A gluten allergy, celiac disease or gluten sensitivity makes many regular breakfast cereals off limits.
Although some breakfast cereals have no added gluten or wheat, they may be made in the safe factory that makes other gluten-infested foods. If you have celiac disease or have a sensitive gluten allergy, this risk is not worth taking.
So what can you have for breakfast instead?
The good news is that you have to avoid many of the over-processed packages that pass for food in the breakfast isle of major super markets.
But even more wholesome food must be avoided if you are to completely avoid gluten.
Gluten Free Diet Breakfast Cereals to Avoid
Here is a short list of mainstream (in North America) breakfast cereals to avoid. It is not a complete list, I’m just providing some examples.
- Oatmeal
- Special K
- Shredded wheat
- Red River Cereal
- Cheerios
- Chex
- Grape-Nuts (which contains neither grapes nor nuts)
- Shreddies (square or diamond)
Just to name a few. Avoid anything with wheat, oats, barley or rye.
Gluten Free Diet, Oats and Celiac Disease
Notice that oatmeal is at the top of the list. Oats are a disputed gluten-free grain. The gluten in oats is sufficiently different from wheat gluten to be considered by many as safe for celiacs. I’ve heard otherwise.
I recommend avoiding oats if you have celiac disease. Celiac disease affects much more than just your gut. Some people have other complications as a result of celiac disease, such as arthritis or osteoporosis, without symptoms in their gut.
You don’t need to risk these complications. Avoid oats.
If you have a gluten allergy, then you can decide if oats affects you enough to avoid or not.
Gluten Free Diet Breakfast Cereals You Can Eat
The most healthy form of cereals are whole-grain.
This includes:
Other foods are similar to cereals but technically are not types of grain. These include:
More and more gluten free cereals are appearing in health food stores and even mainstream supermarkets. This is convenient, although the more processed the grain, the less good it is for your health.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Please advise your readers with celiac disease to purchase only cereals that are labeled gluten-free (GF). In addition to wheat, those with celiac disease should not eat barley or rye. Regular rice and corn cereals are off limits because they contain barley malt. The reason oats are not recommended is because they may be cross-contaminated during harvesting or processing. Gluten-free oats are available for those who are interested.
There is actually debate as to wither oats are safe, even if free of wheat, barely and rye.
I suggest avoiding oats completely. Others disagree, and that’s fine. I prefer to stay away from definitive statements that are open to debate.
I agree about avoiding oats, I have a wheat allergy and my husband has celiacs. I have been eating GF oats for the past year and am now realizing they are the cause of my stomach issues and hives. My husbands stomach gets upset 50% of the time.