When I got this text I really had to think long and hard about the most useful information and tips that I could give about being gluten free. It's a challenge putting four years of knowledge into a condensed list of the most important things. After I wrote the email to her I figured there are probably more people out there who curious also so I figured I would post the list here. :)
1. Stick to the outskirts or the grocery store (the perimeter). Produce, meat/seafood, dairy, etc.
2. ALWAYS check ingredient labels. Avoid anything with wheat, barley or rye. There will always be an allergen statement and there it will mention if it has wheat in it. It will not state in the allergen information if it has barley or rye.
3. Rice, quinoa, and oats are your best friends when it comes to whole grains.
4. The best gluten free bread is Udi's (my personal opinion). It is normally in the freezer section of the natural foods section or in the produce section oddly enough.
5. Be careful with the gluten free processed foods (boxed pastas, cereals, etc.) because they are higher calorie much of the time. Wheat is the protein that allows things to stretch and rise and have elasticity so when gluten free bread is made it requires more flour (usually rice flour) to fill more space to have an adequate sized piece of bread. It is also more dense.
6. Some items that you wouldn't expect to have gluten in them are soups (flour used as a thickener), gravy, soy sauce, lipstick, play dough, and sauces/condiments.
7. Whole foods has a good gluten free selection however it is very over priced. Go there when you are looking for specialty items that you don't want to have to make from scratch. (pie crusts, rolls, pizzas, etc)
8. Trader Joe's has good gluten free pastas for cheap. At Kroger it costs $4.19 for four 2 oz. servings of gluten free noodles and at Trader Joe's it costs $1.99 for eight 2 oz. servings.
Hopefully this is found helpful! If you have any other questions, you know where to find me :)
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