Civilizations around the world have developed and thrived on gluten-free grains and starches and have not made wheat the most pivotal ingredient in their diet, as the European and North American countries did.
From strictly a mathematical point of view there are more gluten free options than gluten ones:
- Amaranth
- Arrowroot
- Buckwheat
- Corn
- Garfava
- Job’s tears
- Millet
- Montina
- Nut Flours
- Potatoes
- Quinoa
- Ragi
- Rice
- Soy
- Sorghum Tapioca
- Taro
- Teff
What we should entirely avoid are the following:
- Wheat
- Barely
- Rye
- Triticale (Hybrid of wheat and rye)
- Contaminated oats
It seems pretty simple isn’t it?
Unfortunately gluten is found in more products than just in flour and baked goods. Usually you should treat every packaged food item with caution when it is not labelled Gluten Free.
You should pay attention to the following products:
- Baby food
- Baked goods
- Baking mixes
- Breads, breading, bread crumbs
- Broths and stocks
- Bullion cubes and bases
- Candy and candy bars
- Canned soups
- Cereals, cold and hot
- Condiments
- Crackers and croutons
- Dairy products
- Deli case foods
- Desserts
- Flavored coffee mixes and hot chocolate
- French fries
- Frosting
- Frozen dinners
- Gravy
- Ice cream
- Imitation meats such as crab meat
- Marinades
- Pasta
- Pizza crust
- Potato chips
- Processed cheeses
- Processed meats
- Protein drinks
- Pudding
- Snack bars
- Salad dressings
- Sauces and thickeners
- Seasonings
- Soups
- Syrups
And the list goes on and on . . .
I will come back later to this subject with a detailed list of safe products in Vienna for people with celiac disease