Is Paleo gluten free by default?

An interesting article discussing the benefits of the Paleo diet was posted in Triumph Dining. This is a gluten free dining guide online. While this is sort of a true statement, it could possible land a Celiac person in hot water (or the bathroom) if they aren't careful. Let me break this down for you. 

This is what they wrote: "I didn’t really know anything about the paleo diet before, but I think it’s an interesting one to consider. And, since it’s gluten-free by default, the paleo community can be a great additional source of recipe ideas for anyone who’s gluten-free."

What is my problem with that statement..where do I begin? While it is true that gluten is the devil and the paleo diet shuns the evil grains, it does not do so out of medical reasons. There is a little wiggle room in the diet because people eating that way do not do so out of medical necessity. As Celiac people we have to read every label. If it doesn't have a label we aren't off the hook because we then have to consider how it was made and all the possible places it could have traveled. You have to become a food detective. You also have to be a worst case scenario paranoid personality. I made a little list of some of the gluten pitfalls that will get in the way if you simply assume that all paleo items are gluten free.

1. Meat/eggs- not all meats are made alike. While the paleo diet centers on grass fed natural live stock, the majority of us either can't afford the perfect paleo diet or simply buy what our local stores have in stock. I can't always find grass fed beef. When I do find it, I can't always fit it in our budget. For some people, this makes a difference. I have noticed that my son reacts to eggs. I had not considered this until seeing the gluten free tag on a brand of eggs. It turns out that a student at Ohio State University did a study wherein he found that what you fed the chickens showed up in their eggs. For me, that means that my son will get soy, or gluten from the eggs I eat. Time to buy those gluten free eggs. Read the article here.

Wheat additives are also used in some ground products and mixed meats. If you are trying to avoid gluten, avoid processed anything. I once bought a package of ground turkey and my son reacted horribly to the gluten content. I went back to the butcher and our best guess was that the same grinder that grinds the turkey also grinds the filling for turkey sausage which contains gluten. It sneaks in everywhere!. Since then I do not purchase processed meats. Period.

2. Fruit/Veggies- I am not sure how, but those gluten bits are sneaky. Very, very sneaky. Sometimes the packaging or plants have wheat in the air. Just wash your produce and you should be fine. 

3. Nuts- Blue Diamond Almonds is the only company that I have seen that is gluten free. Why? Well, most of the factories process gluten on the same equipment then roll the nuts through. For a paleo person, this is not an issue. For a Celiac person, this is a big issue. 

4. Bacon- Oh, the glorious bacon. As long as your gallbladder is intact, bacon is the paleo go to for cranking up the awesome factor. If you are looking for bacon to fit the paleo diet you will buy the good stuff at the farmer's market. For the rest of us, what we see in the grocery store is just fine. That runs the gluten risk. I, once again, learned the hard way. My son reacted to bacon a few times before I figure it out. Hormel brands is gluten free and a few others are as well. The culprit here is that additives are used in the process and that leaves a bad taste in any gluten free mouth. 

5. Mushrooms- I love mushrooms now. A few years back we weren't friends. Now I find any excuse to put them in my food. I was shocked to learn that mushrooms can be grown on gluten containing grains and then contain gluten themselves. Will the madness ever end? 

6. Beer- Yes, I know that the Paleo diet doesn't drink alcohol but some are a little less strict than others and think that they can get away with gluten free beer. Think you get a free pass on this one? Think again. Not all gluten free beers are made alike. The Omission beers and the Estrella Damm beers are "gluten free". That is a load of crap. They brew beer with gluten then remove it through an enzyme that denatures the gluten proteins. Estrella even comments on their site that their beer is less than 5 parts per million. They even go on to boast that this is way less than the 20ppm required to be labeled gluten free. Not good enough. What they really should do is label it low gluten. Besides, who wants to drink something that assumes you will only have 1? Does that say yumm to you?

A few more notes. For a person like me who has to be dairy, soy and gluten free by necessity and not by choice, the paleo diet is heavenly. An entire community that eats the way I do and cookbooks that do not need my constant editing. That is wonderful. I will not for one minute assume that it means that I get a free pass to simply print out a recipe and go to town. I use my the internet to check every single ingredient for everything I make.