Gluten-free diets are not just for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease, it is for everyone who wants to try it to have a healthier diet. A lot of people avoid gluten because of the health benefits that cutting out gluten has, like reducing inflammation in the body.
Gluten is actually a protein in wheat, barley, and rye, not the grains themselves. Contrary to some people’s belief, oats are gluten-free, so no need to worry there! Although it is said that gluten is the problem for either general health or celiac disease, that is not entirely true. It is actually the pesticides that are sprayed on these grains that cause the reaction to gluten for people with an intolerance or with celiac disease. Aside from that, the pesticides are unhealthy for anyone, so I encourage you all to get all-natural foods.
Some obvious foods to avoid are wheat-based cereals, wheat bread, noodles, wheat flour, and most gummy candies. Less obvious foods that you would not think would have gluten in them are some types of soups, especially soups from the Campbell’s brand. Typically, wheat can be used as a thickener in soup, so be sure to read the ingredients list in everything you get!
As for meats, you would think they’d all be gluten-free right? Well, that is not the case. Most meats generally are gluten-free, however some of them are seasoned with spices that are not gluten-free. You need to be careful of seasonings and sauces! One sauce that I know definitely has gluten in it is soy sauce.
There are some specific things you need to do as gluten-free food will not keep as long as regular foods will. For gluten-free bread, put it in the fridge or freezer. Freezing it will allow it to last much longer than putting it in the fridge or pantry but if you are going to be using the bread frequently then I would suggest to keep it in the fridge so you do not have to constantly defrost your bread. I also recommend that you keep gluten-free items on the top shelf of your pantry, refrigerator and freezer to prevent crumbs of gluten-containing items from falling into gluten-free foods.
Of course, there are things that are indeed naturally gluten-free. For example, fruits and vegetables, beans, seeds, unprocessed nuts, unprocessed meats, and surprisingly enough, cheerios, whether they be honey nut or original, are gluten-free as well. There are a lot more naturally gluten-free foods out there; these are just the ones I chose to list off.
