Welcome to Good For You Gluten Free, one of the best sources for commonsense gluten-free information. You’ll find 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 article to learn how to navigate this site, so you get the most out of the information provided. This article contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
Welcome! I’m 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 diagnosed with celiac disease more than 10 years ago), 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 also read many books on the subject, which have shaped my thinking and expertise. I consider the following books to be required reading for anyone on a 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 😊
Whether you have celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, autoimmune disease, or wheat “gluten” allergy, or you’re simply looking to get healthy and innately 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, provide accurate, commonsense information, and help you navigate this life-changing diet easily.
About Good For You Gluten Free
This gluten-free blog records my journey, struggles, and triumphs as someone living with celiac disease.
I used to eat a lot of junk food and indulged in too much pasta, pizza, and bread. I suffered from painful bloating, embarrassing gas, and a slew of other issues like occasional migraines, red bumps on my skin, geographic tongue, and low energy.
It took me years to figure out how to not only navigate a gluten-free diet but also how to put my celiac disease into remission and heal my body. The journey to healing my body hasn’t been easy, but I’m definitely in a better place, both physically and emotionally.
What I Believe
You’re in the right place if you want to get healthy and find judgment-free support on your gluten-free journey. Here are some of my guiding beliefs:
(1) I believe celiac disease saved my life. Prior to celiac, I was on a path toward chronic disease, racing head-on 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 the disease, not just the symptoms. When you treat IBS or acid reflux with antacids or migraines with ibuprofen, you’re 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 medicine is like putting duct 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 (i.e. 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.
(6) I believe in a commonsense approach to the gluten-free lifestyle. The gluten-free diet can be all-consuming, and many people develop food fear, anxiety, and eating disorders over time. I help you approach this diet using knowledge and common sense so you can live your best life (including eating out and traveling) without food fear.
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 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 gluten sensitivity, which is just as serious. Read more about testing for gluten sensitivity and gluten intolerance.
Recipes: Need some quick and easy recipes? Visit my free Recipe Gallery to get inspired. I add 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 offer a ton of information about how to navigate various restaurants in my Eating Out Library too.
Become a Label Reading Champ: The best way to protect yourself from getting glutened is by growing your knowledge in label reading. Make sure you understand the current FDA guidelines for gluten-free labeling and why the FDA says foods can still contain some gluten – up to 20 parts per million – and still be labeled gluten free.
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 damage caused by a lifetime of eating gluten.
Nutrition Coaching: I no longer offer one-on-one coaching sessions, but I do offer a Gluten-Free Made Easy Course that I created in partnership with Dr. Tom O’Bryan.
Join My Newsletter: You’re probably sick of getting boring, spammy emails from brands. My Friday newsletter, however, is far from boring or spammy. I share educational information, new recipes, foods I’ve tested for hidden gluten, and news from the industry to help you stay current on everything gluten free. Subscribe here.
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, use two cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour.
Sweet Dough Mix: For bread and sweet bread 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 order gluten-free sourdough from this bakery. My favorite bread recipe is my doughy gluten-free challah.
Wraps: If you want to skip the bread altogether (I don’t blame you), try these BFree protein wraps or Egglife egg white wraps for sandwiches. Both are 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 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 a 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 – 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!
Makeup and Skincare: You can see all the makeup and skincare brands I use and recommend in my article, Gluten-Free Makeup, Skincare, and Beauty Brands.
More Resources
I’ve 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 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:
- Is this product gluten free? Can you test it for me?
- Can you help me navigate this restaurant without gluten?
- Do you have a recipe for XYZ?
Again, thank you for being “here.” You’re the reason this blog is alive!
Wishing you good health,
Jenny
My sister is gluten intolerate and lactose problems. Use almond milk, real butter does not bother her. Bread machine receipes are tasteless. Use Bob Mills 1 to 1 flour. Tried buying all the starch recommended. Hard to find. Hate mixing my own flours. So expensive. My sister is also a type 2 diabetic. Store bought bread is so expensive and tasteless. Have a mixer. Tried a bread machine. Recipes are tasteless. Bob Mills flour and yeast do not work in Machine. Help should I add baking powder. Jane
Your blog is very nice. These tools are really very helpful…:-)