The Good, The Bad, And The Gluten

We get asked all the time about gluten, so we had our Indigo Nutritionist Carolyn Brown (@carolynbrownie) break it down for you today.

Thinking about going gluten free?

We find even if you don’t have full blown celiac, for many, going gluten free (or at least gluten “light”) can help with digestive issues, brain fog, skin issues, joint pain, and fatigue. The best way to test if this is the case for you? By eliminating it for at least 3 weeks. We suggest working with a dietitian or nutritionist to personalize your plan.

GLUTEN FREE doesn’t equal HEALTHY

While all of the gluten free products on the market now make going g-free very easy, seeing gluten free on a label does not equal healthy. Many products use lots of sugar, fillers, and binders to make up for the lack of gluteny texture.

What to look for

Buy as many foods in their whole food, unpackaged forms as possible! Here are our favorite gluten free foods:

• Fruits & veggies

• Whole grains like rice, quinoa, amaranth

• Potatoes & sweet potatoes

• Beans & lentils

• Nuts & seeds

• Organic eggs, meats, fish and poultry (not breaded, batter-coated or marinated)

• Organic tofu or tempeh

• Most dairy products

Some of our favorite gluten free brands

If you’re looking for some nutritionist-approved products, we got you! Here are our grocery store go-tos.

• AMG Snacks

• BANZA pasta

• Bob’s Red Mill: gluten free flours

• Breadsrsly for gluten free sourdough

• Cali’flour crust cauliflower pizza crusts

• Cappello’s grain free pizza crust & pastas & cookie dough

• From the Ground Up Cauliflower pretzels & crackers

• Jovial Organic Brown Rice Pasta

• Laiki rice crackers

• Meredithbread.com for gluten free bagels

• Mikeys gluten free English muffins

• Purely Elizabeth granola, oats & cauliflower cups

• Rulebreaker chickpea brownies and blondies

• Siete chips and wraps

• Simple Mills crackers

• Soozys muffins (freezer section)

• Tolerant organic pasta

• Wildway granola