Finding Gluten Free Foods Is Tricky But Worth The Hunt.

The best places to look for gluten free foods are farms and gardens. In their natural state eggs, fish, meat, and poultry are gluten free. Vegetables and fruit are also naturally gluten free.

So why is it so hard to find gluten free foods? The answer, in a word; processing. Another reason is the USDA's food pyramid which pushes breads, cereals, grains and pastas as the basis of a healthy diet.

When you're on a gluten free diet some foods are bad! The big four, in alphabetical order, are barley, oats, rye, and wheat. So it's obvious why so many of us are sick and tired. Grains are the basis of our national diet, gluten is found in most grains, and many of our bodies are gluten intolerant.

“Everything in moderation” does not apply to a gluten free diet. Oats for example, shows up on some lists as bad, and on some as okay. For me and many others it's bad. I really wanted it to be otherwise but after much experimentation I've found that even certified “gluten free” oats have too much gluten for me. To be extra-safe don't have oatmeal for breakfast.

Let's Review the Basic List of Gluten Free Foods

Eggs, fish, fruit, meat, poultry, and vegetables are naturally gluten free. Wheat, oats, rye, and barley are not!! Warning - processed foods of any type can contain gluten due to the addition of thickeners and other additives.

So read the label on any food that you suspect may have been even minimally processed. And remember, you'll have to ask a lot of questions to ensure you get

gluten free foods at restaurants. There are many hints that something may contain gluten. If any of the following are present you have to look deeper: added dyes, emulsifiers, food starch, malt, preservatives, stabilizers, vegetable gum, polysyllabic words you can't pronounce.

Just so you know that all grains aren't the enemy, here are 10 gluten free starches: corn, flax, popcorn, potatoes, rice, (brown, wild), sorghum, (who eats this??), soy, sweet potatoes, tapioca, (I bet most of the pudding mixes have gluten), and yams (yes sweet potatoes and yams are different).