Gluten Free Food List

One question I get asked frequently is, "Is there a list of gluten free foods that I can buy in 'normal' shops?" And I always reply in the same way: "If you're looking for a list of processed foods (tins, packets, frozen stuff...), then even if there is one you should not use it because such a list will be out of date as soon as it is given to you."

A list prepared by somebody else, however well meaning, is not a safe option, as I will explain. Unfortunately, if you are gluten intolerant, sooner or later you will have to take responsibility for what you eat, not rely on other people.

Why do I take this "tough love" stand? Believe me, it's not because I want to be intentionally awkward or nasty. The reason is simple. Manufacturers of processed foods are flexible in their ingredients, as a general rule. It's true that some products (like Lea and Perrins' Worcestershire sauce - which contains malt vinegar, and is not gluten free) are made to secret recipes which have been handed down over years and are pretty much immutable. But these are the exception, rather than the rule.

Have you heard about the time when Coca Cola made a decision to change the recipe for Coke, a couple of decades ago? Even without the announcements everywhere you went we all knew about it. The taste of the new version was dreck. Sales fell through the floor, and it took me 20 years to find out that they had reverted to a similar (but not identical) recipe to the original shortly afterwards. I didn't drink it for 20 years!

Anyway, that's a bit beside the point, but it does illustrate that recipes can and do change. In the case of Coke, they trumpeted it, and we didn't like it. The new recipe didn't taste the same.

But it's not always like that. Often, if an ingredient becomes scarce or too expensive, manufacturers change recipes without any fanfare - without even a "New Recipe" flash on the pack. In fact, unless the taste changes a lot, they're unlikely to mention it upfront at all. The only way to tell is to check the ingredients on the back.

This is why I tell everyone who has any type of food intolerance to check the label of every pack every time you buy - you may be picking up 2 packs of the same food, but they may be from different batches. How will you know they are the same without comparing the ingredients lists?

There are some food items that can be safely eaten without worrying, though. Here's a list:
- Fresh fish, poultry and meat sold without any marinade, coating, topping or sauce
- Fresh or frozen vegetables sold without any sauce or coating
- Fresh fruit bought as (for example) individual apples in a pack, a pineapple, a bunch of bananas...
- Tinned fruit canned in juice or syrup
- Nuts bought in the shell, or shelled and/or roasted without any coating or flavoring beyond salt
- Dried fruit: apricots, apples, bananas, currants, figs, pears, peaches, prunes, raisins, sultanas and so on, but check that they have not been coated in "modified starch" to stop them sticking together.
- Cheese bought in a lump and grated at home (except Parmesan).
 * Watch out for low fat soft cheese with hidden gluten to thicken it up.
 * Don't buy ready-grated cheese unless you watch them grate it in the deli - most of the packeted stuff is coated in "modified starch".
- Butter, milk, eggs, most full fat yogurt (the low fat is usually thickened with "modified starch")
- Rice in a packet (any kind) sold without sauce or flavorings, quinoa, millet, oats which have a label saying they were processed in a gluten free facility (as they are generally contaminated in the factory), corn, buckwheat, amaranth, and flour made from these.

These foods are safe, if you follow the rules I've mentioned. Anything else is suspect - including breakfast cereals, snack seafood and soy sauce. Even instant coffee can have gluten added, if it's a lower cost variety.

Remember, other people usually don't realize that the merest hint of gluten can cause you grief, and some just don't care. Your health is in your own hands. Check every label before you buy.

And if anyone asks you for a gluten free food list - just send them here!