What We Can Eat

My 'what we can't eat list' was for my mom, and this new list goes out to my mom-in-law, who thought it might be more useful to get a 'what we CAN eat' list. She's probably right. :-)

So, here we go!

What We Can Eat List
(A gluten free list for our family that incorporates our other food issues, as well. It should be safe for most Celiacs, although as always, those who are more sensitive might have issues. Products' ingredients and processing can always change, so this list can become out of date at any time.)

Whole, fresh, organic veggies and herbs- Whole, because veggies cut up in the store tend to present cross-contamination issues. Fresh, because frozen, jarred, and canned veggies typically have citric acid or other ingredients on our 'no' list.

Pre-peeled baby carrots (if they are NOT by cal-organic) - seem to be okay.

Whole, fresh, organic fruits, in moderation - Whole and fresh for the same reasons as the veggies, although if the kids eat more than 2-3 fruits a day, it seems to be a problem. Kiwi and peaches are currently on the 'no' list, however.

Organic unprocessed meats (red meat, poultry, wild caught fish, wild caught shellfish) - If there is not organic meat, grass-fed will work too. No hormones/no antibiotics meat works in a pinch. No sausage, hot dogs, salami, or cured meats usually. Stores like Smith's and Fry's recommend that people not get anything made or sliced in their deli, including meats, if we are trying to avoid gluten. Applegate Farms has some luncheon meat that we can have, like their sliced roastbeef.

Whole Grains, flours, and Starches - Barry Farm Foods, Lundberg Family Farms, Purcell Mountain Farms, and Bob's Red Mill brands seem to be okay, currently. These might change as we test them out more. Ancient Harvest is okay for Quinoa grain and flour. Grains and starches we can have:
Amaranth
Arrowroot
Buckwheat
Cassava
Millet
Potato
Quinoa
Rice
Sorghum
Soy
Tapioca
Teff

Any Organic nuts, beans, and seeds - Whole or as a flour or meal, like Almond meal. Barry Farm Foods, Lundberg Family Farms, Purcell Mountain Farms, and Bob's Red Mill brands again. Many nuts are processed in facilities that process wheat, but I think any brand that said its nuts/beans were GF and weren't processed in a shared facility would be okay.

Pre-made foods:
Bariani Olive oil
Whole Foods (365 brand) Extra Virgin Olive Oils, Sunflower and Safflower oils.
Whole Foods brand grapeseed oil.
Let's Do...Organic brand organic coconut - dehydrated flakes or shredded
Edward & Sons Rice Snaps (crackers) - flavors we can have: Toasted Onion, Unsalted Plain, or Onion Garlic
San-J Organic Gluten Free Soy Sauce
Coconut Secret's Coconut Aminos (soy sauce substitute)
Lundberg Family Farms brown rice cakes
Earth Balance organic peanutbutter, smooth or crunchy
Sunbutter Sunflower Seed Spread
Bragg's apple cider vinegar
McCormick Spices will do in a pinch, although we are going to be trying Penzeys and American & Organic Spices as our regular GF brand. (Last I heard, Penzeys has a GF facility, and A&O Spices gets their products certified GF).
RealSalt sea salt or kosher sea salt - we grind it up smaller ourselves.
Hain Featherweight baking powder with potato starch
Arm & Hammer baking soda
Organicville organic Ketchup (trying this out)
Madhava agave nectar
Tinkyada rice pasta
Crown Prince Brisling Sardines in Spring Water
Santa Cruz Organic lemon and lime juice
Amy's Family marinara sauce
Simply Orange orange juice, calcium added, pulp free

A few things are being used every once in a while that I'm not completely certain about. Haven't heard back from the company on their GF status, or the kids might have had a mild reaction, but we're not certain. We'll use them in a pinch:
Organic Red or white wine vinegars of different brands - haven't found one that we completely like, yet. Going to try Annie's brand next.

I think that's about all we have, currently. No desserts look 100% good so far, although Purely Decadent makes coconut milk based ice cream that tends to be the closest the kids can have to a safe desert. And honestly? Every once in a while I'll cheat. Get a meat or other food that isn't completely organic. Get a food that says it's gluten free but might have a teensy bit of really processed corn ingredient or something. But typically, we regret it as the kids go crazy-bird on us the next day, so we're trying to be as good as we can.

We do have more foods we eat, we just tend to make them ourselves. Home made vanilla extract from potato vodka, homemade chicken broth and veggie broths, home made mustard, that sort of thing.