SubscribeIf you’re like me, you have a lot of gluten on your hands. By “on your hands,” what I really mean is that gluten, the healthy plant protein found in several grains, is likely sitting in your cupboards, on your counters, and in many of your refrigerator compartments. For most people, gluten is perfectly healthy, but a growing number are being diagnosed with gluten intolerance. This autoimmune disorder is called Celiac Disease, and if sufferers ingest gluten, an immune-system attack on the small intestine results. People might have typical allergic reactions, such as skin rashes, runny noses, and even anaphylactic shock.
Though the majority of people can eat foods containing gluten without these side effects, some are still choosing to eliminate gluten from their diets. This can be a healthy choice, especially if individuals switch to gluten-free grains (such as corn and rice) and increase their intake of fruits and vegetables. The difficulty in this, of course, is that a gluten-free diet can be inconvenient for a lot of people. The breads, cakes, cookies, pizza crusts, and cereals that are so prevalent in restaurants and homes typically contain gluten, and delicious alternatives can be difficult to find and expensive to buy.
If you suspect that gluten may be the cause of your stomachaches, rashes, or other negative reactions, you might want to consider a gluten-free experiment. Keep reading to learn how and, better still, to find a list of the THRIVE Foods that are right for a gluten-free food storage.
A gluten-free diet can be maintained best by paying attention to food labels and ingredients lists. Most suspicious foods are easy to spot, since they include anything with wheat (bread, muffins, cookies, most other baked goods), but some sources are less obvious. Gluten is found in soy sauce, most barbecue sauces, beer, hot dogs, some ice creams, caramel flavoring, sausages, and foods seasoned with MSG. It’s even in the adhesive on stamps and envelopes! Here are a few general tips to remember:
- Replace your current habits with gluten-free substitutions. Switch from pasta to rice, Wheaties to corn flakes, couscous to quinoa, waffles to buckwheat pancakes (note: buckwheat isn’t actually wheat).
- Don’t feel shy about asking restaurant servers for a lot of information. Rather than asking if foods contain gluten, try asking about specific ingredients. Ask if sauces, meat, and fish dishes are made with flour or bread crumbs. Ask if there’s a thickener in soup, if the salad dressing is bottled, if caramel flavorings are used.
- If food labels seem ambiguous, call or e-mail the manufacturer to verify the gluten content. These questions are very common; manufacturers and companies should have all the information you need.
If you suspect you have a special sensitivity to gluten, try to go without it for a few weeks to see if symptoms improve. After that, add a bit of gluten back into your diet for a meal or two. If problems return, you may be on to something. It’s possible that you’ll feel better simply from the increase of vegetables and fruits in your diet.
For those of you who are gluten intolerant or who have family members that are, planning your food storage can be a challenge! All of the THRIVE Foods in the list below are free of gluten in all its forms, but there is a risk of cross-contamination. We go to great lengths at Shelf Reliance to ensure that all of our processing and packaging equipment is cleaned completely before changing from one food product to the next, but since the equipment does handle wheat products from time to time, it’s difficult to provide a 100% guarantee that the gluten-free foods won’t be affected. It’s important to give you this information so that you can make an informed decision for your family.
We hope this list will be helpful for you and yours! If you have any suggestions for other readers, we’d love for you to leave a comment. You can do this in the space at the bottom of the screen. With that, here’s the list of gluten-free foods from Shelf Reliance.
GRAINS
Cornmeal
Instant White Rice
White Rice
VEGETABLES
Freeze Dried Broccoli
Carrot Dices
Freeze Dried Cauliflower
Freeze Dried Celery
Freeze Dried Sweet Corn
Freeze Dried Mushroom Pieces
Freeze Dried Chopped Onions
Freeze Dried Green Peas
Freeze Dried Green Beans
Split Green Peas
Red and Green Peppers
Potato Chunks
Potato Pearls
Freeze Dried Chopped Spinach
Sweet Potatoes
Tomato Powder
FRUITS
Apple Chips
Apple Slices
Banana Chips
Freeze Dried Sliced Bananas
Freeze Dried Blackberries
Freeze Dried Blueberries
Freeze Dried Peach Slices
Freeze Dried Pears
Freeze Dried Mango
Freeze Dried Apricot
Freeze Dried Pineapple Chunks
Pineapple
Freeze Dried Raspberries
Freeze Dried Strawberries
DAIRY
Cheese Blend
Mac & Cheese Powder
Chocolate Drink Mix
Instant Milk
Powdered Milk
MEATS & BEANS
Black Beans
Kidney Beans
Lima Beans
Pinto Beans
Small Red Beans
Small White Navy Beans
Lentils
Whole Eggs
BASICS
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Orange Drink
Peach Drink
Iodized Salt
Brown Sugar
Powdered Sugar
White Sugar
*Note: This list is accurate as of October 8th, 2009. For updated information, please contact our offices by calling (877)743-5373.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:04 PM
my daughter is on a gluten and corn free diet. most preservitives have either corn or wheat. We do lots of freezing and canning. Not easy to find food storage for her. I am glad some people are taking notice of special diets.
October 8th, 2009 at 8:16 PM
Thank you! It’s great that more companies are realizing that even Celiacs need food storage. My life’s work right now….
October 13th, 2009 at 6:33 PM
My daughter and I both have celiac disease. I am glad to see that this problem is being addressed. I, however, want to add that cornflakes actually aren’t gluten free. Rice Chex of several varieties are gluten free though. They use Malt from Barley in cornflakes and many other cereals like Rice Crispies and that contains gluten.
Thanks for making an effort to have products available for us Celiacs too.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:28 PM
Thank you for taking the time to include info on being gluten-free. I have felt guilty that my food storage does not contain much wheat or wheat products. Isn’t the funny? I have personally included more fresh fruits and vegetables to my diet for the added fiber and feel much better. Thank you again for considering the needs of a small but growing population of former wheat lovers!
October 13th, 2009 at 7:34 PM
This is great. I have adopted a vegan diet to help my diabetes. That means no gluten. It also means foods that are processed at low temperatures. Can you give me information about the freeze dry method you use to process foods?
October 13th, 2009 at 8:44 PM
I recently found that I am dairy intolerant as well as being allergic to gluten. The only grains I can have are BROWN rice & WILD rice (not white rice), quinoa, millet, amaranth – that’s about it. To make matters worse, when I eat these grains, I cannot have anything with potato in it at the same time or within 6 hours. I’m finding that there are potato derivatives in almost everything, and often they are not listed on the label. I’m only able to eat the items and brands that my doctor has tested. Do you have anything that would meet these qualifications?
October 13th, 2009 at 9:12 PM
Love the idea – but *please* check your facts next time. FWIW, I do have celiac and have been gluten-free for over 20 years, and a volunteer trainer for the local GF society for over 15. Celiac disease, if it causes symptoms at all, generally causes either GI symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea) or systemic symptoms (anemia, arthritis), not the typical runny nose stuff – it’s not IgA mediated (like hayfever), it’s IgG mediated (auto-immune).
Also, MSG does not contain gluten, neither does caramel coloring made in the US. Most commercial cornflakes (eg Kellogs) use barley malt, making them off-limits to celiacs, who cannot have barley (or wheat or rye or spelt or kamut). Most buckwheat pancake mixes are a blend of buckwheat (safe) and whole wheat (not safe) flour.
Also, if you suspect you may have celiac, check with a good gastroenterologist first – celiac disease is impossible to diagnose if you are not eating gluten, and fairly straightforward to diagnose if you are. Don’t limit yourself to this life if you don’t have to!
October 14th, 2009 at 5:30 AM
THANK YOU – I have a 9 year old who has been diabetic and celic for 7 years now – I cried when I read your article. It is not easy trying to find out the gluten hidden in many foods and with the hectic life many of us have, as list of gluten free foods from any store is golden!
October 14th, 2009 at 6:20 AM
Please read about each product carefully. While cornmeal or rice or whatever might be wheat free products, if they are processed in a facility that also produces wheat products, those who are more sensative to cross-contamination might find these products unsuitable. However, that said…. it is wonderful to see products marketed to those who cannot use mainstream food storage. I’d love to see more products that are free of all 8 major allergens for those of us who truely struggle with severe allergies!
October 14th, 2009 at 7:49 AM
I am also on a gluten free diet and it would be nice if you sold quinoa, millet, or amaranth in bulk.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:55 AM
My son has Celiac disease, and I just wanted to let you know that you have a few inaccuracies in your article on eating gluten-free. Wheat is not the only grain that contains gluten, barley and rye also contain gluten. Anyone who has a gluten allergy should not have quinoa, unless it is labeled gluten free, it has most likely been processed in the same equipment that has processed wheat, barley or rye. Also, You tell readers to switch to corn flakes, which contains gluten in its malt flavoring. I have called the manufacturer and have been told it is barley malt, which contains gluten. Gluten free versions of many products can be found in most health food stores. On the other hand, there has been no studies conducted which proves that MSG contains gluten. The ingredients to avoid is listed on http://www.celiac.org .
October 14th, 2009 at 8:14 AM
Thank you Thrive for realizing food storage is important for those with gluten intolerance. I think your company is the first and hopefully not the last. Please keep it up and I would be grateful if you could provide many types of grains and mixes that could be stored in #10 cans or 5 gallon buckets..such as potato starch, tapioca starch, corn, quinoa, brown rice, baking soda, guar gum or xanthum gum etc and perhaps ready to go meals, breakfast cereal and snacks that are GF. We have been waiting for someone to provide GF products for food storage for many years. Thanks so much!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Thank You for the gluten free alternatives & educational info in your article. We are a gluten & casein (found in milk products) free family. It is extremely difficult to find anything food storage related; and I appreciate the greater awareness and support from Shelf-Reliance. If you live in Calif, a good source for a variety of gluten-free foods is Lassen’s Health Food Stores. I shop there regularly and the kids appreciate the variety. They also carry basic baking products for you to do your own cooking (as does Whole Foods Market). Trader Joes has some too, but it can be challenging to find foods that are gluten and casein-free at the same time. One becomes an expert label reader! Beware of the hidden “junk” under ‘natural flavoring’. Most of the time it will contain MSG–a neuro toxin. Sticking to healthier food stores will often curtail much of that possibility. FYI: Heinz ketchup contains MSG hidden under “natural flavoring/ingredients”, it is possibly in their other products, but don’t know for sure, they won’t say. If anyone has any added info to help in our diet, I’d like to hear it & thank you again!!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:47 AM
Thank you for thinking about us and our health.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:23 PM
I don’t eat grain, including corn, and very rarely brown rice. I have experimented for a long time now, and thought that maybe some of your readers would be interested to know that I have found fava bean flour to taste the best in my recipes. It’s kind of expensive, but worth it. You can grind your own…
October 14th, 2009 at 6:03 PM
this is great information, it is often very hard to figure out food storage when you have celiac. it would be great if you had some mixes like pancakes or meal ideas for what is available.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:17 PM
So the powderd butter and eggs has wheat/glutens then? And the beef and chicken bouillon? Oh thats just too bad. Thanks for thinking of us! Thats grate! Just wish your bouillon was GF. ive had a hard time finding it in more than 12 cubes at a time.
October 16th, 2009 at 12:29 PM
Thanks for the list of gluten-free items from Shelf Reliance! There are a few common mistakes about Celiac Disease in the article, however, and I would like to take a moment to address a few of them:
–Celiac disease does *not* cause typical allergy symptoms such as runny nose, rashes, nor anaphylaxis. Common allergies are called “Type I hypersensitivity reactions”, involving allergens, IgE, and histamines. Celiac disease is a Type IV reaction, which is a much slower-paced reaction involving T Cells and and autoimmune response.
–On a similar note, if you are having symptoms that you think may be indicative of Celiac disease, go see a doctor! Do not try to go on a gluten-free diet yourself, as it can take weeks or longer to see a change in Celiac symptoms the first time you start the diet, and that is a diagnosis you don’t want to miss. Also, gluten is healthy if you don’t have the condition, so you would be missing out on a very important and useful portion of your diet.
–Just a quick note: Kellog’s Corn Flakes are *not* gluten free. Pure corn flakes are gluten free, but those used as breakfast cereals usually have other additives, such as malt.
–In the United States (and some other countries, now), caramel color, caramel flavoring, and MSG are nearly always gluten free, as they are derived from corn. It is rare to find one of these which is not gluten free, and, if it is, the FDA mandates that the ingredient list mention “contains wheat”.
–Soy sauce can also be gluten free, as only “natural” soy sauce is made from wheat. Inexpensive versions, including the soy sauce commonly used in fast-food-East-Asian restaurants.
–Also, MSG is *not* a known toxin, as has been suggested. There has been quite a bit of research into this in the last 30 years… reactions to MSG are generally only seen when people ingest an amount of the substance at least 10-100 times as much as you would normally get from eating a heavily MSG-flavored meal. Of course, this can be said about many ingredients and flavorings, natural and artificial. (So don’t consume 100 servings of fried rice in a day, and you should be fine.) There is a potential link to excessive MSG consumption and obesity, but this could also be due to the increased amount of food that people need to eat to increase their MSG consumption.
I’ve appended links to a few research papers on the subject if anyone is interested.
Again, thank you Shelf Reliance for thinking about us gluten-free eaters!
MSG Research papers:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8282275
(Quote: “Rigorous and realistic scientific evidence linking the syndrome to MSG could not be found.”)
http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/130/4/1058S
(Quote: “Results of surveys and of clinical challenges with MSG in the general population reveal no evidence of untoward effects.”)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/4689313