In the realm of health and wellness the new dietary trend is based on gluten free eating, and there are a lot of reasons people are adopting the new diet. In athletics, many believe that a gluten free diet improves performance and recovery time, but the change in eating behavior is actually required for some people because of celiac disease (also known as gluten intolerance) or a more mild gluten sensitivity. Of course there are some who believe a gluten free diet will be the next thing to help trim the waistline. Whether you’re changing your diet to fit your lifestyle or to attain certain health benefits, cutting out gluten takes dedication and commitment, especially when you need to translate that into your emergency food storage plan.

First of all its worth noting that gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barely, and is as common in packaged foods and baked goods as flour or sugar. In other words, many of the items you pull off the shelves in your grocery store probably have gluten in them. Luckily, as demand for gluten free products has grown over the past few years (it’s now a multi billion dollar industry) the availability of better tasting gluten free products, and more of them, have started to emerge. That’s good news for those on gluten free diets, and for those looking to fold gluten free products into their emergency food storage plan.

If you’ve gone gluten free than you probably know already that it’s a requirement to become deft at reading the labels on any food package before you buy it because wheat free doesn’t always mean gluten free. In fact, food manufacturers add the protein as a thickening agent to an expansive number of products like soy sauce, veggie burgers, ice cream and even ketchup.

Because the process of attaining gluten free food is so research intensive, we’ve decided to compile a list of some delicious and nutrient-rich grains that can be added to your emergency food storage. As always, be aware that many grains are processed using the same equipment, and even naturally gluten free grains may contain traces of gluten. Always look for packages labeled “Gluten Free”, and check with the manufacturer when in doubt.

Grain Comparison Table