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jamosanna

Hi guys, I haven't been officially diagnosed but was told i probably have a leaky gut. It was suggested I start eating gluten free. It's been about 2 weeks now and already feeling better. At first i thought it was a carbs thing but I was still exhausted.
Now I have more energy and lovin it. The hardest part of this is knowing what is GF for sure, especially when food companies loke to hide things. Is there some type of a guide to trusted manufacturers or something?
Sometimes I don't have time to cook and don't know what ingredients to be leary of so any ideas would be great.

canadjineh

Hi and welcome, @jamosanna. Best bets are to cook with whole unprocessed foods/basic ingredients. Here's a great website for more information - the Canadian Celiac Association https://celiac.ca/living-gluten-free/newly-diagnosed/
It is very important to read the ingredient label EACH TIME you purchase a product. Formulations can change without any notification.
If the label states gluten free on the front it must have been tested to be so labelled, and is (generally) safe for most celiacs.

The other very important thing to think about is cross contamination: ie, if you and a non-celiac family member both dig into the butter dish to spread on your food, they will contaminate the whole amount of butter with crumbs - it is best to have your own dedicated condiments like mayo, mustards, relishes, etc that only have clean utensils dipped into them. Label them very obviously. You shouldn't share wooden cutting boards or wooden utensils.

Indian, Thai, Mexican are the easiest cuisines to be certain of when going to a restaurant. Pure masa corn tortillas are the only tortillas you can eat. Watch out for soy sauce - it is brewed with wheat - buy Bragg Aminos or Tamari for the same flavour.

You can always go out for a steak or plain grilled chicken or fish, baked potato, green salad (NO croutons or creamy dressings) with oil & vinegar. Pure 100% meat burgers with real cheddar are good to order as a 'lettuce wrap' - explain the reasons why and skip any 'special sauces.' Any fries MUST have their own dedicated fryer so they are not contaminated with the deep fried battered items on the menu.

Final note: Carefully check ingredients and phone the toll free numbers on the sides of cosmetic and personal care products. We can absorb gluten thru the skin so volumizing/thickening hair conditioners, longer lasting lipsticks, etc can be dangerous as they often contain wheat proteins. Talk to your pharmacist about gluten free supplements and medications (tablets or gummies) and prescriptions as often the info is not obvious on a label. Have a note put on your pharmacy prescription file (the same as someone who has a penicillin allergy).

You can easily google gluten free recipes - just be cautious about all the ones with oats - Oats must be certified clean gluten free and even then I know a couple people who cannot even eat those as they are extremely sensitive.

Lot's of 'regular recipes' are naturally gluten-free.... you'll come up with quick stuff that will be your go-to when you don't want to fuss with much cooking. I love frittatas and omelettes for easy healthy dinners - throw in whatever chopped veg are in the fridge and top with cheddar, salsa, and a corn tortilla or GF tortilla chips and there you have it.