Start Here: Introduction to Good For You Gluten Free

Welcome to Good For You Gluten Free, one of the best gluten-free blogs around with the most comprehensive information on celiac disease, gluten sensitivities, gluten disorders and autoimmune disease. If you’re new here, I’d love to show you around. Please take a moment to read this full article to learn how to navigate this site and get the most out the information I provide. Please note this post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Welcome! I’m so glad you found me here at Good For You Gluten Free.

I’m Jenny Levine Finke, the founder of Good For You Gluten Free and author of the award-winning book, Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You.

I believe I’m uniquely qualified to guide you on your gluten-free journey because I not only live and breathe the gluten-free lifestyle (as someone with diagnosed celiac disease), but also I have earnestly studied gluten disorders and nutrition. I’m a Certified Integrative Nutrition Coach, certified by the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and a Certified Gluten-Free Practitioner, where I studied the effects of gluten disorders under the great Dr. Tom O’Bryan!

I’ve read a ton of books on the subject as well, which have shaped my thinking and expertise. I consider the following books to be required reading for anyone on the gluten-free diet:

The Autoimmune Fix by Dr. Tom O’Bryan
Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter
Wheat Belly and Undoctored by Dr. William Davis
Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You by Jenny Levine Finke – shameless plug, I know 😊

If you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, or you’re simply looking to get healthy and believe the gluten-free diet can help you (it will), you will always have a place at my gluten-free table.

My job is to support you on your journey and help you navigate this life-changing diet with ease.

About Good For You Gluten Free

This blog is a record of my journey, struggles and triumphs as someone living with celiac disease.

I’ve written extensively about how I put my celiac disease into remission. This journey to heal my body hasn’t been easy.

I used to eat a lot of junk food and indulged on too much pasta, pizza and bread. I suffered from painful bloating and embarressing gas, along with a slew of other issues like occasional migraines, red bumps on my skin, geographic tongue and low energy.

I also talk a lot about the emotional burden of the gluten-free diet, something few people talk about but is something that greatly affects me.

What I Believe

If you’re looking to get healthy and find judgement-free support on your gluten-free journey, you’re in the right place. Here are some of my guiding beliefs that might help you understand if we’re in sync:

(1) I believe celiac disease saved my life. Prior to celiac, I was on a path of chronic disease, racing headon into additional autoimmune diseases, cancer and even early death. Read 10 Lessons Learned from Celiac Disease to see how I’ve come to terms with this newfound gluten-free life.

(2) I believe that healing is possible. If you’re willing to put in the hard work to change your eating habits and lifestyle, I believe you can reverse your symptoms and heal your body. While genes play a part in your health, I believe genes do not control nor fully determine your destiny.

(3) I believe there is no one-size-fits-all approach to healing. I implore you to experiment on yourself to figure out how to heal your body. What works for me may or may not work for you. Everyone is different and no one heals in a straight line.

(4) I believe you must treat the source of disease, not just the symptoms. When you treat IBS or acid reflux with antacids, or migraines with ibuprofen, you are simply treating the symptoms and not the underlying or root cause of why you have these symptoms in the first place. I believe masking your symptoms with medicines is like putting tape over your “check engine light” and saying your car is just fine.

(5) I believe the status quo must be questioned. I believe nutrition advice is fledging, and that researchers spend a disproportionate amount of time developing the latest pill or procedure (where true money can be made) vs. educating people on the magical benefits of eating more kale. This belief prompted me to write 10 Facts Your Doctor Doesn’t Know about Celiac Disease and Gluten Sensitivities.

Get Started

The following information will guide you to various resources and information you need to navigate the gluten-free diet with ease:

New to the Gluten-Free Diet? Download my free Quick Start Guide to Gluten Free to get started quickly, then order my book, Dear Gluten, It’s Not Me, It’s You, for a full road map to eating gluten free and healing your body.

Get Tested for Celiac Disease BEFORE Going Gluten Free: Before you ditch gluten, make sure you first rule out celiac disease via a simple blood test. You must be eating gluten in order for a celiac test to be accurate; you don’t want to start a gluten-free diet and later regret not getting tested. You can easily get tested by taking this at-home celiac disease test. If your celiac disease test is negative, you might have a gluten sensivitity, which is just as serious. Read more about testing for gluten sensivitity and gluten intolerance.

Recipes: Need some quick and easy recipes? Visit my free Recipe Gallery to get inspired. I’m adding new recipes each week!

Eating Out: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Out Gluten Free ebook will help you safely navigate restaurants without compromising your gluten-free diet. I also have a ton of information about how to navigate various restaurants in my Eating Out Library.

Become a Label Reading Champ: Make sure you understand the current FDA guidelines for gluten-free labeling.

Heal Your Gut Challenge: I believe that all disease begins in your gut. Take my 7-day free Heal Your Gut Challenge and learn how to heal your gut from the damages caused by a lifetime of eating gluten.

Nutrition Coaching: I no longer offer one-on-one coaching sessions, but I will resume with consulting once my schedule lightens.

Support Group: Join my free, private Gluten-Free Diet Support Group on Facebook. I hang out there answering questions from my readers.

Find me on Instagram and TikTok: I love hanging out on social media, so please be sure to follow me on Instagram and/or TikTok.

Favorite Gluten-Free Products

I have a page dedicated to what I think are the best gluten-free products, and I include some of my favorites below too for easy reference:

Flour: I love Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. You can use this flour as a cup for cup substitute in all your recipes. If your cake recipe calls for two cups of flour; simply use two cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour instead.

Sweet Dough Mix: For recipes that use yeast (think soft pretzels, cinnamon rolls, donuts, etc.), I highly recommend Lorraine’s Sweet Dough Mix.

Bread: While gluten-free bread isn’t the same, Canyon Bakehouse tastes the most similar to wheat bread when heated or toasted. I have an easy gluten-free sandwich bread recipe on my site, and I make a mean gluten-free artisan bread too. I’ve also mastered gluten-free sourdough, but if the challenge is too great, you can simply order gluten-free sourdough from this bakery, which ships across the U.S. My favorite bread recipe is my doughy gluten-free challah.

Wraps: If you want to skip bread altogether (I don’t blame you), try these BFree protein wraps or Egglife egg white wraps for sandwiches. Both offer tasty gluten-free options.

Breadcrumbs: I like both Ian’s gluten-free bread crumbs and Aleia’s gluten-free bread crumbs.

Pasta: I sometimes make my own gluten-free pasta dough or gluten-free egg noodles at home. Don’t feel like making your own? Try Tinkyada brown rice pasta or jovial brown rice pasta. Both have great texture! And if you’re watching carbs, read my article about gluten-free and low-carb pasta options.

Ramen: If you love ramen, try these brown rice ramen noodles and check out my list of various brands of gluten-free ramen noodles.

Crackers: My entire family loves Crunchmaster crackers, and you can get a big box of them at Costco for a steal. I use these crackers to create snack boards and dips all the time – perfect for entertaining and keeping it all gluten free. This lemon dill hummus recipe is a favorite when served with these crackers.

Cookies: I honestly love making my own gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. They’re the best. Store bought cookies don’t even come close!

Tortillas: Tortillas, like bread, just aren’t the same without gluten. Corn tortillas are most always gluten free, but flour tortillas are not. I have found that Mikey’s cassava flour tortillas are the most like flour tortillas, but the must be heated before enjoying. Read more about gluten-free tortillas.

Lip Balm and Lipstick: Try Red Apple lipstick, lip balm and cosmetics because it’s 100% gluten free and I love the way it all feels, too. I also have lists of gluten-free lip balms and gluten-free makeup too.

More Resources

I have created hundreds of articles about living with gluten disorders. I encourage you to poke around my Celiac Disease Library and Gluten Sensitivity Library to find the latest information for living a healthy gluten-free lifestyle.

If you can’t find something you need, please use the search tool at the top of my site, or drop me a note. Requests may include: