Submitted by Greg Cannon (MS, RD, LD/N) of the Melbourne campus of Keiser University

The month of May is Celiac Awareness month. Those with Celiac disease must abide by a strict gluten-free diet to prevent serious deleterious health conditions, as it is the only evidence based treatment currently accepted and available to those with CD. But what is a gluten-free diet? What does the diet allow, and what does is forbid? A gluten-free diet eliminates all wheat, barley and rye from ones diet. Some examples of wheat containing foods include breads, many cereals, crackers, cakes/cookies, pancakes, pizzas, pretzels and anything made with flour, (whole wheat and white). This includes wheat’s such as couscous, bulgur (found in the Mediterranean salad tabouli) and semolina in pasta.  Barely is often found in soups and beer, while rye is often found in breads (rye and pumpernickel), crackers, and beer. Oats may or may not be gluten free as many oats are processed in factories that also process gluten containing grains, and thus there is the possibility for cross-contamination. Mixed processed foods may contain gluten as a preservative, binder, texture agent or any number of fillers. Some food items may contain gluten even when the ingredient list does not specifically state wheat, barely or rye. These can include beer, brown rice syrup, candy, cold cuts and hot dogs, gravies and sauces, malt containing foods/drinks, soy sauce and communion wafers. It is always important to check the ingredient list and contact the manufacturer if there is any question whether the food item is gluten-free or not. You can also look for the “Certified Gluten-Free” or “GF” mark on products to ensure they are in fact gluten-free.

Some common, starchy food alternatives to gluten containing foods include beans, chick peas, rice, corn, quinoa, potatoes and nuts such as almonds. In fact, many of these can be made into flours, which can be used in a variety of foods baked goods recipes like breads, pancakes, muffins, cakes etc… The most common flours used for gluten-free baking are soy flour, rice flour, almond flour, amaranth flour, arrowroot flour and chick pea flour. Each flour has unique properties when used in baking; test them out and see which one you think is the best!