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Popular Gluten-Free Foods List

Gluten is also known as prolamins, a family of storage proteins. Naturally, they are found in foods like barley, wheat, rye, and other cereal grains. Gluten helps food keep their shape by offering elasticity and moisture to the food. Moreover, it’s also responsible for the rising of bread in preparation and the final product’s texture. [1]

Most people can consume gluten, but there are certain groups of individuals that should avoid it. For instance, gluten-sensitive people or those with celiac disease should stay away from gluten to prevent adverse effects. A long list of foods is produced with ingredients that contain gluten. Hence, it’s vital that people who cannot eat these kinds of food closely observe food labels.

Here are some of the common gluten-free foods:

Fruits and Vegetables

Generally, fruits and vegetables are well known to have many health benefits for the human body. Moreover, natural and freshly grown fruits and vegetables are gluten-free. However, some processed fruits and vegetables may contain gluten, which is included as a thickener or flavoring. [2]

Examples of ingredients that contain gluten that may be added to processed fruits and vegetables are modified food starch, malt, hydrolyzed wheat protein, and maltodextrin. There’s a long list of fruits and vegetables that can be consumed.

Some examples of fruits and vegetables that can be eaten to avoid gluten are bananas, pears, berries, peaches, cruciferous vegetables, greens, carrots, radishes, green beans, and mushrooms. Other examples of fruits and vegetables include starchy vegetables, citrus fruits, apples, pears, green beans, and bell peppers.

Even though fruits and vegetables have their advantages, some should be avoided or reduced. For instance, all canned fruits and vegetables should be avoided because most canned foods with sauces have small gluten quantities in them. However, those that are canned with water most likely don’t contain any gluten.

Frozen fruits and vegetables, as well as dried fruits and vegetables, should also be checked. Most of the dried and frozen fruits may contain gluten. However, plain, unsweetened dry fruits may not contain any forms of gluten. Depending on where purchased, most pre-chopped fruits and vegetables also have high amounts of gluten.