Things You Can and Can’t Eat On A Gluten-Free Diet

Finding out you suffer from a gluten allergy can be a frustrating time in your life - especially if food is one of your passions. You probably think you’ll be destined for a life of boring and plain foods that leave your taste buds depressed, and a stressful road ahead that sees you struggling to separate the ‘good’ foods from the ‘bad’. We’re here to tell you that’s not the case! By checking out our guidelines below, knowing what you can and can’t eat will be easy, and you’ll discover that a gluten-free diet doesn’t have to be a burden.

The bad stuff

Let’s set the scene - next time you’re offered cake, pizza, bread, beer, pasta, confectionery or hot chips, you need to say no. That’s because gluten is rife throughout these products, and unless it’s been specifically identified as ‘gluten-free’, you can basically guarantee it will make you sick. Remember, anything with wheat, rye, barley or oats will contain gluten, and should be avoided. Always check the labels for any of these ingredients, and ask waiters to do it for you at restaurants. (Don’t be concerned with making their lives hard, they’d much rather know and not risk the consequences!)

The naturally good stuff

You may be surprised to learn that you already eat lots of products which naturally do not contain gluten. Think eggs, meat, plain milk, fruit, vegetables, nuts, plain rice - and for caffeine addicts, rest easy because tea and coffee is completely safe. You should start incorporating foods and drinks like these into your diet as much as possible, and use gluten-free recipes to spice the meals up.

The artificially good stuff

If you shed a tear over the fact that bread, confectionery, pasta and cake was included in the bad list, don’t get too ahead of yourself. We live in an age where human beings have learned to adapt to pretty much every curve ball thrown our way - so yes, you can have your cake and eat it too. Visit a gluten-free store or section of the supermarket and you’ll find all of the above made in a special gluten-free recipe.

Celiac disease sufferers are blessed to live in the age that we do, because in the 21^st century being allergic to gluten really won’t have a huge effect. Doctors and dieticians will tell you what types of foods that you can and can’t eat, and thanks to a combination of science and culinary expertise, all those delicious foods you simply can’t resist will more often than not come in a gluten-free form.