Gluten Free Basics

IMPORTANT - DO NOT begin a gluten free diet prior to being tested for Celiac Disease. In order to get an accurate test result, you must still be consuming gluten. Starting a gluten free diet prior to testing may produce a false negative.

HELPFUL HINTS		Click here for Menus

	Avoid Contamination:
		Use squirt bottles for mayo, mustard, jelly, etc. to avoid contamination.
		Mark GF containers with "GF" on the lid and nonGF item or contaminated food items with "NGF".
		Be sure to use a dedicated toaster for GF foods only or buy toaster bags.
		Clean out silverware drawers. These are great crumb collectors.
		Replace your old wooden spoons and cutting boards. They can hold hidden gluten
		Replace old Teflon pans. The surface is porous and can hold gluten.
		Use disposable dish rags/sponges.
		Use separate strainers and cooking utensils when cooking nonGF and GF pasta at the same time.
		Clean food prep areas.

	Organize and Simplify:
		When purchasing bread, divide loaf into 2 slice sections, putting these into baggies and then back into the larger bag before freezing.
		Dedicate shelves and cabinets in your kitchen and refrigerator to "gluten free food only" sections.
		When cooking, make extra and freeze individual meals in plastic containers.
		When you discover a favorite recipe, make several Ziploc bags of the dry ingredients for future use.

	Gluten Isn't Always Obvious:
	Be sure to check all medications. Generics not made in the US are most likely to contain gluten.
	Ask your dentist if the cleaning and other products he will use are gluten free. Many dental products are not.

	While gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin, be aware of anything that may accidentally get into your mouth like:
		Hand Lotion (biting fingernails)
		Lip Products (licking lips, etc)
		Shampoos and Hair Sprays (running down face into mouth, breathing in spray)
		Play Dough (or anything that might coat kids’ hands)

	REMEMBER While all this may seem overwhelming, you do have help available to you. Here are some meal suggestions to help you get started. These menus include just the basics. There are a lot more choices out there to make your new eating lifestyle easier. Come to a support group meeting for more options. If you don't live close enough to attend meetings, visit our Ventura County Celiac Bulletin Board, right here on this website! This is a special board where you can post questions, recipes, and get to know other celiacs.

BREAKFAST MENUS	Click here for Lunch Menus
Fresh fruit, orange Bob's Red Mill or Pamela's Baking Mix for pancakes Johnsonville sausage patties or links - except brown sugar and honey flavor GF syrup GF juice Carnation Instant Breakfast (vanilla, chocolate or strawberry) in Silk Soy milk or regular milk Hard boiled egg Fresh fruit, orange Eggs Oscar Mayer bacon Ore Ida or fresh hash browns Kinnikinnick Bread GF butter or margarine/jelly Fresh fruit, apple GF juice Tapioca Bread, or Quaker or Lundberg Rice Cakes with GF peanut butter and GF jelly Yoplait or Silk Soy yogurt (no granola) French Toast using Ener-G Tapioca Bread GF syrup, sugar or powdered sugar Fresh fruit, strawberries or banana Nabisco or Lundberg Cream of Rice cereal Dole or Sun Maid Raisins Kinnikinnick Bread, toasted Brown sugar and cinnamon Bob's Red Mill Mighty Tasty Gluten Free Hot Cereal with sugar and milk Van's frozen GF waffle with GF jelly Fresh fruit, pear Cheese Fresh fruit, grapes Rice Twice or Nature's Path Envirokids cereal Silk Soy or regular milk Coffees All Folgers All Hills Brothers Juices All Libby Juice All Minute Maid 100% Juices Welch's 100% Juices
LUNCH MENUS	Click here for Dinner Menus
Lettuce with assorted vegetables and GF salad dressing Baked potato topped with GF butter, GF sour cream, and Pace salsa Fruit juice Plain rice topped with frozen vegetables and GF soy sauce Grilled/microwaved chicken breast seasoned with McCormick's spices Fresh fruit Plain white or brown rice mixed with egg, peas, corn and seasoned with cilantro Hormel Vienna Sausage Del Monte peaches or fresh fruit salad Hormel Chili with Beans Mission corn tortilla chips Celery and carrot sticks Fruit juice Gorton's frozen grilled fish(Italian Herb or Lemon Pepper) Diced tomatoes and onions over Italian green beans Cantaloupe Delimex cheese, chicken, or beef taquitos Pace salsa Orange V8 juice Salad with assorted vegetables and GF salad dressing Chicken of the Sea or Starkist tuna, or grilled fresh chicken breast Fresh fruit or Del Monte canned pears Chicken quesadilla made with Piñata or Mission Corn Tortilla, GF shredded cheese and Hormel canned chicken. Pace salsa GF sour cream Fruit juice Healthy Choice Country Vegetable Soup Quaker or Lundberg Rice Cake with GF peanut butter and honey Fresh fruit Chili Dog made with Piñata corn tortilla shell and topped with Ballpark or Oscar Meyer hot dog and Hormel Chili with Beans Lays Stackers Fruit juice Meatloaf made with GF corn flakes Baked potato topped with GF butter, GF sour cream, and Pace salsa Banana Carl Budding or Hillshire Farms lunch meats or fresh hamburger/cheeseburger wrapped in a large lettuce leaf Prairie Farms cottage cheese and Del Monte canned fruit Amy's frozen microwavable meals (make sure box says 'Gluten Free') Fruit Healthy Choice Split Pea and Ham Soup Grilled cheese sandwich made with GF butter, Borden's or Kraft cheese slices and Ener-G Tapioca Bread
DINNER MENUS	Click here for Snacks & Desserts
Tinkyada brand pasta Del Monte spaghetti sauce (without meat) Kraft Parmesan Cheese Lettuce salad with fresh vegetables GF salad dressing Steamed broccoli Baked pork chop Brown rice or plain white rice Steamed carrots/broccoli/cauliflower GF soy sauce (optional) Taco Night Old El Paso corn taco shells Fresh favorite ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken) cooked with McCormicks seasoning Old El Paso refried beans Old El Paso salsa Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions Kraft cheese or regular Velveeta cheese, melted GF sour cream Rice cooked with frozen corn and diced tomatoes Fresh hamburger mixed with fresh chopped onion, GF BBQ sauce or Heinz ketchup and ground mustard formed in patty and fried or grilled Fresh mashed potatoes Steamed carrots Grilled, fresh ground hamburger patty wrapped in Roma Lettuce leaf for sandwich Fresh tomato slices Baked fresh potato wedges seasoned McCormick pure spices GF ketchup Carrot/celery sticks Grapes Baked fresh chicken breast Plain wild rice Steamed green beans Sliced peaches Dinty Moore Beef Stew Lettuce salad with fresh vegetables GF salad dressing Plain white rice Baked fresh cod fish Baked potato stuffed with fresh steamed broccoli, Regular Velveeta cheese, melted Fresh crumbled Oscar Meyer bacon, chopped green onion, GF sour cream, GF butter Old El Paso corn taco shells stuffed with scrambled eggs, ham and Kraft cheese Pace or Old El Paso salsa, optional Fried cubed potatoes (in Crisco or Mazola Oil) Steamed frozen corn Stir-fry fresh meat (sirloin, chicken) and fresh vegetables with GF soy sauce Plain white rice Roast beef seasoned with salt and pepper Boiled potatoes, carrots, celery EnerG Tapioca Bread, toasted Lettuce salad with fresh vegetables GF salad dressing Fresh fruit Grilled fresh chicken breast with GF BBQ sauce Fresh coleslaw mix with GF mayo or GF Italian dressing Cooked broccoli mixed with cooked plain white or brown rice and melted regular Velveeta cheese Fresh pork roast Boiled cabbage Boiled potatoes EnerG Tapioca Bread, toasted GF butter Macaroni and cheese (Tinkyada macaroni noodles mixed with regular Velveeta cheese and milk) salt and pepper to taste Grilled fresh chicken Steamed green peas (fresh or frozen) Honey Suckle White Turkey, roasted Fresh mashed potatoes Gravy using corn starch, Sweet Sue chicken broth and bouillon (Superior Touch Better than Bouillon or Herb-Ox chicken bouillon) Steamed mix of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots
SNACKS AND DESSERTS
Various GF cookies, mixes, etc are available at health food stores and even in some regular grocery stores. Some of these are Pamelas and Mi-Del brand cookies, and Gluten Free Pantry mixes.
ICE CREAM
Breyers All Natural Ice Creams: Vanilla, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Coffee, French Vanilla, Mint Chocolate Chip, Peach, Rocky Road, Strawberry, Vanilla Fudge Twirl, Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry, Take Two Vanilla/Chocolate, Frozen Yogurt Vanilla/Chocolate/Strawberry, Frozen Yogurt Chocolate, Light Vanilla, Light Mint Chocolate Chip Dairy Queen Vanilla and Chocolate Soft Serve; Misty Slush. Their suppliers confirms the following are GF: Lemon Freez'r; Cherry Lime Freez'r; DQ Fudge Bar; DQ Vanilla Orange Bar; DQ Vanilla Fudge Bar; DQ Raspberry Vanilla Bar; StarKiss Bars McDonalds: All ice cream sundaes are GF Ben & Jerry's: except for ice creams with obvious gluten Dreyers: most flavors except those with obvious gluten
CHIPS
Mission corn tortilla chips Poore Brothers regular potato chips Lays Stackers Snyder's Chips: White Corn Tortillas; Yellow Corn Tortillas, Regular Potato Chips, Eatsmart Veggie Crisps Torengos Tortilla Chips Ener-G brand pretzels Cape Cod plain potato chips
POPCORN
Act II (except extreme butter) Orville Redenbacher Microwave Popcorn; all varieties EXCEPT the caramel pour-over popcorn. Crunch 'n Munch flavored popcorn Quaker Oats Rice Cakes: White Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Caramel Corn, Plain salted, and Plain unsalted varieties Lundberg Family Farms rice cakes
GUM
Care Free Gum (sugarless only) Clorets Dentyne Freedent (peppermint, winter fresh, spearmint) Trident (all) Wrigley's Gum - all varieties
CANDY
Snickers Skittles Starburst Dove (milk & dark choc) Mars Almond Bar 3 Musketeers MilkyWay Midnight (all other MilkyWay's are not GF). All M&Ms are GF EXCEPT the "crispy" blue bag version
MISC
Jell-O Brand; Gelatin Desserts (dry gelatin mixes): Sugar Sweetened Gelatin (all flavors); Sugar Free Gelatin (all flavors) (The dry mix sugar sweetened is also corn free) Gelatin Snacks (ready to eat gelatin): Sugar Sweetened Gelatin Snacks (all flavors), Sugar Free Gelatin (all flavors) Swiss Miss, Kozy Shack and Snack Pack puddings