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Where Can I Purchase Gluten-Free Foods Online?

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Many areas in the U.S. don’t have large gluten-free populations and therefore, they don’t have much to offer in terms of gluten-free replacement foods at health food or grocery stores. Things like bagels, pretzels and even pasta are hard – and even impossible – to find at stores in some areas. Celiac disease and gluten intolerance do not discriminate – both conditions affect people in cities or rural areas – basically anywhere there are gluten eaters.

There are good and bad things about shopping online. The most negative thing for me is paying to ship food. Amazon.com is excellent as long as you know what you like. They sell most of their gluten-free items by the case and most people are not interested in purchasing a case of something they haven’t even tasted yet. One of the nice things about online shopping is that it takes a whole lot less time than driving across town or to another one altogether just to buy food.

I’ll drive about 20 miles to shop and after that it becomes a question what is most convenient – spending time and burning gas, plus putting wear and tear on a car or paying a few bucks for shipping. Since I know what products I like, ordering from Amazon.com is extremely convenient for me. I don’t ever order under $25 so I avoid paying any shipping charges. Considering Atlanta traffic ranks up there with New York and L.A., a twenty minute ride and turn into a nightmare on a dime in bad weather or heavy traffic. I know people that will drive an hour out of their way so they never have to drive near Atlanta – our reputation for having horrid traffic is well deserved.

Many people are not aware that you don’t have to buy $25 worth of food to get free shipping on Amazon.com. You can buy a CD and some food – or a book and some food. Well, you get the picture. You do have to order things that ship from Amazon.com and not from a third party seller in order to quality for FREE shipping for $25 (or more) orders.

Thank goodness for the internet! I’m not sure what people did before online shopping was available but my guess is that many of them went without gluten-free replacement foods. Of course, I’ve heard that some of the best products on the market have only been around for 10 years or less anyway, so they might not have been missing too much. In Europe some companies have been producing gluten-free “replacement” foods for over 50 years but that is not the case in this country.

In large metro areas like NYC, Denver, San Francisco, Seattle, DC, Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Boston and Atlanta, gluten-free food choices in stores abound. In fact, most people find it overwhelming when faced with six gluten-free pastas to choose from. It’s kind of odd that we have almost as many choices as gluten eaters do, in many food categories. In some cases we seem to have even more.

For those that live in an area where gluten-free offerings are limited, or even non-existent, check out these online companies that offer pretty much anything you can think of, in terms of gluten-free replacement foods.

  • Amazon.com – FREE shipping on orders of $25 or more
  • Allergy Free Foods – frozen shipping method required

Maybe you just want to order some doughnuts or bagels. Below are some excellent 100% gluten-free bakeries that will ship many of their products nationwide.

  • Everybody Eats
  • The Grainless Baker
  • Island GF Bakery
  • Joans GF Greatbakes
  • Sunny Valley Wheat Free *completely gluten-free, regardless of the name.

Consider ordering with a gluten-free friend in order to save money on shipping. Please know that sometimes all it takes to get your local stores to bring in gluten-free products is asking them to do so. Be prepared with the company website/phone number of the products you’re requesting that they order for you.

Have a question about the gluten-free diet which we haven’t covered yet?  You can now submit your questions here! (Note: All medical questions should be directed to your physician)

Gluten-Free Foods at Sports Venues

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Over the past few years, thanks to some solid efforts from various celiac support groups, a growing number of sports venues have started to make an effort to accommodate the Celiac community by offering gluten-free foods and drinks at their stadiums, arenas, and other venues. Based on the information I’ve been reading, the selection can range from a gluten-free beer and a few standard pre-packaged gluten-free foods all the way to a large variety of gluten-free foods. A couple of baseball stadiums (the Colorado Rockies and Atlanta Braves) even offer a completely gluten-free concession stand!

In the below post, I’ve gone out and collected as much information as possible about the various sports venues and posted them below, sorted by sport. As more sports venues add gluten-free accommodations, this post will be updated.

Major League Baseball Teams (MLB)

  • Atlanta Braves (Atlanta, Georgia) – Now a gluten-free dedicated concession stands located in section 106 (at field level).   Featured at the stand are all beef franks, sirloin beef burgers, chicken sandwiches, chips, popcorn, brownies, cookies, soda, water, and gluten-free Red Bridge beer!
  • Arizona Diamondbacks (Phoenix, Arizona) – Chase Field offers gluten-free beer and snacks. Larabars and gummy bars are available and gluten-free beer is available wherever liquor is sold (sections 109, 114, 122, 129, 136, 311, 324).
  • Baltimore Orioles (Washington D.C.) – Gluten-free pretzels are available from Noah’s Pretzel
  • Chicago White Sox (Chicago, Illinois) – US Cellular Field offers gluten-free granola bars, candies, and gluten-free beer at the Southside Grill.
  • Colorado Rockies (Denver, Colorado) – Coors Field has an entirely gluten-free concession stand behind section 147 on the left field.  This concession sells burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, cookies, pretzels, chips, brownies, beer, and soda! [Learn More]
  • Los Angeles Dodgers (Los Angeles, California) – Gluten-free beer (Redbridge) is available at many concession stands.  [Learn More]
  • Philadelphia Phillies (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Section 128 of Citizen’s Bank Park offers gluten-free hot dogs/buns and gluten-free snacks.  Redbridge Beer is also available at many stands throughout the park, including Sections 139, 204, and 323.
  • Washington Nationals (Washington D.C.) – Gluten-free pretzels are available from Noah’s Pretzel

National Football League Teams (NFL)

  • Baltimore Ravens (Maryland) – You can read more about gluten-free options at Ravens games here.
  • Philadelphia Eagles (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – Lincoln Financial Field offers a “Philly Stand” at Section 117, where gluten-free hot dogs/buns and gluten-free snacks are sold.  Redbridge beer is also available next door in Section 118. [Learn More]

National Basketball Association Teams (NBA)

  • Philadelphia 76ers – Redbridge beer ($6.75) and Woodchuck hard cider ($6.75) are available in the “Fan Favorites” stands at Sections 104, 110, and 116.  You can also get grilled chicken sandwiches ($6.00) and hot dogs ($4.00), both on gluten-free buns, which are located on the concourse level at Section 122. This stand also sells Redbridge beer.  [Learn More]

National Hockey League Teams (NHL)

  • Carolina Hurricanes (Raleigh, North Carolina) – According to gluten-free Raleigh, the RBC Center offers both Redbridge beers and a few food items, including popcorn and garden salads (sections 126 and 314). You can read more here.
  • Philadelphia 7Flyers – Redbridge beer ($6.75) and Woodchuck hard cider ($6.75) are available in the “Fan Favorites” stands at Sections 104, 110, and 116.  You can also get grilled chicken sandwiches ($6.00) and hot dogs ($4.00), both on gluten-free buns, which are located on the concourse level at Section 122. This stand also sells Redbridge beer. [ Learn More]

College Teams (NCAA)

  • Sprint Center (Kansas City, Missouri) – Gluten-free beer and some gluten-free foods (pizza, brownies, and candies) [Learn More]

Note: Levy Restaurants caters to a large number of stadiums and other sports venues.  You can see a full list here.  Aramark also caters to a number of stadiums, but they offer limited information on their website about any of their gluten-free concession stands (however you can view the stadiums where they have contracts within the drop-down menu).

Sadly, that is as complete as I could get the list. I’ve found a few other similar lists around the internet and am confident this is the most complete one available, but there have to be quite a few that the above list is missing.

With that said, I’m going to turn this over to our readers since you guys are scattered throughout the United States (and the world!). Know of a sports stadium, arena, or venue with gluten-free accommodations which we are missing from our list?  Please leave a comment below or contact us with information about your local sports teams!

How to Confirm Candy is Gluten-Free

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Although candy is probably one of the easier foods to find gluten-free options available in your traditional grocery stores, ingredients seem to always be changing (especially with candies), so it is important to verify that your candies are and remain gluten-free every so often.

I’ve found the easiest thing to do is to review your favorite candies every year around Halloween time, but each person can find a system that works for them.   To date, the best resource I’ve found is the gluten-free candy list maintained by our friend Nancy Lapid of About.com.

As of todays’ date, her list includes information about the following companies:

  • Nestle USA
  • Wrigley’s
  • Jelly Belly
  • Just Born Candy Company
  • Necco
  • Fannie May Chocolates
  • See’s Candies
  • Let’s Do Organic Gummy Bears

You’ll find more specific information about each company (including which products they are known for), and contact information to contact and verify products are still indeed gluten-free.  If you are interested, you can check out the updated gluten-free candy resource here.

Essential Gluten-Free Shopping Guide

Last Updated on by the Celiac-Disease.com Staff

Most gluten-free shopping guides I’ve had the privilege of trying over the years are either not very good, or they are so thick that you can’t really take them with you when you are “on the go.” So, what is the solution?

My recommendation would be for you to check out the Essential Gluten-Free Shopping Guide by the team over at Cecelia’s Marketplace. This book is considered a “must have” among the Celiac community and many people have come to rely on it while doing their shopping.

Here is the description of the Essential Gluten-Free Shopping Guide, according to Amazon:

Voted the ‘Best Seller’ on gluten-free Mall and the Celiac website. Frustrated in trying to find gluten-free Products in your grocery stores? Tired of calling food manufacturers and guessing on nutrition labels? Well, help is here! Introducing Cecelias Marketplace gluten-free Grocery Shopping Guide! This easy to use 4.5″ x 6.5″ book is a list of over 25,000 gluten-free alphabetized products. Popular brands like Heinz, Kraft, Del Monte, Frito Lay, as well as supermarket chains, such as Kroger, Wal-Mart, Publix, Safeway, Walgreens, and more. Just pick a product, look it up, and all the gluten-free brands are at your fingertips. Unlike CD-ROMs or gluten-free computer software, this book is easy to carry to the grocery store for easy product confirmation anytime, anywhere. The book easily fits in one’s purse or back pocket. Either take this book with you or make your grocery list before you leave the house. This guide is not only designed for people with a celiac disease, gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity, but excellent for family members, friends, chefs, dieticians, or others that needs to prepare gluten-free meals or learn about gluten-free products. In addition, Cecelia’s Marketplace gluten-free Grocery Shopping Guide includes ‘gluten-free Kitchen Tips’ which gives family members, friends or chefs specific tips on how to avoid gluten contamination in the kitchen. As an added bonus we have also included 1,500+ ‘over-the-counter’ pharmacy products which included antacids, pain relief, hair care, supplements, vitamins & minerals, and more. This book is a must have in making gluten-free living easier!

If you spend a few minutes looking through the book reviews on Amazon, you’ll see what I’m talking about.   I’m not sure a book could possibly get better reviews!

Note:  It looks like the 2009 version of the Essential Gluten-Free Shopping Guide will be out shortly, but as of today it has not been released.  We will update this post with a link to the newest version once it is available.  In the meantime, you may want to add it to your Amazon wish list or pre-order it so you get it once the newest version becomes available!