If you’re new to this, you’re not quite sure what foods to avoid because you haven’t quite trained yourself yet to read or investigate everything you eat. Hopefully this list below can help.

Here are the main sources of gluten in your life. Now, don’t get too scared that you’ll never eat again. I know that’s how I felt at first.

For most of the below list, I’ll give you my favorite substitutions and brands in the future. If there is something you’re looking for specifically, feel free to hit me up on the contact page or on Instagram @glutenfreesacramento.

Up first is the big one, PASTA! This of course includes spaghetti, raviolis, dumplings, wontons, couscous, etc.

Next you have noodles, which I split out from pasta. Whether you love a good cup-o-noodle or are a huge fan of Asian cuisine, you’re going to have a bit of trouble here. Avoid chow mein, egg noodles, udon, etc. Thankfully lots of rice noodles are coming out now so you’ll have sub options here.

Here’s a common sense one: BREAD. Bagels, croissants, pita, muffins, rolls, naan, etc. are out. Now you won’t have to avoid bread completely, but you will have to find a new favorite. I’ll share a few of mine under the “pantry” option later.

For all you snackers, say I’ll see you later to pretzels, graham crackers, goldfish, cheez-its, and of course normal crackers. There are loads of options in the grocery store for these.

Do yourself a favor and just avoid the bakery section of the grocery store… it will only make you sad. You’ll start baking your own cakes, cookies, pie crusts, brownies, etc.

When it comes to breakfast, you’ve got some options if you love cereal. Chex cereal is great, but corn flakes and rice krispies are hard passes. Both contain malt which is no Bueno for us GF people.

Also for breakfast, if you’re an oatmeal person, you’ll need to switch brands. Oats are super cross contaminated and unless they specifically say “certified gluten free” on the label, skip that.

For a hearty breakfast, pancakes, waffles, French toast, etc. will all have to be made from scratch or not at all. Thankfully there are a few pancake mixes I like too.

When it comes to cooking your meat, you’ll need to avoid bread crumbs and panko. Now you can buy some GF substitutes for both so you won’t just be having plain chicken everyday.

If you love yourself a good taco night, you might have to change your tortillas over to corn or taco shells. There are some flour-esque options if that is your jam. This one will just be trail and error until you find what you like.

For salads, you’ll 86 the croutons and watch for sneaky ingredients in your dressing of choice — some are safe and some are not. When it comes to this one, when in doubt, google it out.

For sauces, avoid soy sauce and gravy. Both of these can be purchased gluten free so be prepared to stock up. I’ll be sure to share my favorites here too. Trust me, it’s a lot easier now compared to 2013.

When it comes to alcohol, beer is out, but wine, hard cider, whiskey or and most other distilled beverages are safe. Now there are gluten free beers out there, but I personally have not found one that I like.

Those are the basic day-to-day culprits. Keep an eye on the PANTRY page for some of my suggestions for these staples. If I can help save you money and hassle on the what’s good and what sucks front, I’m glad to share!