Cutting gluten out of your diet may seem difficult and restrictive. Fortunately, there are many healthy and delicious foods that are naturally gluten-free. These include fruits, vegetables, meat and poultry, fish and seafood, dairy products, beans, legumes, and nuts.

Grains, Flours, and Starches

Many grains and starches are naturally gluten-free, and products made with them (breads, pasta, crackers, etc.) can be incorporated into a gluten-free diet. However, some grains and starches contain gluten and must be avoided by individuals with certain health conditions. Use the following table to help guide your eating and shopping choices while following a gluten-free food plan.

Gluten-Free Substitutes:

Gluten-free alternatives to typical gluten-containing foods are now widely available in most grocery stores.This makes eating a gluten-free diet less of a hassle. But keep in mind that many products made with gluten-free alternatives include additives and fillers that help mimic the texture of gluten-containing products you’re used to eating. Rather than relying on gluten-free convenience foods, it is important to base your diet around naturally gluten-free foods like fruits, vegetables, and other foods listed above

Gluten-Free Grains, Flours Starches:Gluten-Containing Grains, Flours, and Starches:The following foods may contain hidden sources of gluten:
  • Amaranth
  • Arrowroot
  • Bean flours (garbanzo, fava, Romano, etc.)
  • Buckwheat, buckwheat groats (kasha)
  • Cassava flour
  • Chia seeds
  • Corn (maize), cornmeal
  • Flax, flax meal
  • Hominy
  • Mesquite flour
  • Millet
  • Nut flours and meals (almond, coconut, hazelnut, etc.)
  • Oats (gluten-free)*
  • Pea flour
  • Potato flour, potato starch
  • Quinoa
  • Rice (all), rice bran
  • Soy flour
  • Tapioca flour;
  • Teff
  • Yucca
  • Barley
  • Bulgar (bulgur)
  • Cereal binding
  • Chapatti flour (atta)
  • Couscous
  • Durumr
  • Farina
  • Farrow
  • Gluten, gluten flour
  • Graham flour
  • Kamut
  • Malt (malt beverages, extract, flavoring, syrup, vinegar, etc.)
  • Matzoh meal
  • Oats (oat bran, oat syrup)
  • Orzo
  • Rye
  • Seitan (“wheat meat”)
  • Semolina
  • Spelt
  • Textured vegetable protein (typically contains gluten)
  • Triticale
  • Wheat, all varieties (bran, germ, starch)
  • Candy, candy bars
  • Cheesecake filling
  • Eggs prepared in restaurants (sometimes include pancake batter)
  • Energy bars
  • French fries
  • Granola bars
  • Marinades
  • Meat substitutes (vegetarian burgers, vegetarian sausage, imitation bacon, imitation seafood, etc.)
  • Multi-grain or “artisan” tortillas and tortilla chips
  • Pizza, gluten-free (restaurants offering gluten-free crusts do not always keep gluten-free items separate from the rest of the kitchen)
  • Potato chips
  • Pre-seasoned meats
  • Processed lunch meats
  • Salad dressings
  • Self-basting poultry
  • Soup
  • Soy sauce
  • Starch or dextrin (in meat or poultry products)
  • Tater tots