Gluten Free Info for Lucas and I

I have had a lot of requests for info on my gluten free diet lately so I wanted to put something together for friends and family who are interested in helping out when Nathan arrives. Lucas also finally had his celiac testing done and he does have the gene for the disease, so we have to keep him on a gluten free diet as well. Poor Ryan is the minority in our house now!

Here is some basic information:


First of all, here is what we CAN eat:

• Fresh meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated)
• Most dairy products (check yogurts and dairy drinks for other ingredients)
  
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Rice (except for rice pilaf or most boxed rice mixes)
  
• Potatoes
• Gluten free flours (rice, soy, corn, potato)
• Gluten free pasta such as rice pasta sold at Lassens, trader joes, and other health food stores
• Corn - corn tortillas, corn chips, polenta
• Beans and Legumes
  

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We cannot eat wheat, rye, oats or barley. There are many forms of these grains and they are listed below.

• Wheat
• Barley
• Rye
• Farina
• Graham flour
• Semolina
• Durham
• Bulgur
• Kamut
• Kasha
• Matzo meal
• Oats
  
• Spelt (a form of wheat)
• Triticale

Wheat is the tricky ingredient here, it can be found in many foods that you would not suspect it. Here are the common foods to avoid:

• Breads
• Cereals
• Crackers
• Croutons
• Pasta
• Cookies
• Cakes and pies
• Soups
• Gravies
• Sauces (including soy sauce)
• Salad dressings
• Beer
• Candy
• Imitation meat or seafood
• Processed luncheon meats
• Self-basting poultry

Gluten can also be hidden in many food additives and other items, here are a few more things to avoid:

• Food additives, such as malt or malt flavoring, modified food starch, hydrolyzed vegetable protein
  
• Medications and vitamins that use gluten as a binding agent
• Lipstick and lip balms
• Toothpaste
• Postage stamps
• Play dough

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For more info.....

On what local restaurants have gluten free food:
http://www.venturaceliac.org/restaurants.htm

On the gluten free diet:
http://www.celiac.org/