The List of Gluten Free Foods is a Long One
If you have an allergic reaction to gluten, you might find this list of gluten free foods helpful. Gluten is a protein found in certain grains, primarily barley, rye and wheat. Obviously, if a gluten free diet is your goal, you won’t want to include food items containing, or based upon, one of these grains. Unfortunately, this is going to put many breads, other baked foods, and cereals, off limits. Even oats are a possible source of gluten, although this has yet to be definitely proven. The list of forbidden items even includes malt, as in beer. And then there are all those processed foods, where it’s difficult to tell whether gluten is present or not.
The question is, can a list of gluten free foods contain anything good at all? The answer is, of course. For one thing, there is gluten free flour on the market, so you can still have pasta dishes, pancakes, and a fair assortment of baked goods. More importantly, the list of these foods is much longer, and in fact much healthier, than any list of foods containing gluten. The main things you are missing is, are whole grained food items which, while healthy for most, are not good for you.
Let’s then get to the point, and take a look at a list of gluten free foods. For starters, and good sources of protein, we have fresh meat, fish, and poultry. Note the word fresh. Some processed foods, especially meat products such as sausage, potentially contain gluten, which may be present in some binders. The same would be true for meat, fish, or poultry that is breaded. But fresh products are fine.
Dairy products is another group you can have on your list. Milk, eggs, and cheese are fine, though you should avoid certain processed dairy products such as cheese spreads. Cottage cheese should be fine however, and the same is true for yogurt. Crackers made from rice or corn will be gluten free, and you can stock your shelves with rice cereals, popcorn and corn tortillas.
Best of all, the list of gluten free foods includes nearly all the fruits, nuts, and fresh vegetables you could think of. Everything from apples, pears, and cherries, to carrots, beans, peas, and spinach, and just about everything else you’ll find in the garden, or at the farmer’s market, can go on your list. Again there is the cautionary note that you need to be careful about processed foods, even if they are fruit or vegetable based. Processed foods may contain fillers, binders, or additives, which are not gluten free. Processed foods are generally not as healthy as fresh foods anyway, so you’re not missing out on much. In summary, between fresh meats, fish and poultry, dairy foods, and fresh fruits, vegetables and nuts, supplemented with gluten free flours and gluten-free baked goods, you can choose from a very large selection of tasty and healthy foods.
