Healthy Gluten Free Snacks

Finding out that you have celiac disease can be scary. But, it is a condition that can be very well managed, by making the right dietary choices. This disease is an inflammatory condition of the small intestine, which improves when gluten is eliminated from the diet. Gluten is a protein most commonly found in food like wheat, barely, and rye. At first, it may be difficult for you to find foods that don’t contain gluten in some form. So keeping that in mind, here is a list of healthy snacks to help you maintain a gluten free diet:

1.       Natural Peanut Butter with Celery: Peanut butter is a very satisfying snack that is packed with protein which helps keep hunger under control. Natural Peanut Butter is healthier than the processed version. Try dipping celery sticks into 1 tablespoon of Peanut Butter

2.       Fruit: Fruit does not contain any gluten and the boost of nutrients it provides is important in your everyday diet.

3.       Dried Fruit and Nuts:  A small amount of dried fruit such as apples, pineapples, and apricots go very well with walnuts or almonds.

4.       Baked Corn Tortillas with Dip: Baked corn tortillas make a good alternative to chips. Brush both sides of the tortilla with vegetable oil, cut into triangles, spread onto a cookie sheet and season with salt and bake about 12 minutes until golden brown. NOTE: Make sure they are corn tortillas not flour tortillas as flour tortillas contain gluten.

5.       Lettuce Wraps: Take a large lettuce leaf and top it with a little tuna, hummus, and vegetables. Wrap it up to eat. Hummus is made from chickpeas blended with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. It is great served with fresh veggies.

6.       Chocolate Covered Fruit: Simply take a few squares of dark chocolate and melt it over your favorite fruit. Another good thing about this snack is that dark chocolate contains flavonoids which act as antioxidants. These offer a wide variety of health benefits such as lowering blood pressure and reducing LDL cholesterol.  NOTE: Double check your chocolate food label to make sure it is gluten free.

As you can see from above, eating gluten free does not have to be boring. You can eat very healthy and be creative and still maintain a gluten free diet. 

Submitted By: 

Brittany Bivins

Iowa State University Dietetic Intern