Whether you discovered you have a gluten sensitivity or were diagnosed with celiac disease learning how to go gluten free can feel like a lot to learn in a short amount of time. But we have good news -- these 10 tips will help you adjust quickly, avoid common mistakes, and connect with others who are gluten free!
I have Celiac -- a lifelong autoimmune disease. For someone with celiac, keeping a very strict gluten-free diet is necessary for healing and long-term health. While there is more variability in the amount of gluten someone with non-celiac gluten sensitivity can have, eating a super clean gluten-free diet won’t hurt, and for many, it will help!
Read on for my 10 best tips to beat the overwhelm and jump start your gluten-free journey.
- 1. Replace major sources of gluten first.
- 2. Focus on naturally gluten-free foods.
- 3. Learn to navigate the grocery store.
- 4. Find hidden sources of gluten.
- 5. Learn to read labels for gluten.
- 6. Learn which alcohols contain gluten.
- 7. Look out for cross contact/cross contamination.
- 8. Learn to eat gluten-free in restaurants.
- 9. Find easy gluten-free meals you enjoy!
- 10. Join a gluten-free support network
1. Replace major sources of gluten first.
Making the switch to gluten-free can feel overwhelming, but if you stick to easy gluten-free swaps for foods you already eat, it will feel much more manageable.
Easy swaps:
- Gluten-free bread for regular bread
- gluten-free crackers for crackers you already ate
- gluten-free pasta
- gluten-free versions of your favorite condiments and sauces
- gluten-free flour
Check out our Shop for my favorite gluten-free products!
2. Focus on naturally gluten-free foods.
There are so many delicious naturally gluten-free foods! Fruits, vegetables, unprocessed meats, fish, eggs, potatoes, and other root vegetables are all delicious, fresh, and naturally gluten-free!
Foods that are processed may contain gluten additives, so sticking with the fresh stuff from the start is the best way to beat the overwhelm.
3. Learn to navigate the grocery store.
The naturally gluten-free foods are kept along the outside of the grocery store (fresh produce, dairy and eggs, and meats and fish).
Many grocery stores also have a Natural Foods aisle or Gluten Free Foods section to help you with those easy swaps in tip #1.
Check out our 10 Gluten Free Grocery Tips + Free Printable Grocery List!
4. Find hidden sources of gluten.
Just because gluten isn’t obvious doesn’t mean it’s gluten-free!
Commonly missed sources of gluten in food:
- Sauces
- Gravy
- Condiments
- Alcohol (see tip #6)
- Salad dressings
- Soups
- Malt vinegar
The best way to stay truly gluten-free is to become an expert at reading labels.
5. Learn to read labels for gluten.
Now here’s the bad news — gluten can go by many different names. Sometimes labeled as natural and artificial flavors, caramel coloring, starches, malt, and more, gluten is not always obvious.
But here’s the good news — you can use our free printable “Ingredients to Avoid” list to help you find sneaky gluten. I recommend highlighting ingredients you know you won’t remember to make the list easier to navigate.
Plus access to our Free Resource Library with grocery lists, travel packing lists, and more by entering your information below!
You can also look for gluten free labeling and certifications on products to simplify the label-reading process.
6. Learn which alcohols contain gluten.
Or better yet, focus on what you can drink!
Safe gluten-free alcohols include:
- Wines and brandy without added flavors and colors (that’s most of them)
- gluten-free hard cider
- gluten-free beer
- Spirits distilled from non-gluten grains (like potato vodka and pure tequila)
Always be wary of drink mixes (like margarita mix) and cocktails or other mixed drinks that were made in an unwashed shaker or blender.
And avoid these gluten-containing alcohols:
- Regular beer
- Spirits distilled from gluten-containing grains (like whiskey)
- Note: Some people say the distillation process adequately removes gluten. As someone very sensitive to trace amounts of gluten, I find that I still react to these alcohols. I recommend avoiding them, at least at the beginning of your gluten-free journey.
- Anything you're unsure of
7. Look out for cross contact/cross contamination.
Cross contact with gluten occurs when a gluten-free food is prepared on the same surface or with the same utensils as foods with gluten.
Common areas of cross-contact in your home:
- Peanut butter & mayonnaise jars where the utensils are double-dipped after spreading on wheat (gluten) bread and gluten-free bread
- cutting boards and food prep surfaces
- Eating and serving utensils
As a new gluten free eater, I greatly underestimated the power of a cross-contact (cc) reaction. My strong reaction to cc is part of the reason my family eventually became an entirely gluten-free household.
You also need to worry about cross contact at restaurants. The tips and resource below will help you to navigate this challenge safely!
8. Learn the best apps to get and questions to ask to dine safely at restaurants
There are gluten-free apps that help you locate 100% gluten free restaurants (where you don’t need to worry!) and restaurants that many gluten-sensitive and people with celiac trust to feed them safely.
Our How to find Celiac Friendly Restaurants post has you covered on the best apps, questions to ask, and meals to order!
9. Find easy gluten-free meals you enjoy!
I’m sure you already have meals you love to make and eat each week. Many of them can be made gluten-free with easy swaps. You may even find that they were gluten-free to begin with!
Some of my favorite easy gluten-free weekday recipes:
- Creamy Avocado Pasta (gluten-free, dairy-free, only 15 minutes to make!)
- Kale Lentil Curry
- Deconstructed Sushi Bowl
Explore more in our Recipe Index!
10. Join a gluten-free support network
Whether you like facebook groups, connecting on instagram (my personal favorite -- instagrammers show you exactly what they eat in all sorts of situations), or joining a blog community like Vibrantly g-Free, having people who get what you’re going through is so valuable.
It’s something I took way to long to embrace -- I wish I found more gluten-free friends online when I first went gluten-free! You can also share your own journey through blogging or creating a gluten-free foodie instagram account to help others.
Related: Why you should start your own Gluten-free Blog
In summary:
- A strict gluten free diet is necessary for anyone with celiac disease and gluten sensitivity.
- Making easy gluten-free swaps for your usual favorite foods is a great way to beat the overwhelm at the start of your journey!
- Fresh produce, unprocessed meats, fish, and eggs are the safest gluten free foods and the easiest to source since they don’t require much (if any) label reading.
- Learning to read labels and avoid cross contact is necessary for anyone on a strict gluten free diet.
- Having a support group not only eases the emotional and social burden of the transition, but it’s also a ton of fun!
Looking for more support?
Check out our Free Resource Library! It has pages of useful information on how to go gluten-free, plus travel resources to help you jump back into your best life:
Get unlimited access to our Free Resource Library with Grocery Lists, a Travel Planner, Packing Checklists, and more!
What are your best tips for starting a gluten free diet?
With love and gratitude,
❤︎ Jamie
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Katerina
You have the best guides and printables, Jamie! These tips would be absolutely priceless for someone trying to navigate the gluten free world - like me! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience!
Celiac Sojourness
Thank you so much Katerina! This is the sweetest message and I hope you find the tips and resources helpful <3
Susan
Hi Jamie,
I have been sooo tired for years now. I have suffered depression all my adult life. I will be 60 in a couple of weeks.
I have been going through many blood tests, top and tail oscopies etc in the last 6 months, because it was accidentally discovered that my iron (ferritin) was absolutely rock bottom. 4 in Australian medical terminology.
I had a large iron infusion, which did not give me the pep I was told it would, and had hoped!
I have tested negative for coeliac disease.
Whenever I put in my symptoms on google it always came up coeliac. So I asked my GP a couple of days ago if it is possible to be gluten intolerant if the tests for coeliac come back negative?
Apparently yes! There is no way of testing for intolerance.
So, here I am, after looking on Pinterest for foods recipes etc, I found your page!
I am feeling extremely overwhelmed at the moment at the thought of changing my entire relationship with food!
I love your first suggestion, change my regular foods with gluten free versions! ??
I have not eaten well consistently for years now, as I work from home, and I am too exhausted and fluffy in my head to give food much thought!
I am very fortunate to have a wonderful husband who takes good care of me emotionally as well as physically.
Thank you so much for your page and suggestions!
Here is to finding out if this is where my problems lie!
Of course I will be talking with my doctors about what I am going to try, I need all the help I can get.
Much kindness to you and your family.
From Australia
Susan H. ??
Jamie
Thank you so much Susan! I really hope you get your energy back soon and the diet change helps.
I definitely like to keep recipes simple since I make nearly all my own food. I hope you find more posts and recipes you enjoy here! The gluten-free smoothies have spinach which is a great source of iron:
Welcome to our gluten-free family <3
Jamie
Michelle
Hi Jamie. Thank you so much for posting this. You are helping more ppl than you know. I have been dealing with tremors for years now. My Doctors have ran tests that all come in normal. They’ve told me that some ppl just have tremors and there is nothing they can do about it. On top of the tremors, I suffer from feeling exhausted all the time, bouts of depression, bloating, joint pain, and now I’m gaining weight and not able to do anything to loose it. It wasn’t until a friend of mine was describing their symptoms and diagnosis of Celiac disease that I saw similarities. I am concerned about changing my household to a gluten-free home since I have two teenage boys that thrive on sandwiches and pasta, but you’ve given me hope, confidence, and a guide to make this change. Thank you again.
Jamie
Thank you so much for the kind words Michelle! There are loads of good gluten-free pastas and breads these days that will hopefully make your transition easier. I definitely eat better (and feel *way better*) now than before gluten-free. I wish the same for you too. Please let me know if I can help!