Health Library Home>Wellness Centers>Food & Nutrition>Article

Gluten-Free Diet

(Gluten-Restricted Diet)

What Is Gluten?

Gluten is a protein in wheat, barley, rye, and other foods with these items. It can also be found in many nonfoods, such as medicine and lipstick.

Why Should I Follow This Diet?

People with gluten intolerance or celiac disease may have cramping, bloating, gas, and diarrhea when they eat gluten. The only way to treat it is to not eat foods with gluten. This can reverse damage and nutrient problems.

The Basics

Gluten must not be eaten. Any amount can cause harm to the small intestine. Learning how to eat this way can be hard. Gluten is found in many common foods, such as cereals, breads, and pasta.

Gluten is also found in foods you would not expect to have it, such as frozen yogurt, soy sauce, and beer. There are many gluten-free items you can have instead. You can still eat well-balanced foods that you like.

Gluten-Free Eating

Here is a list of foods that you can eat, foods that you should question because they may have gluten, and foods that you should not eat. This is not a full list of all the foods that can or cannot be eaten. Work with a dietitian to learn which foods can be a part of your food plan.

Food	Foods You Can Eat	Foods You Should Question *	Foods You Should Not Eat
Grains and Starchy Vegetables	Amaranth Arrowroot Buckwheat Bean flours (garbanzo, fava, romano) Cassava Corn Flax Kasha Hominy Indian rice grass Jobs tears Mesquite flour Millet Montina Nut flours and meals Pea flour Potatoes, potato flour/starch Quinoa All forms of rice (such as white, brown, jasmine, wild) Sago Sorghum Soy flour Tapioca (manioc, cassava, yucca) Teff Uncontaminated oats ** Yucca	Baked products made with buckwheat (Buckwheat is sometimes blended with wheat flour in baking mixes.) Cereals (may have barley malt flavoring or barley malt extract) Communion wafer French fries Matzo Rice mixes, rice pilaf	Barley Bulgur Chapatti flour Couscous Cracked wheat Dinkel Durum Einkorn Emmer Farina Faro Fu Gluten, gluten flour Graham flour Hydrolyzed wheat protein Kamut Malt Matzo flour/meal Oats (most commercial brands) ** Orzo Panko Rye Seitan Semolina Spelt Triticale Udon Wheat (wheat flour, wheat bran, wheat germ, other wheat products)
Vegetables	All plain fresh, frozen, and canned vegetables	Vegetables in sauce	Breaded vegetables
Fruits	All plain fresh, frozen, and canned fruits	Dried fruits (may be dusted with flour)	Thickened fruits
Milk	Milk, buttermilk, and cream Plain cheese, cream cheese, cottage cheese	Yogurt Cheese sauces and spreads Flavored cheese	Malted milk
Meats and Beans	All plain, fresh meat, poultry, and fish Eggs Legumes Nuts, nut butters (such as peanut butter) Seeds Tofu	Cold cuts, hot dogs, salami, sausage Imitation seafood Flavored tofu Meat marinades and flavorings Seasoned nuts Poultry basted or injected with broth	Breaded meat, poultry, or fish
Oils	Vegetable oils (such as canola and olive) Margarine (choose trans-free margarines)	Mayonnaise
Sweets and Snack Foods	Cakes, cookies, and pastries made from gluten-free flours Corn and rice tortillas Egg custards Gelatin desserts Plain popcorn Plain rice cakes or rice crackers Plain corn chips or corn crackers Whipped toppings	Candy Ice cream, sherbet, sorbet, and popsicles Potato chips Seasoned or flavored snack chips	Chocolate bars and candy that have barley malt flavoring or wheat flour Ice cream made with gluten-containing items (such as cookie dough, brownies) Ice cream cones Icing and frosting
Drinks	Distilled alcoholic drinks (such as rum, gin, whiskey, vodka, wine, and pure liqueurs) Coffee Juices Soft drinks Tea	Cocoa drinks Flavored alcoholic drinks (such as ciders and coolers) Flavored teas and coffees Nondairy soy, rice, potato, and nut beverages	Undistilled alcoholic drinks (such as beer, ale, lager)
Other (Condiments, Baking Ingredients, Soups, Sauces, and Gravies)	Aspartame Baking soda Butter, lard, and shortening Carob chips and carob powder Corn syrup, maple syrup, and sugar (brown, white, and confectioners) Cream of tartar Homemade broths Honey Jams, jellies, marmalade Ketchup Mustard Pure cocoa, baking chocolate, and chocolate chips Plain pickles and relish Pure herbs and spices Pure black pepper Salt Vanilla Vinegars (such as apple, balsamic, cider, distilled white, grape, wine, spirit) Yeast	Baking powder Bouillon cubes Brown rice syrup Gravy and sauces Soups and broths Salad dressings Worcestershire sauce	Malt vinegar Soy sauce Teriyaki sauce

*These are foods that may have gluten. Many of these products have gluten-free versions. Read food labels with care.

**Uncontaminated oats may be eaten in limited amounts. Your care team will tell you whether they are safe for you.

Shopping for Gluten-Free Foods

When shopping for foods, it can be hard to figure out which items are gluten-free. Start by loading up on fresh foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as fruits and vegetables, milk, unprocessed cheese, meat, poultry, fish, eggs, legumes, nuts, and tofu. Then, add gluten-free sources of grain, such as rice, corn tortillas, and grits. These foods should be the staple of your diet. You can then add snack foods, sweets, condiments, and special gluten-free items.

Read food labels with care. In the US and Canada, items must list whether they have common allergens, including wheat.

What About Oats?

Until recently, people with gluten intolerance were told not to eat oats. But recent research shows that uncontaminated oats are well-tolerated when eaten in moderation. Regular, commercial oats are often contaminated with gluten-containing grains. Pure, uncontaminated oats, can be ordered from some companies. Talk to your care team about whether oats are safe for you.

Eating Tips

Focus on foods that are naturally gluten-free, such as fresh produce, fresh meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, milk, nuts, and cooking oils.
Read food labels with care to make sure items do not have gluten.
Ask about ingredients and food preparation when you eat out.
Avoid cross-contamination with gluten-containing products when you prepare foods.
Work with a dietitian to make a gluten-free meal plan.

RESOURCES:

Celiac Disease Foundation
http://www.celiac.org

Eat Right—Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
http://www.eatright.org

CANADIAN RESOURCES:

Canadian Celiac Association
http://www.celiac.ca

Canadian Dietetic Association
http://www.dietitians.ca

REFERENCES:

Celiac disease. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114570/Celiac-disease. Updated July 19, 2018. Accessed June 14, 2019.

Celiac disease. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Disease website. Available at: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/celiac-disease/Pages/facts.aspx. Accessed June 14, 2019.

Wheat. EBSCO Nursing Reference Center website. Available at:https://www.ebscohost.com/nursing/products/nursing-reference-center. Updated April 20, 2018. Accessed June 14, 2019.

Last reviewed June 2019 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Dianne Scheinberg Rishikof MS, RD, LDN Last Updated: 6/14/2019

EBSCO Information Services is fully accredited by URAC. URAC is an independent, nonprofit health care accrediting organization dedicated to promoting health care quality through accreditation, certification and commendation.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

To send comments or feedback to our Editorial Team regarding the content please email us at healthlibrarysupport@ebsco.com. Our Health Library Support team will respond to your email request within 2 business days.