5/7/07 This is the last part of a two part article. If you have not already studied my article “The Gluten Free Food List”, I suggest that you read it now and then return here. In the first part, you made a gluten free shopping list, and now you are ready to try your skills at your local supermarket.

  Be sure to bring your copy of “The Forbidden List — Foods and Ingredients Not Safe for a Gluten Free Diet” posted at Celiac.com. This is a great list. It’s only weakness is that it is oversimplified in a few places. For example, “pasta” is labeled “forbidden”, although many types of pasta are acceptable. The key idea here is “When in doubt, leave it out”. This list will help you do that. A printer-friendly copy of the list is available, but you will need to scroll down to the end of the list to find that link.

  You may also wish to bring a magnifying glass or a pair of strong reading glasses. Food manufacturers are required to post this list; they are not obligated to make it easy to read.

  While you are shopping, ignore the title on the box. For example, “Kellogg’s Rice Krispies" sounds like it should be gluten free, but it isn’t: barley is listed second in the ingredients list. Some generic brands are acceptable.

  Ignore great sounding words like “organic”, “fresh”, “vitamin enriched”, ”low in calories”,  etcetera. These are wonderful ideas, of course, but they have nothing to do with our quest for gluten free food.

  While you are reading the ingredients label, check the list of allergens. Legally, wheat must be listed if is present. Of course, the absence of wheat does not indicate that the product is fully gluten free (since barley, rye, or oats may be present), but it does allow you to quickly reject many gluten toxic foods quickly. Read my article on the new allergens law to hear more about this strategy.

  When you are reading ingredients list, hold the product in one hand and the “Forbidden Foods” list in the other. Don’t rely on your memory.

 When you return home, check all your purchases against the current edition of the "Gluten Free Product Listing" published by the Celiac Sprue Association. Hopefully, you read about that in the first part of this article. Then, eat with confidence. The gluten free lifestyle is doable and you have just conquered one of its major hassles.