Newly diagnosed with celiac disease? Start here

A celiac diagnosis lands somewhere between relief and overwhelm. Relief, because you finally have an answer. Overwhelm, because gluten is everywhere and the internet is full of conflicting advice. Here's the calm version.

What gluten actually is

Gluten is a protein found in three grains: wheat, barley, and rye — plus crosses like triticale, and anything derived from them (malt comes from barley; most soy sauce is brewed with wheat). For someone with celiac disease, even trace amounts trigger an immune response that damages the small intestine. That's why “just a little” isn't a thing here.

The good news

Enormous categories of food are naturally gluten-free: plain meat, fish, eggs, fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, dairy, and grains like rice, corn, and quinoa. You are not down to a sad list of five foods. You're learning which packaged foods are safe — and that's a skill, not a sentence.

Your first week

• Clear the obvious. Bread, pasta, cereal, crackers, flour, most beer.
• Watch shared surfaces. A toaster, a wooden spoon, a tub of butter with crumbs in it — cross-contact is the sneaky part (see our home cross-contamination guide).
• Learn the label. In the US, “wheat” must be declared. “Certified gluten-free” means tested to under 20 ppm. Our label-reading guide walks through it.
• Don't panic about every ingredient. Check our verdicts or ask us to check a product instead of guessing.

What we can do for you

We screen products against a published, tested ruleset and post plain-English verdicts — and we send free recall alerts when something you might have is recalled. You don't have to become a full-time detective. That's our job.