Detecting Gluten

Gluten may seem to be in almost every type of food....or at least the ones that you are partial too. For example, when beginning the gluten free diet, you learn that cakes, cookies, pretzels, cereal, etc. contain either 'wheat' or 'oat'. Some types of chocolate contain malt, which is an ingredient that people who are gluten sensitive or have celiac disease should avoid. 

When going grocery shopping, there are a couple of things to remember. 
1. ALWAYS look at the label of food. Once you get into the swing of things, it will get much easier to recognize which food is gluten free and the ones that are not. But, when first starting out, reading the labels is essential to getting the completely gluten free food.

2. Do not always buy the first thing you see. There are many types of gluten free desserts out there, but some do much better than others. Cereal is a huge problem with this. Some may outright say on the box 'may contain wheat,' while others may not. Look through the selection of foods and make sure to by buying what you think is best, not the first thing you see. Usually, in gluten free isles, they have 10 different types of cookie or bread. Look at each one and yes.....do some research. *GASP* Researching what foods are better than others will most likely help you with you decisions on what to buy.

3.Gluten free food is EXPENSIVE. But do not let that deter you from buying it, especially if your tummy may need the gluten free food. Just add a little more money into your food budget, especially when splurging on gluten free cake mixes. 

4. Research brands. I know I said it before, but researching helps more than you realize. This way you will be prepared when you visit the store, rather than buying multiples of items and realizing you distaste them all.

Do not be afraid of shopping for gluten free food. There are many options in today's world, as well as grocery store isles that are full of gluten free food options. Just make sure to add a little more into your budget for food shopping! You will be fine. Enjoy the food that is out there. Just because it says gluten free doesn't mean it isn't delicious. 

Picture source: http://www.reddit.com/r/AdviceAnimals/comments/1r4ztx/going_to_the_supermarket_on_a_glutenfree_diet/