5/4/07 The perfect gluten free food list is a myth; it simply does not exist. I’m sorry to be the one to bring you the bad news, but to say anything else would be dishonest and not-helpful.

Lists are useful if you use them properly. Every list should contain a disclaimer to the effect that you must read every ingredients list every time. Information changes daily: The lists tell you what products were gluten free on the day the list was prepared. It is likely (but not certain) that they still are celiac-friendly. Your priority is to read the ingredients list on the selected items: many of them will still be gluten free.

•  The best gluten free foods list is published by the Celiac Sprue Association, North America’s largest organization supporting the gluten free lifestyle. The book is republished yearly, and each entry is dated so you can decide for yourself what information is obsolete. There are many address and phone numbers that enable you to confirm what you read.

•  The list published by Gluten Free InfoWeb.com is wonderfully detailed and complete. Its flaw is that the newest entries are dated in 2003. Phone numbers and addresses are provided. I’ve e-mailed the site in hopes of finding that they also publish up-to-date information, but until then, what you read on this site is a suggestion. 

• The Gluten Free Support Group of Wheaton, Illinois, publishes a great list. It was last updated in March 2005 and includes addresses and phone numbers for verification.

•  Several supermarket chains publish lists of their gluten free foods. For specific information and links, visit my article “Gluten Free Lists From Your Supermarket”.

 Other lists are available, and many of them are certainly worth looking at. Reject any list that is not dated. Celiacs must have timely information and anyone who ignores this fact is not qualified to prepare a list.It is particularly important to ignore any printed lists that are not dated. Lists posted on-line will eventually be updated or dropped. Printed lists just "go on forever".

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OK, you’ve made your gluten free shopping list and are ready for a "defensive shopping" trip to your local supermarket. Good luck! Now you face the task of making sure that everything on your list is in fact gluten free and selecting other items that belong in your shopping basket. This is a major celiac challenge. Click here for information about meeting that challenge.