Grocery Shopping while gluten-free

[leni kate]

Hi everyone, 

I'm soon planning to cut out gluten for medical reasons, but I've been having a hard time with this. I know some products are labeled gluten free, but sometimes I have to really closely examine the ingredients and this takes a lot of time. (I also do not eat only whole foods as I'm a college student on a budget lol). Anyone experience anything similar or have any tips for me?

[trents]

Welcome, leni kate.

What do you mean by whole foods? Do you mean no processed food as in mixes and things with ingredient lists containing many chemical names? Only fresh meat, fruit and vegetables?

There are apps available that can help with eating gluten free. They scan barcodes. https://www.verywellfit.com/gluten-free-iphone-apps-to-help-you-shop-eat-out-563103

 

Have you been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity? How sensitive to gluten are you?

Edited June 17, 2021 by trents

[Scott Adams]

Welcome to the forum!

Just in case you didn't find our Forbidden List, I've included it below. I think everyone should learn to read ingredient labels, and learn what's safe and what's not. It can take more time, but is worth the investment. Also, keep in mind that allergen labelling laws in the USA do require "wheat" to be declared as an allergen if it is in the product, however this is not true for barley and its derivatives, which are used far less often than wheat derived ingredients.

  

[leni kate]

1 hour ago, trents said:

Welcome, leni kate.

What do you mean by whole foods? Do you mean no processed food as in mixes and things with ingredient lists containing many chemical names? Only fresh meat, fruit and vegetables?

There are apps available that can help with eating gluten free. They scan barcodes. https://www.verywellfit.com/gluten-free-iphone-apps-to-help-you-shop-eat-out-563103

 

Have you been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity? How sensitive to gluten are you?

Thanks for the app recommendation! Yes that is what I mean, (so to clarify, yes I do eat foods with many ingredients and chemical names sometimes). I do not have celiac disease, I have rheumatoid arthritis and am going to try cutting out gluten to see if my symptoms improve as I know this is a popular diet for many of those with autoimmune diseases.

[leni kate]

29 minutes ago, Scott Adams said:

Welcome to the forum!

Just in case you didn't find our Forbidden List, I've included it below. I think everyone should learn to read ingredient labels, and learn what's safe and what's not. It can take more time, but is worth the investment. Also, keep in mind that allergen labelling laws in the USA do require "wheat" to be declared as an allergen if it is in the product, however this is not true for barley and its derivatives, which are used far less often than wheat derived ingredients.

  

Thank you for this!

[GF-Cate]

It is really time consuming to grocery shop at first, though once you figure out which brands you like and which stores carry which things, it does get easier & quicker. But you'll probably have to dedicate more time to it at first (and unfortunately it is generally more expensive).

Look for the "certified gluten free" labeling and "gluten free" labeling (good to read up on the differences - CGF is under 10ppm (parts per million) & tested for compliance, gluten-free is less than 20ppm and testing protocol is at the discretion of the manufacturer).

Just be aware that if you're eating a lot of servings of packaged food, you may still be getting enough gluten to cause symptoms/reactions and trigger an autoimmune response and you make need to continue to tweak your diet. This is what happened to me. 

I have good luck ordering online and having products delivered to my house - this can be a huge time saver. Stores such as Target let you sort grocery items on the website and narrow down the selection so you only see gluten-free. Free delivery over $35, so no extra cost. If there's a product I use on repeat & it's something that keeps well, I'll get 5+ at once to save time (like boxes of pasta). Amazon and WalMart (which in my area also carries a really good selection of gluten-free products at the store), are also my go-to's for online food ordering.

My household is gluten-free to keep me safe & symptom-free, so I order a lot of stuff this way for family members who eat gluten-free but don't need to medically.

Lots of grocery stores have dedicated gluten-free sections (or "natural" sections where they keep a lot of the gluten-free items), so that can help narrow it down. 

Take pictures of products and brands you like as you try them and make a folder on your phone (or a list in a notes app), so you can refer back (I always think I'm going to remember the gluten-free crackers I like the best and which stores carry them, but I never do).

My strategy is going to 3-4 grocery stores routinely, so in a month I go to a different one each week & stock up for the next 4 weeks with the things I can only get at that store.