Gluten Free - Chino Hills,CA

Updated on March 01, 2010
J.L. asks from Chino Hills, CA
37 answers

So My dad was having some health issues and doc wants hime to eat gluten free for 6 mos. I know the bad news is there is gluten in A LOT of things but the good news is that now there are so many alternatives. But I (and my mom and dad) really don't know where to start. So... what are your fav gluten free products and meals? I totally need name brands/where to find. Any suggestions for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks whatever you got throw it at me. I appreciae all your help! ;0)

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M.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi!

Try Trader Joe's, then Whole Foods. You'll find SO many yummy foods that are gluten free. Brownie mix, pancake//waffle mix, bread, lots of 'rice' products. Pasta, bread, snacks, cereal and so on.

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D.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

I know a lot of people mentioned Trader Joes, but I will tell you the specifics that I like (since I am also gluten free). I love the gluten free granola cereal and then they have two corn cereals that I like. I eat the rice past when my family has spagetti. I get the rice bread (either from Trader Joes or Whole foods, or the millet bread from whole foods). Both of those bread are thick so they don't totally reproduce what we are used to, but I get by. Today my family got pizza and I took a peice and took the cheese of the top and put it on my bread, it was pretty enjoyable (if I could not have pizza at all). Trader Joes has gluten freee pancakes in the freezer and a brownie mix that I have yet to make. For dinners he will just have to stick with rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes and corn instead of wheat things.

good luck

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K.T.

answers from Los Angeles on

Several people already mentioned Trader Joe's, but I wanted to add that they have a printout there of their gluten free products - easier than reading every ingredient label in the store!

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K.L.

answers from Chicago on

Your dad is lucky to have you looking out for him! We have lots of easy gluten-free recipes (they are also allergen-free and vegan) on our blog. We also have product reviews and tips. The address is : www.welcomingkitchen.blogspot.com. Good luck to your dad.
K.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.H.

answers from Tampa on

I have gone gluten free and taken my family along for the ride, there are alot of resources now. When I started I went to the library and got a bunch of books out, this was very helpful to me, there is a magazine called Living Without that has alot of useful advise. There are ciliac websites that give good guidlines.
I think alot of it is trial and error. It is expensive, so I make alot of food from scratch, Baking is the hardest part, there are so many flour mixtures and they all act different. One bread I love is millet and flax bread made by Sammi's bakeryBut there are many options, I have also eliminated refined sugars, and dairy, so my experience may be different from what yours will be. Don't get overwhelmed! You can do this and still eat well, if everone ate this way the world would be a healthier place with alot less cancers and yeast related issues (there are so many)Good Luck getting healthy

2 moms found this helpful
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C.S.

answers from Dallas on

Great read is "The Gluten Connection", it really helped me to understand the process. For 'Gluten Free' foods, I shop WholeFoods, Central Market, Farmers Market and You may ask at the grocery store where they stock the items as well... May I also recommend a recent documentary that was released last Nov 2009, it's called "Food, Inc" (I'm in no way connected/ nor promoting) but found it to be an interesting side of the 'food' trail to observe and think about as we are all wanting/needing to be Healthy and Stay Healthy.

2 moms found this helpful

L.C.

answers from Kansas City on

we eat a lot of mexican stuff! lol. you cant use most of the taco seasonings, but you can make your own with chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and onion powder! almost all taco shells are fine! you can also do quesadillas with corn tortillas! i make a great jamalaya that is gluten free! we also do a lot of pasta, just with gluten free noodles. bean soup, home-made chili, grilled chicken, salads with no croutons, chex cereals are now gluten free (except the wheat of course) broccoli, cottage cheese, yogurts..... can you tell that we are a gluten free family? lol. message me if you want some exact recipes.

2 moms found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Cincinnati on

Hi~
Here are a number of great websites:

- http://www.glutenfree.com/home.aspx http://allrecipes.com/Search/Recipes.aspx?WithTerm=gluten... (I love this site because people rate the recipes)

- http://consumer.kinnikinnick.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/con... (i think they have a sample package with a variety of products)

- http://www.celiac.com/ - has a Safe Gluten-Free Food List

- http://food-allergies.suite101.com/article.cfm/condiments... (gluten free condiments)

- http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/... (where to shop for gluten free)

- http://www.glutenfreeinfo.com/Diet/glutenfreeinfo.htm (lists major store brands that are gluten free)

Some great foods that I have found in my local super market:
- Chebe bread http://www.chebe.com/
- Enjoy life http://www.enjoylifefoods.com/
- Notta Pasta http://www.nottapasta.com/ - EXCELLENT GF PASTA!

Couple of Snack foods that are gluten free:
Frito Lay products that are gluten free - http://www.fritolay.com/your-health/products-not-containi...
Mike Sells Puffcorn delights

Foods I hated:
Corn pastas
Rice pasta (looks like corn pasta)
Rice breads (they fall apart/crumble in your mouth)

Ask your local market. Many are now labeling gluten free products or have a “natural” section of the store that has a lot of health/gluten free products.

*** FYI – be aware some shaving cream, toothpaste, toiletries, makeup, glue, markers, have gluten

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

I have a cookbook that is amazing!! It's called "5 Square Low-Carb meals" by Monica Lynn. All the recipes are dairy free gluten free. My kids and husband loves them all! I make waffles and pancakes for breakfast!

Instead of flour, the recipes call for Arrowhead Mills All Purpose Wheat free Baking mix.

Good luck. Im still experimenting with gluten free recipes, but this is a great place to start.

Also, I am an Arbonne rep, and we have a really yummy protein shake that is gluten free, and certified vegan. This month is national nutrition month so Im giving everyone 20% off all nutrition products.

M.
www.marybethb.myarbonne.com
###-###-####

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S.N.

answers from Los Angeles on

Most of the things I was going to tell you have already been mentioned by other ladies here! But I did want to tell you that on El Camino Real down here in San Clemente they have an entire Gluten Free store. Not sure where you live but just thought I'd mention it since it has such an extensive choice of food.

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C.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

A few of my favorites:
Udi bread
Bob's Red Mill Pizza crust mix
Tinkyada pasta
Kinickinick english muffins
Envirokids cereal
Daddy Sam's BBQ sauce

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M.C.

answers from Las Vegas on

check out this web site http://www.gfmeals.com. They ship gf meals to your door! Best of luck. M.

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C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

You should check out GlutenFreeGirl.com. Amazing website with Gluten free recipes, ideas and advice. Weelicious.com also has tons of easy and fast gluten free recipes!

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S.O.

answers from San Diego on

Both myself and my 2 yo daughter cannot have wheat and have several food allergies. I have been GF for about 3years now. The first 6 months of adjustment are hard. Where to buy, what to buy, budgeting in the extra cost, finding what you LIKE to eat (since most store bought GF stuff tastes like cardboard). But over the years we have found many things that both of us like to eat.

Ian's frozen GF foods (chik nuggets, fish sticks, pizza,etc.)
Amy's Organic GF frozen foods (tamales, rice mac n cheese, etc.)
Enjoy breakfast bars
Pamela's GF cookies (my DH LOVES the chocolate chip cookies)
DeBoles GF rice pasta
EnerG GF Rice pasta (we love their vermicelli noodles in place of spaghetti noodles)
Gluten Free Cafe frozen foods (they taste great!)

I know many have mentioned shopping at TraderJoe's or Wholefoods. I prefer shopping at Henry's Marketplace since their prices are cheaper. I also get a lot of our stuff through Amazon.com's Subscribe and Save program. You get 15% off the amazon price plus free shipping so it ends up being cheaper than buying on sale at the store. Also at Henry's you can order things by case (call ahead of time) and they will give you a 10% off case discount.

A site that I really like is:

www.glutenfreeinsd.com It has a very good restaurant list. It lists what GF items are on the menu and in some cases will even have cooking instructions for you to print out and give to your waiter to pass along to the chef (did this at Buca di Beppo's).

Smaller restaurants are also worth a try since they tend to me more client friendly and flexible with how they prepare meals and are generally more willing to make food substitutions if you kindly tell them you cannot have gluten. It especially helps our case when my very cute and smiley 2 yo daughter looks up and gives her "I'm Cute" shoulder shrug and smile :). Not sure if that look would work for your Dad though :).

Before we go and try a restaurant we don't normally go to, I always check this list or go directly to the restaurant site. Most large, chain restaurants will have either a Gluten Free or Allergy friendly menu. And when I get to the restaurant, I double check with the waiter about all our food allergies and ask what they recommend just in case the menu has changed.

Restaurants we like:

Buca di Beppo
Olive Garden
Soupplantation
Mc Donalds (burger, no bun, with apple slices instead of fries)
Claim Jumper (they have the most extensive GF menu we have seen...I think they have like 8 entree items on it)
Thai restaurants (since they serve a lot of rice or rice noodle dishes, just have to be careful of the sauces since a lot are made with soy sauce that has wheat infused in it)

Also, don't forget to check your Dad's medications, herbs and supplements to make sure they are GF. Most are, but some are not.

Also check any hygiene products (lotion, lip balm, shaving cream, shampoo/conditioner, sunscreen, hairspray, deodorant) to make sure there are no gluten by products in there.

And don't forget cleaning supplies or airfresheners. Anything that touches your body or is absorbed by the body with gluten in it can affect your Dad.

I have always been a label reading Mama because of my food allergies, but now I read EVERY label of EVERYTHING that comes into my house.

I highly recommend reading "Wheat Free, Worry Free" by Danna Korn. She is the Mom of a son with Celiac disease. Easy read with a good list of things you can eat and a good list of things you can't. Even list out certain food chemicals and spices and all other names that basically mean gluten (wheat, flour, barley, sorghum, malt, etc.) Just because it doesn't outright say wheat or oats on the label, there are so many different names for the gluten by products. I believe she also has website. And if you go onto any celiac or gluten free website, you will see her name pop up.

I also like Vegetarian Times Magazine. Lots of good recipes that are labelled GF. And many others that you can quickly convert to being GF or tailor to your needs (like adding in meat).

One really good thing about eating GF...your Dad will GUARANTEED lose weight (if he needs to that is). In the first 6 months of going GF I lost about 20 lbs and have kept it off for over 2 years now. No change in exercise or activitiy, just the change in diet. And I feel more energetic and my hormone levels have gotten tremendously better! And if GF is really the culprit for all your Dad's issues, he will start to feel better soon (I'd say within a week or two).

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions or concerns.

S.

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P.M.

answers from San Diego on

asain cuisine has many gluten free options. There are vegetable and meat stir fry, white/brown rice, rice noodles, fried rice, etc. When using soy sauce, make sure to read the ingredients, some have gluten in them. For italian food, Trader joes has rice pasta, simmer crushed tomotoes with herbs, garlic, onions, etc. BBQ steaks, seafood, or roast a chicken, serve with roasted vegetables or a salad.

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

Hi J. - I have a friend that went through this and is also really into health and nutrition and recently I was asking her the same question and she said she would put together a list of the things she's found that are good (and taste good). If she finally gets it to I'll forward to you. As an additional nutritional support for your dad during this time, please consider getting him on Juice Plus capsules. They are gluten free and have the highest quality and integrity of fruit and vegetable powders that will help keep him nutritionally fortified and help improve his overall health while he's figuring out how to eat and beyond. Just reply and I'll forward you more info. In the mean time, check out the research and what the doctors say at wethriveonjuiceplus.com. It will make a significant difference in his health. Wishing you the best outcome possible. God Bless!

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A.O.

answers from Los Angeles on

Trader Joes, Trader Joes, trader Joes....oh, and also Whole foods have tons of gluten free options . Think about products made of rice rather than wheat, so plan to serve pilaf instead of pasta with meals...rice crispie treats instead of birthday cake....etc

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R.B.

answers from San Diego on

Whole Foods has a whole section of gluten free items. They all taste really good... Henry's also has some (probably cheaper).
Good luck :)

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M.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

Fresh & Easy carries gluten free organic food. They just introduced their labels about a month or so ago. You can also check them on their website. I'm sure they have a section. You can also call them directly. It is a very friendly company I'm sure that if you ask for a list of all their gluten free products you will provide one for you.

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S.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

There are so many out there now that he's lucky! Rice chex are gluten free and I believe one other of that line is as well.

There are a bunch of gluten free bakeries around the Los Angeles area: http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=gluten+free+bakery&a...

We loved The Sensative Baker's rolls. I've heard Baby Cakes NYC has amazing sweets.

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K.G.

answers from San Diego on

I would start by checking the web. Lots of info on specific name brands there. I also love trader joe's. Great food, lots of rice pasta, and other gluten free stuff. Plus the staff are very helpful and willing to point you in the right direction.

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

nuts are gluten free

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L.R.

answers from Los Angeles on

We had to do this just 6 weeks ago! It is hard but totally do able!!! here are some website I have found useful! Good luck to you and remember if it is processed it probably has gluten in it!
http://www.celiac.com/articles/181/1/Safe-Gluten-Free-Foo...

http://www.glutenfreeinfo.com/

http://gfkitchen.server101.com/GlutenFree_Guide_Shopping_...

http://www.gluten-free-diet-help.com/gluten-free-products...

Also go to the library they have wonderful cookbooks I have used. Also if you have any question about the product Google it!!! That has been a life saver!!!

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J.D.

answers from Los Angeles on

The best place to start is on an autism site as over 80% of the kids on the spectrum respond well to this being removed from their diet and you are right, there are SO many more options than there use to be.

The best place that I have found is
http://gfcf-diet.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.htm

What to do, how to do it, recipes galore from those that have to feed picky kids, places to shop, how to do it on a budget, you name it.

Guess what? The best thing for the whole family would be to go on it as well. Any digestive issues, overweight, bloating, aches and pains, mental fogginess, the list goes on, would all benefit.

And another thing people don't think about is what you are putting on your skin also contains gluten, especially in lotions and shampoos. I represent a line of skin care products, Sensaria Natural Bodycare, that are for the whole family and those with sensitivities will LOVE them, especially with eczema, acne, psoriasis, dry skin.

www.sensaria.com/J.
Check out my links in the Local Business section as well.

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L.L.

answers from Dallas on

I have a good friend who has celiac and have been amazed by all the things there are to know. You can find a lot of good info online. This is a good one : http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/

Guten is hidden in a lot of things and you need to be careful and informed (ie beer, anything with barley, many soy sauces, etc). Also, most oatmeals are processed with gluten so you need to find a special gluten-free variety. Good ol' Quaker Oats won't work. You can do things as simple as serve grilled meats with your favorite veggies, baked potato, rice, etc.

The good news is that a lot of places are starting to change. There are some boxed cake mixes now (Betty Crocker I believe) that are supposed to be good. Also, a lot of restaurants now have special gluten free menus -- PeiWei, PF Changs, Outback & Chilis (I beleive).

You can live gluten free. It can be hard at times, but I think it's getting better. Best of luck to you all.

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R.A.

answers from Peoria on

Betty Crocker has a gluten free line of cakes, cookies and brownies. I tried the cake yesterday (we made cupcakes) and it was awesome! There are also flour and chips that are gluten free and it's just trying them till you find something that you like.

Updated

Betty Crocker has a gluten free line of cakes, cookies and brownies. I tried the cake yesterday (we made cupcakes) and it was awesome! There are also flour and chips that are gluten free and it's just trying them till you find something that you like.

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D.H.

answers from Los Angeles on

Look under celiac diet and you will find lots of alternatives or celiac foods.
Good luck!

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C.A.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try shopping at a chain market called "Sprouts". They have a lot of products labelled gluten free underneath the product on the shelf. I like the "cream of buckwheat". You might also ask the market if they have a list of gluten free products.

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R.M.

answers from Nashville on

For a great option to eating out for gluten free diets, try PF Changs. They have a pretty extensive gluten free menu, whereas most restaurants cant be sure about any items. Eating out can be really difficult with dietary restrictions, it is nice to have a few things to actually choose from.

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D.T.

answers from Reno on

The Raley's by me also has a pretty decent gluten free section.

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C.F.

answers from San Luis Obispo on

Hi
I am allergic to wheat so I have a gluten free diet. Trader Joe's has some stuff that is gluten free. Also there is a store close to my in laws that is a gluten free store. They are in southern California but they do have a website that you can order from, it is stellalucy.com. For whatever reason right now I cannot think of any names besides Anne's that are good. I know there are a lot of good products out there. Try your local health food store. I know that one by my house has a lot of gluten free items. Amazon also has gluten free items that you can order.

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C.B.

answers from Detroit on

I don't know much about gluten free, but I just happened to travel with a co-worker last week who had to eat gluten free. He travels alot and I was very surprised to hear and see how easy it was for him to eat even when away from home. We went to a couple restaurants and they actually had Gluten Free menus (you just have to ask). Luckily, it seems to be becoming a popular type diet even for people that don't have to eat that way, so hopefully your dad will have more choices. It sounds like it is somethiing that actually ends up being very easy once you take a little time to learn (which looks like you will soon!). Anyway, just wanted to share about the restaurant menus in case he likes to eat out too.

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A.V.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try Trader Joe's - pretty much everything there is good. Good luck!

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C.C.

answers from Los Angeles on

A great replacement for pasta is brown rice pasta. If you have a Trader Joe's in your area they carry it and it's great!!
Also, they have delicious frozen gluten and dairy free frozen waffles.

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S.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

Try Henry's Market. They have a gluten free section. I'm guessing the same may be true for Whole Foods and Mother's. Also check out http://www.glutenfree.com/

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