Gluten-free Fermented Foods

Whenever one is faced with a sudden dietary restriction it is easy to see the word no everywhere you go. Such is the case with a gluten-free diet. No bread, no pancakes, no pasta, no anything... right?

Wrong. There are so many healthy gluten-free options for all of your favorite foods, including fermented foods. You just have to know what to look for.

The first thing to consider is which whole foods contain gluten. They are the glutenous grains: Wheat, Kamut, Spelt, Barley, Rye, and Oats.

To be clear, though, there are certified gluten-free oats. The oat grain itself does not contain gluten, but because oats are generally grown near wheat or processed in a facility that processes wheat, oats are only considered gluten-free when it is explicitly labeled as such.

So, when determining if a fermented food can be considered gluten-free and therefore safe to eat, just make sure you know that the ingredients are not one of the above grains.

Gluten-Free Fermented Beverages

Most of the fermented beverages besides beer or other grain-based fermented beverages are gluten-free, so feel free to try:

• Kombucha
• Water Kefir
• Beet Kvass
• Homemade Lacto-fermented Soda
• Lacto-fermented Ginger Ale

Gluten-Free Fermented Dairy Products

High quality milk is naturally gluten-free, so unless you also have a dairy intolerance try:

• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Buttermilk
• Cheese
• Sour Cream

Gluten-Free Fermented Vegetables

The great thing about whole, real foods is you shouldn’t have to worry about cross-contamination. Raw vegetables are naturally gluten-free, so feel free to try any fermented vegetables, including...

• Sauerkraut
• Fermented Carrot Sticks
• Cultured Salsa
• Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles

Gluten-Free Fermented Grains

Going gluten-free does not have to mean complete sourdough deprivation. Thankfully, there are gluten-free sourdough options, including...

• Gluten-free Brown Rice Sourdough Bread
• Gluten-Free Sourdough Pancakes
• Fermented Oat Porridge (use certified gluten-free oats)

As you can see there are plenty of ways to enjoy the delicious flavors and wonderful health benefits of fermented foods, even if you are gluten-free. Have a glass of kombucha, make a kefir smoothie, eat sauerkraut with your supper, or make sourdough pancakes for breakfast.

Eating gluten-free can be even better when you include fermented foods.

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Related Articles & Recipes:

• How to Make Yogurt
  
• How to Make Kefir
• How to Make Kombucha

Related Products:

 The Art of Gluten-free Sourdough Baking Book by Sharon Kane