even breakfast bars! They also have a list of foods that you can print off of their website that list all the GF foods that they have. Just google "Gluten-Free foods", there's a ton of info out there that will help you. Good luck!
3. Nope! But what you can do is read the labels. Just to help you out though I can post a simple shopping list. I'll post it on my website just for you It'll be under the top link "how to be gluten free" link! http://imceliac.com/?page_id=182
4. I hope your diagnosis leads to a world of health and that you don't get too frustrated in the beginning learning how to shop and support your new diet. The gluten free diet is one of the best things that has happened to me. I will add a list of websites in the source section that I hope are helpful for you. Especially in the beginning the choices are overwhelming and here are some tips to help manage. You can eat all fresh fruits and vegetables and also the canned or frozen ones as long as they haven't had sauces added and the only ingredient is the product you are buying. That simplifies the ingredient list a lot. The same with beef, pork, chicken, fish and other meats. As long as they are fresh nonprocessed you will be fine. Be careful of frozen meats as they usually have something added that may or may not have gluten. For the time being, steer clear of sausages, bacon and luncheon meats until you are comfortable reading labels. You can also eat eggs, milk and most cheeses (just buy cheese blocks or wheels and stay away from the shredded or spreads for now. Blue cheese is questionable so avoid that for now. Add in rice and potatoes for starches as needed. All of that will provide plenty of choices but you will eventually miss something be it pizza, pasta, bread or sweets or some favorite snack. Most things like that can be bought in the gluten free section of the grocery store or Whole Foods, Earth Fare or some health food stores. Walmart also has started having gluten free sections in some stores. Another source for gluten free substitutes are cookbooks from the library, bookstore, Amazon.com but be careful about accumulating books you won't use. A very handy recipe source is the internet. Simply search for gluten free (item you want) and you should get quite a selection. Good luck!!!
5. Here's an article that may help with hidden gluten: Master of Disguise: How Gluten Hides Where You Least Expect It: http://okget.info/about/GlutenHides As for gluten free food. If buying mainstream products (not specialist gluten free food), you MUST check the label of every pack every time you buy, because manufacturers frequently change ingredients without mentioning it on the front of the pack. So, if there's no "gluten free" flash on the front (which you can trust as much as you trust the manufacturer concerned), then you need to check the ingredients label. And if buying 2 of the same thing, check both ingredients lists are the same - this should be pretty easy if you hold the packs side by side. Gluten is only naturally found in wheat, rye, barley, spelt, kamut and triticale, but is often added to processed food for various reasons. Unprocessed meat, fish, cheese bought in a block, eggs, vegetables, fruit, seeds and nuts are all naturally gluten free, as is honey and butter.