How to Go Gluten-Free

Before you can start the gluten-free diet, you need to clean out your kitchen and get rid of everything you no longer can eat. Get rid of all baking mixes, segregate or give away other gluten-containing products, and get yourself some new condiments. Donate unopened packages, jars and cans to a food bank or given them to a friend.

Since it's possible to get symptoms from the tiniest morsel of gluten, you'll need a new toaster. You'll also need new plastic and wooden utensils and non-stick pans, if you use them. (See more on that in Equipping Your Gluten-Free Kitchen).

For some people, this is a difficult, emotional process — you may find yourself mourning the foods you used to enjoy. If that's the case, it can help to focus on the positive effect the gluten-free diet will have on your health.

Many people think they simply need to drop wheat from their diets — or even just bread — in order to go gluten-free. But it's unfortunately a lot more complicated than that.

Gluten appears in foods ranging from soups to sauces, and it's not always obvious from the ingredients. (Here's some more information on What Foods Contain Gluten?)

To avoid making mistakes, I strongly recommend you limit your diet to unprocessed foods at first. Fresh fruits and vegetables don't contain gluten, nor do fresh meat, poultry and fish.

Eat as simply as you can, using only fresh herbs, salt and pepper to season your foods. Try grains such as corn in moderation, and don't introduce packaged foods — including those labeled "gluten-free" — until you have a better feel for the diet and how it affects your system.

Here's a list of gluten-free foods that gives plenty of detail on what's safe and what's not.

Foods clearly labeled "gluten-free" represent the best way to start expanding your gluten-free diet.

Manufacturers aren't required to label foods "gluten-free," but many do. You can find everything from gluten-free breads to pizzas and frozen waffles, and even gluten-free beer.

Just be careful not to go overboard with the gluten-free-labeled products, since many people find they experience renewed gluten symptoms when they eat too much of these products.

In some cases, symptoms could result from unhealed damage in your intestines. However, it's also possible you're reacting to tiny amounts of gluten present in the foods, since most foods labeled "gluten-free" still contain some gluten. If you don't feel well, cut back on these products. You may also want to check out this article: How Much Gluten Can Make Me Sick? It's often a lot less than you think!

To really expand your diet — and to figure out which of your old favorites you might be able to include — you'll need to learn to find gluten on food labels.

In fact, you'll probably become a bit of a detective, learning to search for the meaning of various terms you'll find on different products. You'll also get quite an education on the different ingredients that make up processed foods.

Just remember: Manufacturers can label something "gluten-free," but food labeling laws do not require disclosure of gluten-containing ingredients on food labels. In addition, wheat-free does not equal gluten-free, so don't be fooled by foods labeled "wheat-free" — they're probably not safe.

If you have an iPhone, you might want to consider getting one of the various gluten-free iPhone apps to help guide your choices on processed food products and ingredients.

Several apps provide lists of gluten-free products you can access while you are in the grocery store. A subscription-based app lets you scan a product's UPC code to determine if it's gluten-free or not.

If grocery shopping seems too difficult, you also can find apps that will help guide you to the nearest restaurant with a gluten-free menu. Prices are all pretty reasonable — $1.99 and up.

You'd probably think you should focus on making your kitchen gluten-free ... and you'd be right, at least at first. But as you get more skilled in following the gluten-free diet, you should consider removing sources of gluten that lurk elsewhere in your home.

For example, many hair products contain gluten. If you've ever gotten shampoo in your mouth in the shower, or if you touch your hair and then your mouth, you should consider getting gluten-free shampoo and other hair products. Also, check out your toothpaste and make sure it's on the list of gluten-free toothpaste options.

Cosmetics and prescription medications also frequently contain gluten, and can cause major symptoms if you're not careful. Even art supplies and common household building materials can contain gluten — I've been badly glutened several times by drywall dust.

Here are some more tips on making the rest of your home gluten-free.

Once you go gluten-free, it's likely that friends and relatives may try to cook for you. Don't let them — realistically, unless you trust that person to avoid all gluten ingredients and cross contamination (i.e., unless they're also eating gluten-free or they hold professional chef or dietitian credentials), you're better off bringing your own food to social events. As you know by now, this diet has a ridiculously steep learning curve — it's not something a friend can master overnight.

I started bringing my own food to social gatherings years ago, and I've found it allows me to focus on the company rather than on my fears of getting glutened. If you want, bring a dish to share, but fill your plate first, since cross contamination from other guests can be a risk.

You can find additional tips (and some emotional support for this, since it's really hard to manage!) in my article on gluten-free food made by friends or relatives.

Until you feel confident following the gluten-free diet — and ideally until any symptoms have largely disappeared — you should stay far away from restaurants.

But once you have a better idea of how to eat gluten-free and where gluten can hide, restaurant dining won't present as much of a challenge.

Gluten-free restaurant dining can be tricky — many servers and even some chefs aren't very familiar with the gluten-free diet, and mistakes are pretty common.

Initially, you may want to stick with restaurants that have gluten-free menus, since they're likely to have spent time on staff education. Still, be careful letting your guard down — take a look at my article on How to Dine Out Gluten-Free for more tips and advice.

You also can try gluten-free fast food options — just be aware that you'll risk more cross contamination at a fast food chain.

You'll absolutely make mistakes as you learn to navigate the gluten-free diet, and you'll probably pay the price for them in terms of a day (or two, or three) of symptoms. Unfortunately, once you go gluten-free, your body will be primed to make a big deal out of any little bit of gluten you consume.

It will take some time — months, probably — to learn your individual level of tolerance for gluten cross contamination, and what you can eat without getting symptoms. I've been doing this for nearly 10 years, and I still make mistakes sometimes.

It's tempting to beat yourself up for those mistakes mentally — especially if you're miserable physically. I've done that plenty of times myself, too. But if you can manage it, try to view them as a learning opportunity, and focus on avoiding making that same mistake twice.

If you're wondering what it feels like to get glutened, this article explains: What Does A Glutening Feel Like?. And if (when) you do get glutened, here's some tips to help you recover more quickly: Coping with Glutenings: What Works and What Doesn't?.