• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cathy's Gluten Free logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Start Here!
    • How My Skin Cleared Up
    • Gluten Free Guidance
  • Meet Cathy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » Uncategorized

    Published: Nov 2, 2017 · Modified: Jun 14, 2020 by Cathy · This post may contain affiliate links

    Home » Uncategorized

    Start Here!

    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    SO YOU HAVE TO EAT GLUTEN FREE - NOW WHAT?

    Whether you’ve recently been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, you’ve discovered gluten intolerance through an elimination diet, or you just know that you feel better when you don’t eat gluten, you are probably feeling completely overwhelmed.

    I understand. I’ve been there! Read more about my story here. However, once you learn how to find and avoid hidden gluten, how to eat out safely, and how to prepare delicious food in a clean kitchen at home, life becomes much easier.

    Jump to:
    • I'll help you with this!
    • Gluten
    • Oats
    • Other Sources of Hidden Gluten
    • Eating Gluten Free

    Gluten causes an immune reaction in the body, and a very tiny bit will trigger this reaction. It’s important that you don’t consume even trace amounts of it. That’s what makes the gluten free diet tricky, especially if you eat processed food.

    I'll help you with this!

    Subscribe to my newsletter here, and I'll keep you up-to-date with new recipes and helpful tips. The first thing I'll send you is my Gluten List that you can download or print off to carry with you when you're out. It will help you to avoid that nasty gluten hiding in places you'd least expect it!

    Gluten free Lavender Biscotti | Dairy free | Grain free CathysGlutenFree.com
    Eliminating gluten does not mean denying yourself delicious treats like lavender biscotti.

    Gluten

    Gluten is the combination of two proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley. It gives dough an elastic texture and holds it together. Well, that seems simple enough! Here’s where it starts to get tricky. There are subcategories and other versions of these grains. For example, spelt is a form of wheat. Then, these glutenous grains are often hidden in various forms under other names in processed foods.

    Oats

    The first complication that usually comes up is with oats. Oats are often grown in fields that have previously grown wheat. They can be processed on equipment that has handled wheat. Therefore, there are serious issues with cross contamination. Whether some stray grains of wheat remaining in the field grow up with the oat crop or wheat flour from processing equipment makes its way into rolled oats, processed oats likely have gluten in them unless they are labeled as gluten free. Gluten free oats from Only Oats (NOT an affiliate link) are specifically grown and processed separately from wheat.

    Gluten Free Granola with Sliced Peaches and Blueberries CathysGlutenFree.com
    Gluten Free Granola is easy to make at home and keep on hand.

    Other Sources of Hidden Gluten

    Unfortunately, many processed foods that could easily be made without gluten do contain it. Most regular soy sauce contains gluten. So does processed liquorice candy. You really need to be diligent and check everything you eat. Choose whole unprocessed vegetables, meat, and eggs. They don’t require labels. This is the best way to be sure to avoid gluten contamination.

    Eating Gluten Free

    Now, let’s get ready to head to the kitchen. The recipes on this website are designed to help you enjoy delicious, gluten free food that’s good for you. Instead of buying expensive GF baked goods which may not even taste good, save money by learning how to make your own. Read my time saving tips for meal planning.

    We’ve all heard by now that simply going on a GF diet will not necessarily make you healthy. Even if you are suffering from Celiac disease, you will heal much better if you focus on feeding your body healthful foods. Many manufactured gluten free products are high in sugar and other additives and low in nutrients. They’re also expensive!

    Pumpkin Spice Muffins CathysGlutenFree.com
    Pumpkin Spice Muffins are great for breakfast or a snack anytime!

    Gluten Free Recipes

    My goal is to bring you gluten free foods that you can make yourself and enjoy as much as, or even more than, their gluten filled counterparts. Not all of my recipes will be paleo or totally grain free, but they won’t be high in rice flour or refined sugar, either. I try to strike a middle ground, creating recipes that are similar to the ones we knew before our gluten free days, are beneficial to our health, and are as simple and inexpensive to prepare as possible. I test the recipes multiple times as I develop them.

    Sometimes just a little grain will lighten up a nut based recipe nicely. It will not be a gluten containing grain, though. Nut flours are good, but they're also costly. I like to stretch them out with other flours for optimum results. While all of my recipes are gluten free, many of them will also be free from dairy, nightshades, eggs, corn, soy, nuts, and grains.

    To learn more about working with gluten free flours, check out this article on Gluten Free Flours.

    Let me know about your dietary restrictions and what types of recipes you'd like to see on this website by leaving me a comment through the Contact form.

    « Gluten Free Lavender Biscotti
    Flavourful, Crispy-skinned, Moist Roast Chicken or Turkey »
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly

    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Cathy, developer of delicious, nutritious gluten free recipes, simplified for creating at home.

    CathysGlutenFree.com
    cover of e-cookbook with various muffins and coffee
    Do you have my e-book?

    As featured in...

    logos for Country Living, Foodgawker, Yummly, and A Canadian Celiac Podcast

    Summertime Recipes

    • Strawberry Cupcake Filling
    • Strawberry Spinach Salad with Feta and Poppy Seed Dressing
    • Strawberry Chia Jam
    • Strawberry Slush Recipe

    Categories

    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Salad Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Desserts
    • Cookies and Snacks

    Smoothie Recipes

    • Green Apple Smoothie
    • Mango and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
    • Apple Spinach Smoothie Recipe
    • Mango Spinach Smoothie Recipe
    Elimination Diet Meal Plan

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    About

    • Meet Cathy
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 CathysGlutenFree, all rights reserved