Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Diet Guide: Health Benefits, Alternatives & More! (2024)

Going Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free

Starting a gluten-free and dairy-free diet can improve your health, reduce inflammation, manage food sensitivities, and help fight chronic diseases. Both gluten and dairy are common dietary components correlated with sensitivity, intolerance and an allergic reaction in many people- you can find out more information about this on the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) website. In this article, we will give a brief overview of gluten and dairy, the effects they may have on your body, and some tips on getting started with a gluten-free and dairy-free diet. At the end, there is a list of gluten and dairy substitutions for your reference!

Gluten & Inflammation

Gluten is type of protein known as prolamin, naturally found in some grains including wheat, barley, and rye. This protein acts as a binder, or glue, holding foods together and adding a stretchy quality, helping edibles keep their shapes. Think of pizza dough having that malleable characteristic, or baked goods such as bread, bagels, cookies, and cake.

Gluten is considered an inflammatory because it contains high levels of anti-nutrients, which are proteins that can bind with and interfere with the absorption and digestion of nutrients in your gut. This can then lead to inflammation. Gluten also produces the release of zonulin in the body. Zonulin, another protein, controls the opening and closing of junctions in the gut lining. The release of zonulin takes over natural selective permeability and opens junctions regardless of what should be allowed into your bloodstream. This can cause an immune response in your body, also leading to systemic inflammation.

Dairy & Inflammation

Dairy is another food that is difficult for the body to digest, therefore resulting in inflammation. Lactose, the sugar found in milk, requires the enzyme lactase for digestion. Lactase is produced in early childhood, but we lose production ability as we age. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, approximately 65% of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.

Dairy also contains a protein called casein, a protein that can cause compromised digestion and immune system function. Particularly, A1 casein is the specific protein that can cause these issues. This food also contains a high level of hormones that may influence your body’s natural hormonal balance.

Getting Started

Many people think that by going gluten-free and dairy-free, they are restricted to what they can or cannot eat. This is not the case! There are plenty of foods that you can eat by choosing whole foods such as vegetables, fruits, meat, poultry, seafood, legumes, grains (except for barley, rye, and wheat), nuts, and seeds. There are also many popular alternatives for gluten and dairy options. For example, wheat flour can be replaced with cassava flour, almond flour, coconut flour, or gluten-free all purpose flour (just to name a few). Milk can be replaced with nut milk (almond/cashew/hemp), coconut milk, oat or soy milk.

Dairy-Free Diet

Having a dairy-free diet means that you omit products that contain dairy. Here are some conventional examples to be aware of:

Yogurt
Ice cream
Sour cream
Cottage cheeses
Buttermilk
Cheese
Milk
Baked goods containing milk

When looking at labels, other ingredients to look out for that include lactose are:

Whey
Caseinates
Nougat
Milk byproducts
Casein
Fry milk
Butter
Curds
Non-fat dry milk
Dry milk powders

Gluten-Free Diet

Here is a list of gluten-free foods for your reference. It is important to note that cross-contact can occur when gluten-containing foods touches a gluten-free food when gluten-free grains are grown, milled and manufactured closely to gluten-containing grains. A tip: try to look for gluten-free products that are certified “gluten-free” by a third-party source.

Gluten-Free Whole Grains

Quinoa + Brown Rice + Wild Rice
Buckwheat
Sorghum
Tapioca
Millet
Amaranth
Teff
Arrowroot
Oats (make sure they are labelled gluten-free!)

*The grains to avoid: wheat, rye, barley, triticale.

Gluten-Free Proteins

Legumes
Nuts & seeds
Red meat
Poultry
Seafood
Traditional soy foods

*Proteins to avoid:

Any meat, poultry or fish that has been breaded
Proteins combined with wheat-based soy sauce
Seitan

Gluten-Free Beverages

Water
100% fruit juice
Coffee / tea
Some alcoholic beverages (including wine, hard ciders, and beer made from gluten-free grains)
Sports drinks
Lemonade

*Beverages to avoid:

Typical Beers
Ales
Lagers
Non-distilled liquors
Malt beverages such as wine coolers

Many healthy foods are naturally gluten-free, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, certain whole grains, dairy products, and oils, as well as fresh meat, fish, and poultry. Wheat, rye, and barley are the major foods that need to be avoided while following a gluten-free diet. Gluten is also commonly added to processed foods, such as canned and boxed items. It is always good to double check the ingredients because some grains, such as oats, may be cross-contaminated with gluten, depending on where they were processed.

Gluten and Dairy Substitutions

Eating gluten- and dairy-free can help reduce inflammation in the body if you are allergic or have an intolerance to these foods. The goal every day is to have balanced meals with a structure in place for gluten and dairy-free meal options. When you are going out to eat at restaurants, you can look at the menu ahead of time or ask for the gluten and dairy-free menu if one is available. Aside from your own knowledge of foods, you can ask the workers to be sure what you have ordered does not contain any gluten or dairy in it- let them know that you have an intolerance or allergy and make your intention really clear. Eating gluten and dairy free doesn’t have to be difficult, you can be casual about it and set your intention to make sure you are feeling the best that you can!

Here are some options that are gluten- and dairy-free…

If you are interested in learning about meal prep services, please feel free to check out our Beginner’s Guide to Meal Prep Delivery Services right here. Some great options are Daily Harvest, Fresh n Lean and Paleo On The Go!

This list is broken down into categories and organized alphabetically:

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Beer

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Bread

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Brownies

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Butter(Oils and ghee can be great alternatives for cooking or baking. Fruit purees are also a great option, but be cautious of additional sweetness that they may add to certain recipes.)

*Although ghee does contain dairy, we find that grass-fed ghee can be a great healthy fat to incorporate in the diet for certain people to help regulate blood sugar, decrease inflammation, and aid the body in producing energy.

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Cereal

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Cheese

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Chips

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Chocolate

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Cookies

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Crackers

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Flour

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Milk

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Nut Butters

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Pancakes

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Pasta

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Pizza Dough

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Pretzels
- Quinn Chips Pretzel
- Snyder’s of Hanover Gluten Free Pretzel

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Protein Bars

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Protein Powder

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Sauce + Condiments

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Soups & Chowders
- Paleo, Grain & Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free & No Sugar Added Soups from Safe Harvest

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Spreads

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Wraps
- Egglife Original Style Egg White Wraps

Gluten-Free & Dairy- Free Yogurt

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Resources [Books & Blogs]

Cookbooks

Additional Resources for Recipes + More Inspiration

More Resources

Diet Philosophy Part II: On Personalization
Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Diet
Resistant Starch Made Practical
The Heart Based Practice, A Simple 3 Min. Meditation

Resources From Dr. Brooke Stuart / Let Go & Grow®

For more holistic resources, sign up for ourFree Let Go & Grow® Membership, where you will receive instant access to the heart based practice, a simple 3 min. meditation, a wellness workshop designed to optimize mental health & well-being, and so much more.
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