GF means Great Food for the Gluten Free!

For people who have to stick with a gluten-free diet, finding the foods that are good for you can be a real challenge. In fact, just finding out that you need to eat GF can be challenging. Randy Armbruster said, "From the time I started exhibiting symptoms, it was probably 2 or 3 months that I was diagnosed and started this new adventure of GF eating...My plan is if I'm not sure,I don't eat it!" For both Jessica Pauley and her uncle Kevin, loss of weight and constant stomach aches led to multiple doctor's appointments and testings before finding the problem.

Complicating matters is that so many food producers are embedding elements that contain gluten. Jessi says to check with the manufacturer to be absolutely sure a food is gluten free or less than/equal to 200 parts per million. Terms such as natural flavors, malt (made from barley), caramel coloring, anti-caking agent (as in powdered sugar), and thickeners, maltodextrin (made with corn in U.S.). With oat and corn products, assume cross-contamination. Roquefort cheese a big NO! It is made by pressing bread against the cheese. Who would know??? Be careful with Dijon mustard, ketchup, cocktail sauce, shampoo/lotion, toothpaste and spice mixes. And of course, avoid sausages, deli coldcuts, and meats from fast foods that contain secret ingredients!

Two links: www.wholefoodsmarket.com/specialdiets and www.livingwithout.com are excellent for finding foods you want or need. Living Without is a magazine designed for people with dietary needs. Another magazine, the March issue of Natural Health, has a compilation of its annual Good Food Awards. The GF foods that make the list in the Pantry Staples category are: Mary's Gone Crackers Original; Lundber Rice Chips Sesame & Seaweed; Kind Bar Mango Macadamia; and Simply Organic Cocoa Cayenne Cupcake Mix. Winners in the Refrigerator Favorites category include Kraft Athenos Traditional Feta Cheese; O.N.E. Coconut Water; and Nancy's Organic Cream Cheese.

My thanks to Kevin, Randy, and especially to my daughter Jessica for their tips on living life gluten free. Our hope is that their knowledge and experiences help others to live their lives more abundantly through good GF foods!