Top 45 Certified Gluten-Free Foods
For a Celiac, eating restaurant foods or packaged foods can sometimes be like walking through a minefield. Everything looks clear. You’re told it’s safe. So you take a tentative step forward and… BOOM. You’re blown sky high. Once, I purchased a ‘gluten-aware’ salad from a company with a shared kitchen. The company advertised a separate gluten-free area and separate utensils were used to make the salad. It was one of the best tasting salads I ever had, but two hours later, when the excruciating pain hit, it was no longer my favourite salad.
Has this happened to you?
I usually think of gluten-free foods in three categories: certified gluten-free, naturally gluten-free (like fruits or vegetables) or no gluten ingredients listed on the food label.
‘Certified gluten-free’ foods are the only foods out there 100% free of gluten cross-contamination because of the stringent regulations governing how food packaging companies can operate their facilities and maintain their gluten-free certification.
Food products that don’t have gluten listed in the ingredients do still carry a risk of cross-contamination because gluten may be in other foods packaged in the same facility. Cross-contamination occurs when a trace of gluten comes into contact with a gluten-free food which can happen in a manufacturing plant or in a shared kitchen either in a restaurant or at home.
Why does this matter? Cross-contamination carries real consequences for people with Celiac disease. A trace of gluten can cause uncomfortable, painful symptoms, and repeated amounts of gluten can damage the small intestine. This holds even for those “silent” Celiacs, people with little to no apparent symptoms.
What about oats? The Canadian Celiac association says, “oats are often in cross-contact with wheat and barley crops making them inedible to a person with celiac” This is why the purity protocol, a step-wise process that removes risk of cross-contamination with oats, allows most Celiacs to eat oats.
So, when is it helpful to eat more certified gluten-free foods? It’s helpful when you’re a new Celiac and your gut is healing. It’s also helpful when you’re a refractory Celiac, and you still have symptoms despite following a strict gluten-free diet.
Here are my favourite certified gluten-free brands:
Gluten-Free Cold Cereals
Nature’s Path Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla
Love Grown Chocolate Power O’s
Gluten-Free Oats or Alternatives
Only Oats (Purity Protocol) Rolled Oats
GoGoQuinoa Instant Quinoa Flakes
Gluten-Free Granola
Bakery on Main Cranberry Almond Maple
Gluten-Free Waffle & Pancake Mix
Torill’s Table Waffle & Pancake Mix
Pamela’s Gluten-Free Baking & Pancake Mix
Gluten-Free Breads (Tip: can eat these brands untoasted)
Promise Gluten-Free Quinoa & Chia Loaf
Little Northern Bakehouse Whole Grain Wide Slice
Gluten-Free Buns
Promise Brioche Hamburger Buns
Gluten-Free Noodles
Lotus Foods Organic Millet and Brown Rice Ramen
Gluten-Free Pasta
Explore Cuisine Organic Green Lentil Penne
Gluten-Free Ravioli
Conte’s Pasta Spinach and Cheese Ravioli
Gluten-Free Pizza Crust
Gluten-Free Tortillas & Taco Shells (Tip: heat to prevent cracking of soft tortillas)
Grimm’s Fine Foods Brown Rice Tortillas
Casa Bonita Foods Corn Tortillas
Old El Paso Stand ‘N Stuff Taco Shells
Gluten-Free Empanadas
Gluten-Free Crackers
Breton White Bean with Salt and Pepper
Breton Black Bean with Onion and Garlic
Eve’s Crackers Savoury Sunflower
Gluten-Free Hummus
Gluten-Free Sauces & Condiments
San-J Tamari Lite (Low Sodium)
Gluten-Free Protein Powder
Botanica Health Perfect Protein - Vanilla
Muscle Pharm Combat Protein - Chocolate
Gluten-Free Snacks
Prana Kilimanjaro Deluxe Chocolate (Trail) Mix
Angie’s Boomchickapop White Cheddar Puffs
Gluten-Free Cookies & Donuts
Enjoy Life Soft Baked Cookies - Gingerbread Spice
Gluten-Free “Ice” Cream
Coconut Bliss Madagascar Vanilla Bean
Righteous Gelato Dark Chocolate Caramel Sea Salt