Jack's House - Dining : Gluten Free Foundation

Congratulations on choosing to feel well again by eating a gluten free diet! This page is meant to provide basic information about gluten free living and how to eat gluten free while dining at home. Eating gluten free at home may seem like a daunting task. After learning just a little about eating gluten free, you'll be able to prepare delicious gluten free meals without much trouble at all. The tables above provide examples of items you can eat without having to purchase any specialty gluten free foods.

What is a standard rule of thumb for eating gluten free without knowing much about the diet?

Note to restaurants, schools, caregivers and people preparing gluten free meals.

Common mistakes

See also: Helpful Tips and Substitutes and Blog (tips and recipes)

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"Mom Cooks

Gluten Free” Blog

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Quick Reference Guide:

Always Safe		Be Cautious Of		Avoid Completely
Fruits Vegetables (fresh, frozen, canned) Legumes/Beans Milk, Buttermilk, Cream American cheese, Velveeta cheese Aged cheeses (cheddar, swiss, parmesan) Meat (no grain additives) Poultry Fish Shellfish Potatoes Rice and risotto Canola, olive, grape seed oils Nuts Coffee/Tea Soybeans Flax Millet Montina Teff Tapioca Flour Buckwheat Flour Millet Flour Arrowroot Flour Carob Aramanth flour Quinoa flour Distilled white vinegar Starch Maltodextrin (not from wheat starch) Vinegar and alcohol (not beer, ale, gin or whiskey) 100% organic maple syrup Cornmeal All Natural Peanut butter Gelatin Organic Jelly Honey Organic Molassass Olives Pickels Relish Coca Cola products (except root beer) Wines Fruit juices		Spices Curry Soy Sauce Marinades Natural flavoring Artifical flavoring Caramel coloring Syrup Dyes and food coloring Mustard Toothpaste Medications Vegetable Protein Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) Malt (unless made from corn) Modified Food Starch Vegetable gum Hydrolyzed Plant Protein Emulsifiers Stabilizers Hot dogs Canned meats Deli meat Baking powder Imitation vanilla Vanillin Yogurt with dyes Tofu Ketchup Candy Communion wafers Immitation seafood/crab meat Seasoning and spice blends Malt/Malt extract/flavoring Dextrin Lipstick/Lip balm, lip gloss Play Dough Stamp and envelope glues Tea bag glue		Wheat Wheat Bran Wheat Starch Wheat Germ Flour/Meal Bulgar Couscous Eikorn Rye Barley Barley Malt Extract Filler Graham Flour Kamut Matzo Emmer Faro Triticale Spelt Semolina Duram flour Malt Vinegar Oats (unless certified GF) Beer (unless GF) Ale Gin Whiskey

Quick meal ideas with every day foods: (abbrieviated list)

Breakfast		Lunch		Dinner
Fruit Eggs Yoplait Yogurt Fresh fruit and juice smoothies Fruit juice Green tea Coffee Vans Gluten Free Blueberry Waffles		Garden salad Baked potato Tuna Beans and cheese Corn tortillas Cheeseburgers (no bun) Turkey and cheese roll-ups Chicken salad		Fish Steak Chicken Rice/Risotto Green beans and almonds Chicken and veggie ka-bobs Grilled salmon and corn on the cob Boiled shrimp

Every day food suggestions to accompany your meals: Always read labels.

Condiments		Dessert		Snacks
La Choy Soy Sauce (it's GF) Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Sauce Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo Relish, pickels Butter, Sour Cream Jelly Olive oil and red wine vinegar		Ice Cream (no cookies or brownie bits) Fruit Gelatin with fruit Sherbert Pudding Real fruit popsicles M&Ms, Snickers bar, or Hershey Bar		Corn chips Vegetables Fruit Popcorn Celery and peanut butter Nuts Raisins

What is a standard rule of thumb for eating gluten free without knowing much about the diet?

Eat fresh food and avoid pre-packaged items. Many items come gluten free naturally. It's when you add spices, sauces and seasoning or buy pre-packaged food things become more complicated. Organic and natural foods are a great place to start. Many companies go to great lengths to make sure their organic products do not contain allergens.

Note to restaurants, schools, caregivers and people preparing gluten free meals:

Cross-contamination is a critical gluten free element to be aware of. Gluten free food must be prepared away from any foods containing gluten. Gluten free bread cannot be cut with a knife that cut bread with gluten. The same goes for all cutting surfaces and food preparation areas. The smallest amount of gluten can make someone with celiac disease extremely ill. Please see suggestions for "Food Providers" under the Helpful Tips link for detailed information.

Common mistakes:

-Serving gluten free crackers, bread or cookies on a platter with crackers, bread or cookies containing gluten.

-Frying gluten free french fries in oil that has also fried gluten-breaded chicken or fish

-Not using a gluten free dedicated preparing surface and dedicated cooking utensils

-Making a terrific gluten free meal and then adding a sauce, spice or dressing that contains gluten

-Lack of gluten free accommodations

-Not reading labels

See "Helpful Tips, Substitutes and our blog site for menu ideas, recipes and resources for specialty gluten free products. For a current list of gluten free products that are mainstream, check out Gluten Free Info.

Disclaimer: All of the information on this page is meant to provide guidance regarding eating gluten free. This information does not replace professional or medical advice. If you feel you should be eating gluten free due to a physical ailment, please seek the advice of your physician first.

*Please see legal disclaimer. All products listed are gluten free, per manufacturer at the time of this post. Please always check with the manufacturer prior to purchasing and/or consuming their products.