How To Live Gluten Free – A Guide to GF Resources
I want you to live your best gluten free life. Be safe. Eat great food. Be informed. Get involved. Feel included. THE WORKS. This guide to gluten free resources is all that and more. It’s everything you need to know to live gluten free—and be happy about it.
This shouldn’t be an unachievable goal. But, let’s get real, living gluten free has a steep learning curve. As someone diagnosed with Celiac nearly 30 years ago, I can’t imagine starting from scratch.
That’s why knowing about the best gluten free resources is so important. I’m still learning new things about this diet and bettering my gluten free life everyday.
Just this week I learned that some sushi rice is prepared with gluten-containing ingredients. And that just really sucks.
Hopefully, I can save you time and frustration by telling you about my favorite trustworthy, reliable gluten free resources. I’ve used most of these resources for a long time and follow them on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest gluten free news, recipes, and tips.
Let’s get started!
FYI – This post contains affiliate links which may lead to me making a small commission.
GET STARTED, GET INFO, GET INVOLVED
Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG)
It’s the GIG’s mission to make living a gluten free life easier. They are an extremely helpful gluten free resource for all kinds of articles on living gluten free. Learn about getting started, diet and nutrition, life and home, kids and family, science and research, or use them to find gluten free support groups—they have over 90 support groups worldwide (psst, you aren’t alone!).
They even offer a GF program specifically for kids—called Generation GF that includes resources just for them, as well as camps, and events!
The GIG also works to keep us safe through food safety research. Their Gluten-Free Certification Organization uses certification criteria which are TWICE as strict as the FDA’s standards for GF certification.
I follow the GIG on Facebook and they have some great informational memes that I learn from and share from time to time.
Celiac Disease Foundation
In addition to learning about Celiac disease, celiac.org, is the the perfect site to read the latest Celiac research news.
This website also includes a recruitment platform for getting involved in clinical trials. According to Celiac.org, the biggest obstacle in getting a celiac drug to market is recruiting enough patients to participate in clinical trials. Celiac.org uses a screening software called iQualifyCeliac to lower the cost of drug development and help people discover if they are eligible to participate in studies or clinical trials.
Contact Congress! Find sample letters for contacting congress on this site; urging them to support current legislation that would make living gluten free in the US safer and easier.
Looking for another way to get involved?! Participate in and fundraise for the Celiac Disease Foundation’s annual Turkey Trot, and receive special discounts and offers from their proud sponsors—Schar, BFree, and King Arthur, to name a few.
FIND RESTAURANTS WITH THE BEST, SAFEST GLUTEN FREE OPTIONS
Find Me Gluten Free
Searches on Find Me Gluten Free are an easy way to get an overview of restaurants with gluten free options in your area. Users give restaurants star ratings as well as vote on whether or not they are celiac safe.
Each user rating is then broken down into sub-ratings by safety, taste, and variety.
Details from written reviews are also helpful. I use Find Me Gluten Free a lot when traveling and unfamiliar with an area. While it may not answer all my questions, it’s a start, and then I know what I need to ask when calling a restaurant before I go.
Though it’s helpful, Find Me Gluten Free does include restaurants that may ultimately be very risky to your health when maintaining a gluten free diet. To be ultra-safe when dining out, you need the Gluten Dude App…
Gluten Dude App
If you like Find Me Gluten Free to find restaurants, but want something even safer then you’ll LOVE the Gluten Dude App. All the restaurants listed are either 100% Gluten Free, Gluten Dude vetted, or User Suggested. So you can filter your search based on your comfort level. Let’s break down these categories.
100% Gluten Free Restaurants
Pretty self-explanatory, but these are the only restaurants that are 100% safe! Find out where they are in your area so you can dine out without worries (wow).
Gluten Dude Vetted Restaurants
As these restaurants are not 100% gluten free, the Gluten Dude team personally vets every restaurant before it makes this list. I reached out to the Dude himself to find out exactly what this means… 1) Someone on the app suggests a restaurant that they think is safe based on their GF experience; 2) Gluten Dude researches the restaurant and reaches out to answer these questions:
- Does restaurant staff understand cross contamination?
- Do they take cross contamination seriously?
- Do they have specific protocols in place to minimize risk of cross contamination?
If the answers are “yes,” then the restaurant gets added to the app. Yay!!!
User Suggested Restaurants
These restaurants (not 100% GF) were suggested by users, however the restaurants did not respond to Gluten Dude’s vetting request. Gluten Dude then researched reviews of these restaurants and included them in the app if positive reviews far out-weighed the negative.
When any restaurant is to the app, users get a notification that a restaurant has been added to their area.
The Gluten Dude App also has a GF beer locator, listings of GF airport options, and coupons for GF businesses. The airport category is a little different as businesses are ranked by variety instead of safety. So there is definitely a large element of unknown risk here no matter where you choose, but at least it gives you a jumping off point if you’re in a bind while traveling.
Some gluten free businesses I recognized in the coupon section include Better Batter, Eban’s Bakehouse, JF Jules, Katz, Mom’s Place, and Purely Elizabeth.
This app is definitely worth it if you wish to safely eat out and/or travel frequently. Along with having our safety at heart, I do love how Gluten Dude has a life-time membership option so you don’t have the guilt of another re-occurring monthly payment going on.
So join the app now and let a safer world of dining reveal itself, you won’t be disappointed.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE & LOCAL GEMS
Local Facebook Groups
If you haven’t joined your local gluten free Facebook group, stop reading and do it right now. I’ll wait.
Beyond discovering safe restaurants with gluten free offerings in your area and delicious finds at the grocery store, it’s a great way get some gluten free camaraderie in your life.
My local GF Cincy group is supportive and knowledgeable as heck fire. I was just blown away by how much I learned when I discovered them. In many ways it was a catalyst and inspiration for starting this blog.
These groups can also be an excellent resource while traveling. In my experience, locals love pointing outsiders to all their favorite GF spots in their area. Go where the locals go and you’ll be doing alright.
FIND FOOD (CONVENIENTLY)!
Thrive Market
Gotten your fill of info and want a resource for some gluten free grub delivered to your door along with $60 worth of free groceries?!
I’m talking about the best gluten free pantry and frozen items that can be hard to find other places… Gluten free bagels, hotdog buns, biscuits, pizza dough, protein shakes, healthy cereals, supplements, baking mixes, fried pickles, jalapeño poppers, icecream sandwiches, healthy on-the-go snacks, clean wine…
The list goes on and on, and it’s all at Thrive Market. I’ve been at this awhile and it’s the most convenient way I’ve found to grocery shop.
Thrive Market has 90+ filters for diets and lifestyles, allowing you to quickly search for gluten free, vegan, dairy free, nut free, egg free etc. products. It’s also nice to know that all of Thrive’s products meet high-quality criteria. The products are…
- Organic If Organic Option is Available
- Non-GMO Health and Environmentally Conscious Free From Artificial Flavors, Artificial Colors,& Artificial Preservatives
- Free From High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Fats, Acesulfame Potassium, Bleached & Bromates Flour, BHA & BHT
I’ve been a member since last Summer when I fell in love with many of the products and the convenience of getting sooo many of my favorites all in one place.
Go ahead and get $60 in free groceries when you join now, or read about why Thrive Market is the right choice for me in my post.
THE MOST DELICIOUS RECIPES
Iowa Girl Eats
I’ve been a huge fan of the Iowa Girl Eats gluten free cooking blog for many years. There hasn’t been a recipe from this site that I’ve tried and haven’t made repeatedly over the years.
I love having tried and true, go-to recipes for weeknight dinners or to take to a party, and Iowa Girl Eats is where I get mine. Awesome recipes are key to living gluten free.
I went down such a rabbit hole looking at yummy recipes as I looked up the proper names for my favorites. Everything just looks so good. It’s making so hungry and there are so many things I’d like to try. Especially with crockpot weather coming.
Here are some examples of my favorites:
Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole
This is one of my favorite casseroles EVER. I love chicken and rice casseroles, but the tangy, slightly spicy flavors of this one bring it to another level. It pairs so well with some chips and salsa, and a Margarita. While you do need to make a cheese sauce, it’s a pretty easy recipe that would be hard to mess up.
Cookies & Cream No-Bake Chex Bars
I’ve made these for plenty a party and they are a BIG crowd pleaser—especially for kids, though adults love them too. How could you not?
It’s the yummiest, crunchiest dessert treat, and with Rice Chex, GF Oreos, Marshmallows, and chocolate. It manages to include a lot of goodness.
While I was searching for this recipe, I also came across her Oreo Mousse which looks even better than these bars, which I didn’t think could be possible.
Party Potatoes Deluxe
This is what you should bring to Thanksgiving (and Christmas). You and your family can thank me later.
Caesar Spinach & Artichoke Dip
A yummy, savory twist on a classic appetizer favorite.
The Elements of Baking
Are you a physical book person?!
I’m a sucker for a very beautiful cookbook and this “ultimate allergy cookbook” promises to be super informational as well.
I say “promises” because despite pre-ordering months ago on Amazon, it was so popular that they ran out of copies and I still don’t have mine, ugh.
But, if you’re interested in checking something off your Christmas list, it looks like it will be back in stock on Amazon by early December if you want to go ahead and order one now 🙂
With a PhD in Inorganic Chemistry and incredibly popular baking blog—the Loopy Whisk, author Katarina Cermelj is extremely well equipped to help you tackle any recipe.
Not only does this cookbook cover the science behind making any recipe gluten free, dairy free, egg free or vegan, it also includes an abundance of recipes with possible alterations as well.
EAT SAFELY IN COLLEGE
The Celiac College Guide
Here I am about to stick a fork in this post when I discovered this really cool new resource that I wanted to tell y’all about.
Did you know that over half of celiac college students reported regularly skipping meals due to gluten concerns?! That’s unacceptable. Apparently, Nicole Sherrin Kessler, long-time educator and mother of two daughters with celiac thought so too. So she founded the not-for-profit Celiac College Guide, a free resource to help prospective GF college students find the right school for them.
College is enough work without worrying where your next meal is coming from. Celiac College Guide can help ensure students choose colleges that have their best gluten free interests at heart by doing gluten free right. The CCG will also hopefully help spread awareness to colleges that are lacking in the gluten free arena.
The directory is very helpful with reviews of student experiences and filters such as GF provisions (GF pantry, kitchen, dining hall, etc.), school size, and acceptance rate. School profiles also have the contact info for individuals in charge of dining at the school, so you can reach out for even more information.
There is already a lot of info here, but the Celiac College Guide needs your help in gathering even more reviews! Please help spread the word and ask a Celiac college student or recent grad in your life to leave a review on celiaccollegeguide.org. Reviews only take a couple minutes!
Well, that’s a wrap. I hope you learned something today. Or rather, learned where you can learn something in order to live gluten free and love it! Or at least like it.
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As always, I hope you eat something great today!
