Tips for a Transitioning to a Gluten Free Diet

Transitioning to a gluten-free diet can be a challenge. For some, the change is a medical necessity, as for those suffering from Celiac disease and other intestinal difficulties. For myself, it's a personal choice in an effort to live a healthier lifestyle with Multiple Sclerosis. I had many questions at the start of my gluten free journey. The following is a simple question/answer guide with tips to help you get started with a chosen gluten free lifestyle.*

What is gluten, anyway? Gluten is a mixture of proteins that give grains and other foods the ability to "bind" when cooked or processed. Think glue. Gluten is what gives the grain (wheat, rye, hops, etc.) its elasticity to form bread, muffins and, yes, beer.

Where is gluten hiding in my food? Gluten is naturally abundant. For me, the list of gluten-contained foods, at first, seemed overwhelming. Scott Adams, after creating his own website to help others living with celiac disease, has created one of the most comprehensive lists of "unsafe foods" for the gluten-free diet. I found it helpful to break it down into categories: grains, dairy, alcohol, etc. This became my "no-no" list - the addendum to the grocery store list.

To avoid gluten in processed foods, you must become a food detective; the ingredient label is your new best friend. Plan longer shopping trips in the beginning and take the "no-no" list with you. I also found this a great opportunity to teach food label awareness to the family.

How to find gluten free food and ingredients: The good news? Living a gluten free lifestyle in this century is relatively easier, thanks to recent publicity and public awareness. Kim Painter, USA Today, reports that gluten free living has fast become popular, almost fad-like. Many people, myself included, who are not instructed by a physician to give up gluten, are doing it for other self-reported health reasons. Measuring the economic buzz, more mainstream food companies gladly began manufacturing gluten free products.

Scott Adams also created a "safe foods" list that made shopping for gluten free foods and ingredients so much easier. But he didn't stop there. In 1998, Adams developed, The Gluten-Free Mall, Your Special Diet Superstore!, a great shopping alternative when the local grocery or health food stores carried a small gluten-free selection. To make life even easier, the new Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Guide, has over 30,000 gluten-free products listed.

Find easy, tasty gluten free recipes and cooking tips: With popularity came innovation; the availability of gluten-free recipes is growing every day. Here are some of the better books, magazines, and websites:

Gluten-free Living Magazine - Beautiful layout, filled with tips, information, and great recipes! Reminds me of Gourmet magazine.

Outstanding recipes from Celiac.com. I recommend the Blondie Fruit Bars, courtesy of Jules Shepard.

The Gluten-free Club - Join for free and they will periodically send recipes to your email inbox that are time-tested and reviewed.

Gluten-Free Cooking for Dummies , by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros. Like all other "Dummie" books, this one is a great starter. Includes tips for avoiding cross-contamination in the kitchen.

Gluten-Free Cooking School is an outstanding on-line resource with simple how-to instructions, recipes, product reviews, and more.

Chicago Manual Style (CMS): gluten. Dictionary.com. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gluten (accessed: October 29, 2009).

Adams, Scott. Safe Gluten-Free Food List / Unsafe Foods & Ingredients. 11/29/2007. Celiac.com