If you are a Celiac or gluten intolerant, you need to learn how to eat gluten-free. Even if you decide to go gluten-free without a related diagnosis – you can still believe that it may help or improve your health in addition. Regardless of your reasons for choosing a gluten-free diet, learning to eat gluten-free requires a great deal of savvy learning, especially at the beginning of the diet. But if you follow these nine steps (preferably in order), you’ll be able to move safely along the path to a gluten-free diet. Step 1: Purge your kitchen Before starting a gluten-free diet, thoroughly clean out your kitchen of any foods you can’t eat: abstain from all baked goods mixes, isolate or give away other products that contain gluten, and configure some of the new ingredients you need. Donate unopened packages (bottles and cans) to food banks (to help those in need) or give them to your friends. Given that a tiny amount of gluten can cause symptoms, you’ll need a new toaster. You’ll also need new plastic and wooden utensils and non-stick pans if you need to use them. For some people, this is a difficult process emotionally – you will find that you will always miss the foods you take for granted; it may make you feel better to think more about the health benefits of a gluten-free diet. Step 2: Start with fresh produce and meat Many people think that a gluten-free diet is as simple as removing wheat or even bread from your diet; unfortunately, the reality is much more complicated than that! Gluten is found in a wide variety of foods from soups to condiments, and will not always be readily distinguishable from other ingredients. To avoid mistakes, it is highly recommended that you start out by limiting yourself to an unprocessed diet – fresh vegetables and fruits do not contain gluten, nor do fresh meats, poultry and fish. Eat as simply as possible, using only fresh herbs, salt and pepper as ingredients. Try grains (such as corn) as a buffer and don’t introduce any packaged foods – including those labeled “gluten-free” – until you have a better understanding of the gluten-free diet and how it affects your system. until you have a better sense of a gluten-free diet and how it affects your system. Step 3: Expand to products labeled “gluten-free” Using foods that are clearly labeled “gluten-free” represents the best way to further expand your gluten-free diet. Although not mandated, many food manufacturers label their products as “gluten-free”. You can find “gluten-free” breads, pizzas, frozen wafers (waffles), and even beer, among other things. Just be careful not to go overboard with “gluten-free” labeled products – because many people find that when they eat too many of these products, gluten-related symptoms return! In some cases, those symptoms simply stem from untreated intestinal damage; however, it may also be that you are reacting to traces of gluten in existing foods – because even foods labeled “free” may still contain small amounts of gluten. So, if you feel bad after using certain foods, do your best to cut out those foods. Step 4: Learn to read food labels To really expand your gluten-free diet and find your old “gluten” friends you once loved, you’ll have to learn to spot them on food labels. In fact, you’ll become like a detective, not only noticing the various terms on food labels that may mean “gluten,” but also having a pretty good understanding of the various ingredients used in the preparation of food. Keep in mind that food manufacturers may label foods as “gluten-free,” but food trademark laws do not require labels to announce that an added ingredient may contain gluten. And, “wheat-free” is not the same as “gluten-free,” so don’t be fooled by “wheat-free” on the label! Step 5: Consider putting a “gluten-free” app on your iPhone If you have an iPhone, you might consider putting some sort of “gluten-free iPhone app” on it to help you choose Various processed foods and added ingredients. When you shop at a department store, some apps provide a list of the store’s gluten-free items, while some recipe based apps can help you scan the product’s UPC code (often ongoing supplier code) to determine if it contains gluten. If shopping at department stores (for gluten-free foods) is difficult, you can also get the nearest restaurant’s gluten-free menu through some kind of app. These apps are fairly priced at just USD1.99 or slightly more. Step 6: Make your home gluten-free You may be focusing on making your kitchen “gluten-free” …… You are right, at least in the beginning. However, if you want to become more proficient at handling your gluten-free diet, it’s best to remove any sources of gluten that are “lurking” somewhere in your home. For example, many hair products contain gluten. If you’ve ever accidentally entered a shampoo in the shower or touched your hair with your hand in your mouth …… you should consider using gluten-free hair products. Also, cosmetics and prescription drugs often contain gluten, which can cause many symptoms if you are not careful. Even art supplies and common household building materials contain gluten – I myself have suffered from gluten-containing dust when cleaning walls. Step 7: It’s okay to socialize – but bring your own food If your host family may be preparing a gluten-free diet for you, or if someone wants to try it, you can bring this gluten-free eating guide to help your host family. But in reality, unless you are sure your host family can prepare a gluten-free diet and add ingredients to your food, you are better off bringing your own (gluten-free) food to a social event. As you know, preparing this food takes a lot of learning and cannot be mastered by the host family overnight. The author has been bringing her own gluten-free food to social occasions for years so that she can focus more on the party rather than worrying about suffering from gluten. Of course, you can bring a dish to share if you wish, but remember to fill your own plate first – as guest food can be at risk of cross-contamination from gluten. ★ Step 8: Learn to choose a gluten-free diet when eating out You should stay away from restaurants – unless you’ve got the gluten-free diet down pat and your symptoms have largely disappeared. But unless you know how to eat a gluten-free diet and where gluten may be hiding, restaurant dining can still be challenging. Eating at gluten-free restaurants also requires vigilance – even many chefs are not familiar with how to prepare a gluten-free diet, so mistakes (in preparing a gluten-free diet) are quite common! At first, you may want to linger at restaurants that offer gluten-free menus because they may take the time to educate their staff about gluten-free eating. You may also choose to try gluten-free fast food – but be aware that you run more risk of cross-contamination at fast food chains. Step 9: Be aware that you can make mistakes (in how to use a gluten-free diet) You will certainly make mistakes in learning how to use a gluten-free diet and will pay the price of suffering a day (or two, or three) with symptoms. It will take some time (possibly months) to learn your personal level of gluten cross-contamination tolerance, and to figure out what you can eat without symptoms. The author has spent almost 10 years doing this sort of thing and still makes the occasional mistake. It’s easy to mentally beat yourself up over those mistakes, especially when physically suffering as well – as I have experienced many times. But if you can control the situation, it’s good to look back at those mistakes, try to use them as a learning opportunity, and focus on avoiding making them again.