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Coeliac food to avoid: 8 Foods to Avoid with a Gluten Intolerance (and 7 to Eat)

by alexxlab

8 Foods to Avoid with a Gluten Intolerance (and 7 to Eat)

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If you have a gluten intolerance, it’s important to avoid any grains, breads, pastas, and baked goods that contain this protein. The good news? There are plenty of healthy gluten-free options to keep you satisfied.

Many people avoid gluten, a group of proteins found in grains like wheat, barley, and rye, due to personal preference or a medical condition (1).

Celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS) all involve an adverse reaction to gluten and are treated with a gluten-free diet. These conditions are considered forms of gluten intolerance (2).

While both celiac disease and NCGS may lead to intestinal damage and cause symptoms like diarrhea, gas, and bloating, celiac is an autoimmune condition linked to other serious health effects, such as anemia, stunted growth, and neurological effects (2, 3, 4).

Wheat allergy refers to an allergic reaction to wheat proteins, the symptoms of which may be life threatening. This condition is treated with a wheat-free diet, not necessarily a gluten-free diet (5).

Although people with wheat allergies must avoid wheat, most are able to eat other grains, including gluten-containing ones like barley and rye.

Meanwhile, people with celiac disease and NCGS must avoid all gluten-containing foods to control symptoms. Notably, many healthy foods are naturally gluten-free, and quite a few companies make scrumptious gluten-free products.

Here are 8 foods to avoid if you have a gluten intolerance, as well as 7 you can safely eat.

You should steer clear of the following foods if you have a gluten intolerance.

1. Gluten-containing grains

Grains that contain gluten include:

  • wheat
  • barley
  • rye
  • triticale
  • farina
  • spelt
  • kamut
  • wheat berries
  • farro
  • couscous

Note that oats are naturally gluten-free but may be contaminated with gluten during processing.

2. Most breads, crackers, and wraps

Most breads, crackers, and wraps contain gluten. The only way to know for sure is to read the ingredient list and check to see which grains are used.

If you have a gluten intolerance, avoid the following:

  • white bread
  • whole wheat bread
  • potato bread
  • rye bread
  • sourdough bread
  • wheat crackers
  • whole wheat wraps
  • flour tortillas
  • flatbread
  • bagels

3.

Certain condiments

Although condiments seem like unlikely sources of gluten, many popular ones harbor gluten. These include:

  • soy sauce
  • barbecue sauce
  • salad dressings
  • marinades
  • cream sauces
  • spice blends
  • gravy mixes
  • malt vinegar
  • ketchup

As an alternative, you can make your own condiments from gluten-free ingredients or purchase ones that are certified gluten-free.

4. Most baked goods

Baked goods are typically made with wheat flour or other gluten-containing grains. As such, people with a gluten intolerance should largely avoid these foods:

  • cakes
  • cookies
  • pastries
  • soft and hard pretzels
  • doughnuts
  • muffins
  • pancakes and waffles

5. Wheat-based pastas

Pastas are a staple food in many cultures. Although gluten-free alternatives exist, most traditional pastas are made with gluten-containing grains:

  • noodles
  • spaghetti
  • gnocchi made with wheat flour
  • dumplings

6.

Some snack foods

Snack foods are a common source of gluten. Gluten-containing snacks include:

  • pretzels
  • granola bars
  • cereal bars
  • chips
  • energy bars
  • cookies
  • snack mixes
  • candy bars

7. Certain beverages

Some drinks are made with ingredients that contain gluten, so it’s important to read labels. Beverages that may contain gluten include:

  • beer
  • bottled wine coolers
  • premade coffee drinks
  • drink mixes
  • commercial chocolate milk

8. Several processed foods and other items

Many processed foods and other popular items may also harbor gluten. These include:

  • meat substitutes, such as veggie burgers and hot dogs
  • prepared lunch meats
  • processed cheeses
  • egg substitutes
  • canned soups and soup mixes
  • puddings and instant dessert mixes
  • certain ice creams
  • breakfast cereals
  • french fries and other fried foods
  • flavored tofu

Summary

Foods that contain gluten include breads, pastas, crackers, baked goods, many grains, and several beverages and processed items.

Though it may seem as if most foods are off-limits when you’re intolerant to gluten, many delicious and healthy foods are naturally gluten-free. Plus, quality gluten-free breads, pastas, and crackers are available in most grocery stores.

If you’re gluten intolerant, you can enjoy the following foods.

1. Fruits and vegetables

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Fruits and vegetables are naturally gluten-free. However, keep in mind that certain products, such as battered vegetables and candy-coated fruit, may contain gluten. The following are some options:

  • apples
  • avocados
  • berries
  • bananas
  • citrus fruits
  • plums
  • peaches
  • spinach
  • kale
  • onions
  • sweet potatoes
  • broccoli
  • cauliflower
  • carrots
  • peppers
  • butternut squash
  • zucchini
  • Brussels sprouts
  • mushrooms

2. Legumes

Beans and lentils are gluten-free, which is why they’re commonly used to make pasta alternatives and other gluten-free products. They include:

  • red lentils
  • black beans
  • chickpeas
  • kidney beans
  • cannellini beans
  • pinto beans
  • peas
  • adzuki beans

3. Gluten-free grains and grain products

Although many grains are off-limits for people with a gluten intolerance, some grains are gluten-free. They include:

  • quinoa
  • buckwheat
  • millet
  • sorghum
  • oats
  • millet
  • amaranth
  • wild rice
  • corn
  • teff
  • brown rice
  • gluten-free breads, crackers, and other baked goods made from these grains

To reduce the risk of cross-contamination, be sure to only buy products that have been certified gluten-free.

4. Animal proteins

Animal proteins like the following are naturally gluten-free:

  • eggs
  • meat
  • poultry
  • fish
  • shellfish
  • dairy products like yogurt and cheese

5. Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are gluten-free and provide a nutrient-rich source of fat. What’s more, they can be made into gluten-free flours. Good choices of nuts, seeds, and their butters include:

  • pumpkin seeds
  • sunflower seeds
  • cashews
  • almonds
  • peanut butter
  • macadamia nuts
  • walnuts
  • almond butter
  • pecans
  • hazelnuts
  • Brazil nuts
  • pistachios

6. Certain seasonings and condiments

The following seasonings and condiments are safe for those following gluten-free diets:

  • apple cider vinegar
  • fresh herbs like basil, rosemary, and cilantro
  • pesto
  • most salsas
  • most dried herbs and spices
  • coconut aminos
  • hummus
  • guacamole
  • sauerkraut
  • tahini
  • mustard

7. Healthy fats and oils

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Most sources of healthy fat, such as the following, are gluten-free.

  • full fat yogurt
  • cheese
  • olive oil
  • avocado oil
  • nuts, seeds, and nut butters
  • avocados
  • unsweetened coconut

Summary

Foods that are safe to eat if you have a gluten intolerance include nuts, seeds, vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, dairy products, gluten-free grains, and legumes.

Many restaurants don’t offer gluten-free meals, so it’s important to know what’s safe to order if you have gluten intolerance and are going out to eat.

If you have celiac disease, NCGS, or a wheat allergy, it’s important that you inform the waitstaff. The restaurant is much more likely to take your condition seriously if they know you can’t have gluten for medical reasons.

In general, you should stay away from pasta, bread, and grain dishes unless the restaurant offers gluten-free options like brown rice pasta or gluten-free grains.

You’ll also need to steer clear of bread baskets. Instead, ask the waitstaff to bring a gluten-free appetizer like edamame, a caprese or simple salad, or crudités plate with hummus.

Fried foods, such as french fries, fried chicken, fried fish, and mozzarella sticks usually contain gluten, so you should avoid these foods as well.

When choosing a meal, keep it simple and use the following steps to create a gluten-free meal:

  • Choose a protein source: fish, shrimp, chicken, beef, beans, plain tofu, lentils, etc.
  • Choose a gluten-free starch or grain: potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, amaranth, quinoa, brown rice, etc.
  • Choose a non-starchy vegetable: broccoli, cauliflower, pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, green beans, etc.

Customizable salads and gluten-free grain bowls make great meal choices.

If you don’t trust the salad dressings or sauces used at restaurants, you can bring your own from home. Simply pour a small amount into a portable glass jar or bottle.

To ensure that you’ll have gluten-free options, it’s advisable to scan the menu before choosing to eat at a restaurant. You can also call ahead to discuss your options with the staff.

Summary

When you go out to eat, check the menu for gluten-free items and be sure to inform the server if you have a gluten sensitivity.

Several companies specialize in making gluten-free products. Here are some of the best gluten-free brands:

  • Simple Mills. This company is not only gluten-free but also grain-free, making it a great choice for those on the paleo diet. Its product line includes gluten- and grain-free crackers, bars, cookies, bread mixes, and cake mixes. Shop for Simple Mills online.
  • Purely Elizabeth. This certified gluten-free brand makes tasty granola, pancake mixes, oatmeal, and bars. Shop for Purely Elizabeth online.
  • Jovial Foods. This company makes pastas with just two ingredients — brown rice and water. You can choose from spaghetti, penne, fusilli, farfalle, and lasagna. Shop for Jovial Foods gluten-free pasta online.
  • Bob’s Red Mill. This manufacturer offers a variety of gluten-free items, including flours, grains, and pancake and pizza crust mixes. Shop for Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free products online.
  • Base Culture. This company makes scrumptious gluten- and grain-free baked goods like brownies, blondies, and sweet and savory breads. Shop for Base Culture products online.
  • Cappello’s. This company manufactures tasty gluten- and grain-free pastas, gnocchi, pizza crust, cookie doughs, and premade pizzas. Shop for Cappello’s products online.

Many other companies make excellent gluten-free products. Be sure to sample a variety of brands to determine which you like best.

Summary

Numerous brands make gluten-free pastas, breads, snacks, and treats. Check out a few in the list above.

If you’re intolerant to gluten, you must avoid all gluten-containing foods.

Foods with gluten include many grains and most breads, pastas, and baked goods. Numerous condiments and processed foods harbor gluten as well.

It’s best to focus on the many delicious, healthy foods that you can eat. These include veggies, fruits, eggs, fish, dairy, nuts, and seeds, as well as gluten-free grains.

Is Sourdough Bread Gluten-Free?

Is Sourdough Bread Gluten-Free?

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Nutrition

By Anne Danahy, MS, RDN — Updated on August 12, 2019

We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission Here’s our process.

Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

  • Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
  • Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
  • Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Was this helpful?

For many people who have to switch to a gluten-free diet, saying good-bye to bread is like parting ways with an old friend.

Various gluten-free breads are available, but due to their taste and texture differences, most don’t fill the void (1).

Sourdough breads have been touted as a safe option for those who avoid gluten. Many claim that the gluten in wheat sourdough or rye bread is broken down and easier to digest than conventionally produced bread.

This article examines whether sourdough is a good option if you’re on a gluten-free diet.

Gluten is the name for a group of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. It causes damage to the intestinal lining in those with celiac disease, so it’s essential to avoid all sources of gluten if you have this condition (1).

Those with a gluten sensitivity or wheat allergy should also avoid gluten and wheat-containing foods.

The main ingredient in sourdough bread is usually wheat flour — which contains gluten.

While one lab analysis of the gluten in wheat sourdough bread has shown that it has less gluten than other types of wheat bread, the amount can vary (2).

This means there may still be unsafe levels of gluten in regular wheat sourdough bread.

However, gluten-free sourdough varieties, which are made from gluten-free flours like rice, sorghum, or teff, are available (3).

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires all products that are labeled gluten-free to have a gluten content below 20 parts per million (ppm) (4).

Summary

If your sourdough bread contains wheat, rye, or barley, it also contains gluten. If you have to follow a strict gluten-free diet, only purchase sourdough bread made from gluten-free grains.

Sourdough and regular bread are leavened differently.

While regular bread is leavened with packaged yeast, sourdough bread is leavened with Lactobacillus bacteria and wild yeasts.

This mixture of bacteria and wild yeast is called a sourdough starter. It’s made by mixing flour and water and letting it sit until microbes move in and ferment it.

During fermentation, these organisms digest the starches in the dough and produce lactic acid and carbon dioxide (1, 5).

Fermentation gives sourdough its distinctive sour flavor and light, airy texture.

Gluten content might be lower

As the bacteria and yeast ferment the starches, they degrade some of the gluten (5).

The idea that sourdough bread is safe for those with celiac disease stems from the results of a few small, controlled studies that found that eating sourdough didn’t cause symptoms or intestinal changes in those with this condition (6, 7).

In one study, 13 people with celiac disease on a gluten-free diet ate either regular wheat bread, sourdough that was fermented so that part of the gluten was degraded, or sourdough that contained only 8 ppm of residual gluten (7).

After 60 days, the group eating the sourdough that contained 8 ppm of gluten reported no negative symptoms and showed no negative effects in their blood work or intestinal biopsies, while the other two groups reacted to the gluten (7).

It’s important to note that the low-gluten sourdough bread was produced under controlled conditions in a lab — not a home or food manufacturing kitchen.

Easier to digest?

The internet is full of reports from people with non-celiac gluten sensitivity who claim that they don’t experience digestive symptoms after eating sourdough bread.

This may be because some of the proteins, starches, and inflammatory compounds in wheat-based products are easier to digest when they’re fermented.

However, at this time, these claims aren’t backed by science.

What’s more, other compounds in the bread may cause issues for some people.

For example, alpha-amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs) have been identified in gluten-containing products and appear to increase intestinal inflammation (8).

Plus, carbs known as fermentable, oligo-, di-, mono-saccharides and polyols (FODMAPs) occur in grain- and gluten-containing products. They’re associated with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

In a study in 26 people who followed a gluten-free diet for IBS, sourdough bread that had been fermented for more than 12 hours and showed lower levels of both ATIs and FODMAPs was not any better tolerated than regular bread (9).

Thus, the digestibility of sourdough bread may depend on the individual and various factors.

Summary

The fermentation process used to make sourdough bread breaks down some of the gluten and inflammatory compounds in wheat. However, it still contains some gluten, and no scientific evidence suggests that it’s easier to digest.

There are several brands of ready-made gluten-free sourdough bread on the market.

The fermentation process improves the taste, texture, and shelf life of gluten-free bread, so you may find that you prefer gluten-free sourdough over regular gluten-free bread (1, 3, 5).

Available brands

The following sourdough brands are either certified gluten-free or use only certified gluten-free ingredients:

  • Bread SRSLY
  • Simple Kneads
  • New Grains
  • Ener-G
  • Cook’s Gluten-Free Sourdough

Other brands may be suitable as well. Just be sure to read the label carefully before you buy one. You can also scout your neighborhood for a bakery that specializes in gluten-free products.

Bake it yourself

If you want that fresh-from-the-oven taste and texture, consider baking your own gluten-free sourdough bread.

The easiest way to make it is to purchase a gluten-free starter, such as the one from Cultures For Health.

First, activate the starter, which takes about seven days. Here are the steps to follow:

  1. In a jar or bowl, mix the starter with about 1/4 cup (30 grams) of gluten-free flour and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of warm water.
  2. Cover the bowl and let it rest overnight at room temperature.
  3. The next day, add another 1/4 cup (30 grams) of gluten-free flour and 1/4 cup (60 ml) of warm water and mix well.
  4. Cover and let it rest again overnight at room temperature.
  5. For the next several days, discard part of the starter and feed it more flour and water every 12 hours. For the exact ratio, follow the instructions on your starter kit.
  6. When your starter is bubbly and doubles in size within about four hours, don’t discard any more. Instead, feed it two more times and then bake it or keep it in your refrigerator.
  7. If you continue to feed it more flour and water weekly, it will keep indefinitely.

To make gluten-free sourdough bread, combine the amount of starter your recipe calls for with additional gluten-free flour, water, and salt, and let it ferment and then rise for up to 24 hours. Then bake as directed.

Summary

You can buy gluten-free sourdough bread or bake it yourself. It takes about a week to activate a sourdough starter, but once you have it, it’ll last indefinitely as long as you keep feeding it and store it in your refrigerator.

Wheat sourdough bread may contain less gluten than regular yeast bread, but it’s not gluten-free.

If you’re on a gluten-free diet for celiac disease, regular sourdough bread isn’t safe.

Instead, buy sourdough bread made with gluten-free grains or invest a few days and activate your own gluten-free sourdough starter.

This way, you never have to miss a good loaf of bread again.

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By Anne Danahy, MS, RDN — Updated on August 12, 2019

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Gluten free food list of foods to avoid:

10/25/2018 00:00