Welcome to My Celiac Friend’s Pantry Favorites!

In this section of My Celiac Friend, you’ll find some of the wonderful Gluten Free and Certified Gluten-Free products that stock my pantry and that I use in my everyday life. I hope sharing some of my favorites makes shopping a little easier, especially if you are newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease and are wondering where to start.

Please visit My Friend’s Favorite Resources page to read a little more about the different third party gluten free certifications and what their seals mean. I personally find these additional certifications comforting as I navigate the everyday challenge of staying safe from gluten and cross contact.

You can click on the pantry products I share to learn more about them, look for them at your everyday supermarket, or find them online.

Remember, So Many Foods Are Naturally Gluten Free

A gluten free diet does not have to revolve around packaged foods. Fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, potatoes, eggs, rice, quinoa, buckwheat, nuts, and seeds are all naturally gluten free when they are prepared safely and protected from gluten cross contact.

Just like with any meal, how the food is prepared matters. Always talk to the person preparing your food and let them know that you have Celiac Disease and cannot have gluten or food that has come into contact with gluten.

Gluten can be found in wheat, rye, barley, malt, brewer’s yeast, triticale, which is a hybrid of wheat and rye, and oats that are not appropriately gluten free.

If You Are Newly Diagnosed

If you have recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, please see a physician or other qualified healthcare professional who can check your labs and continue to follow you over time. Your doctor or practitioner can monitor your labs throughout your journey to make sure you are getting proper nutrition and determine whether you may need supplementation.

This is something that can be easy to overlook when you are first diagnosed because so much of your attention is focused on figuring out what you can and cannot eat.

Always Check the Label

The pantry items I share may be Gluten Free or Certified Gluten Free when I recommend them, but please always double check the package before purchasing or eating them. Products, ingredients, labels, and manufacturing practices can change over time.

Make sure the Gluten Free label or certification you are expecting is still there and take another look at the ingredients, even if it is a product you have purchased many times before.

Lastly, check in with yourself. How do I feel after eating this?

The FDA requires foods labeled gluten free to contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten, but we are all individuals. If something does not feel right to you, listen to your body and do not continue eating that product simply because there is a Gluten Free label on the package.

Living with Celiac Disease means learning, checking, asking questions, and finding the foods that you feel comfortable bringing into your own home. I hope the products and resources I share here make that process a little easier.

Many of the Morton & Basset Spices are NSF GF Certified  NOT all!  Always check the back of the package for the NSF label.

Many Republic of Tea Teas are GFCO Certified. Always look for the GFCO label on the back of the package to confirm.  The representative I reached out to stated:  "Every one of our great tasting, premium teas and herbs are gluten free. The Republic of Tea was the first tea company permitted to include the Gluten-Free Certification Organization's certification mark on our signature packaging. Citizens can identify the mark on the label and sip with confidence, knowing the tea is gluten free. Please follow the link to learn more.

http://www.republicoftea.com/gluten-free-tea/c/glutenfree/ 

Certified GF means that there is a seal of approval for 20ppms or less of gluten as per FDA.  For companies to place a gluten-free logo they have to follow the FDA's protocol, many with Celiac disease may feel better at lower levels of ppms and would prefer further certifications.  Below I named additional third-party companies that certify products 15ppms, 10ppm, and 5 ppms or under.   These products with gray/white background are Gluten Free per FDA recommendations unless you see those other official certified gluten-free logos and seals we do not know exactly how many ppms, just that it is under 20ppm.

             Naturally Gluten-Free Food    

Gluten can be found in spices, marinades,  sauces, soups, or unintentionally added through cross-contamination and/or in cooking practices. When a meal is to be prepared check in with the chef first. Inform them of your dietary restriction to gluten-found wheat, rye, barley, brewer's yeast, malt, triticale (a hybrid of wheat and rye), and oats that are not pure.