Gluten-Free Diet Guidelines for Celiac Disease

Safe (and Unsafe) Grains for a Gluten-Free Diet

A gluten-free diet is critical for people with celiac disease, because eating gluten causes the body's immune system to attack and damage the small intestine. Presently, the gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. That means no wheat, barley, rye -- and for the most part, no oats, either, because oats are usually (but not always) cross-contaminated with gluten from these other grains. All derivatives of these grains must also be avoided. Learning to cope with the gluten-free diet is difficult –- not only because many staples of a normal diet must be given up, but also because gluten lurks as a hidden ingredient in many products. Patients and their families must learn special guidelines for shopping, food preparation, and dining out.

Manufacturers are presently not required to specify gluten in their lists of ingredients. Below is a table that lists grains that are safe, and grain products to avoid. If you wish, you can print this table of grain guidelines and take it to the supermarket with you.

In all cases, the bottom line is: If you don't know exactly what an ingredient is and what it's derived from, don't take a chance on it.

_Sources:

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Celiac Disease Awareness Campaign.

Horvath K, Cureton P, and The Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation Celiac Campaign Scientific Advisory Board. Gluten-Free Diet Guide for Families.North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), Flourtown, PA.

Lowell JP. Against the Grain. Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1995.

Hagman B. The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well Without Wheat. Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1990.

Gluten-Free Grains and Starches
Amaranth Arrowroot Buckwheat Chickpeas (Garbanzos) Corn Flax Flours from nuts/beans/seeds Millet Potato starch or flour Quinoa Rice (and rice bran/flour) Sago Sorghum Soy (but not most soy sauce) Tapioca Teff
Grains/Grain Products to Avoid	Also Beware of These
Barley Barley malt/extract Bran Bulgur Couscous Durum Farina Faro Kamut Malt Matzo flour/meal Orzo Panko Rye Seitan Semolina Spelt Triticale Udon Wheat Wheat bran / germ / starch	Ales Artificial Colors Artificial Flavors Beer Breading Brown rice syrup Coating mix Communion wafers Condiments Croutons Candy Food Starch / Modified Food Starch Luncheon/Deli Meats Marinades Maltose Maltodextrin Medications Mustard Natural Flavors Oats Salad dressings Sauces Soups / broths Stuffing Soy Sauce Thickeners Vitamins / Mineral and herbal supplements Lipstick, Gloss and Balms Play Doh Envelope Glue