Gluten free cereal has become one of the most popular diet trends for decades. However, for those with non-celiac gluten sensitivity or Celiac disease, going gluten-free is not just about following a trend but most importantly, the way of life.
From bread to cereals, many gluten-free products are available out there for you to choose from. But, walking down the cereal aisle in a grocery store to find the best gluten-free products is just like going through a minefield, making you wonder if you pick the wrong item.
It could be very tricky since some cereal products that are supposed to have no gluten in them, ironically, often do.
This page will show you everything you need to know about gluten free cereal products, how to define them, and how to pick up the best one for your needs.
What Cereals are Gluten Free?
So, what cereals are gluten free? Well, it has been stated before that there is plenty of cereal gluten-free options you can find out there. These products also vary to meet your individual needs. Either it is for babies, people with diabetics, weight loss, or for vegans, you can find them all in the market.
These include Thrive Market Coconut Flakes which are low carb but high in good fats, making them suitable for almost everyone. Or, you can choose I Heart Keenwah Toasted Quinoa Flakes if you love gluten free cereal with nutty flavors.
The most important thing is that you know what you will use the cereals for.
Gluten free Cereal: Why Should You Go On Them?
One thing you need to keep in mind about a gluten-free diet is that it is not a diet specially purposed for weight loss. It can be said that a gluten-free diet is a healthy dietary method that can be applied to almost all people, from infants to elderly ones.
Most of the time, the indication that a person should follow a gluten-free diet is celiac disease. This is a condition where your body is intolerant to gluten and protein. These two ingredients are mainly found in wheat, rye, and barley.
People with gluten celiacs will experience an inflammatory reaction every time they consume products with gluten in them. It causes the disruption of the work and motility of the stomach as well as the entire gastrointestinal tract. In this way, they will suffer from poor nutrient absorption through the small intestines.
Due to the lack of prominent nutrients, those who are suffering from celiac disease also experience unwanted symptoms in the body. Thus, all products, including cereals that contain gluten should be excluded from their diet plan completely to end the inflammatory process and restore intestinal villi in the body.
It is not an easy diet to follow, anyway. This is because of most products available in the market now known to contain gluten.
However, once you strictly follow the diet, you can see the positive effect quickly enough. You can see wonderful results and feel better just two weeks after you apply to the diet properly.
What Is Best Gluten Free Cereal?
Speaking about the best gluten free cereal in the market now, well it will highly depend on your personal preference and goals. But, whatever your option will be, the selection process will go down to several things. Make sure that you consider the protein, sugar, and ingredient contained in the cereals.
Not only that but you also need to consider how you plan to use the product, the price, and importantly, whether the cereals are certified gluten-free or not.
And any packaged food labeled gluten-free in the US is required by the FDA to contain fewer than 20 ppm of gluten. 20 ppm is considered the lowest level of gluten that can be detected by utilizing scientifically validated methods.
So far, there are no specific gluten testing standards owned by the FDA that cereal companies can comply with.
In this way, the gluten testing methods by the companies might be different from one to another as long as they ensure that their products contain 20 ppm of gluten max as required by the FDA.
You need to be careful when picking up gluten free cereal in the stores since the lack of testing method standardization creates potential inadvertent gluten exposure during food processing.
That is why most people tend to choose products that are gluten-free certified by private organizations. Some prominent independent third-party organizations that provide gluten-free certifications in the US are Allergen Control Group and Gluten-Free Certification Organization (GFCO).
These private organizations use different standards from the one required by the FDA. For example, instead of 20 ppm, GFCO sets a threshold of 10 ppm gluten for all the products they tested.
Gluten Free Cereal Brands
There is a wide range of gluten free cereal brands to opt in the market. Some of the most popular ones are Bob’s Red Mill and Barbara’s.
All Barbara’s cereal products such as Barbara’s Honey Rice, Protein Berry Burst, Puffin Multigrain, and Pumpkin cereals are gluten-free. Some other popular brands of cereals that contain no gluten are:
What brands of cereal are gluten free?
#Nature’s Path
All cereal products of Nature’s Path are gluten-free certified. This brand is not only gluten-free but also relatively health-conscious.
Nature’s Path comes with some popular products you can choose from. These include Honey’s Corn Flakes, Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla, granola in Honey Almond, Mesa Sunrise, and Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs are gluten-free.
#Chex
Consider putting Chex cereals in your gluten-free diet plan. Chex cereals are not only gluten-free but don’t contain artificial flavors, colors, or high fructose corn syrup. So, their products are a healthy option to choose from.
The gluten free cereal products of Chex come in various flavors including chocolate, honey nut, vanilla, blueberry, peanut butter, and cinnamon.
#Arrowhead Mills
The cereals produced by Arrowhead Mills are gluten-free. The brand also produces a wide range of puffed grains you can choose from. Try their instant gluten-free hot cereals like Organic Quinoa, Rice, Oat, and Shine to make the most out of your gluten-free diet.
Best Gluten Free Cereal List
Have a quick glance at the following gluten free cereal list to help you narrow down your options when walking down the cereal aisle.
#Best for Gluten-Free and High-Fiber Cereals
These include:
- Van’s Cinnamon Heaven Cereal
- Kay’s Naturals Gluten-Free Protein Honey Almond Cereal
- Thrive Market Coconut Flakes.
#Best for Gluten-Free Breakfast Cereals
These include:
- Nature’s Path Organic Gluten-Free Sunrise Crunchy Maple
- Love Grown Chocolate Power O’s
- HighKey Cocoa Almond Hot Cereal.
#Best for Gluten-Free Rice Krispies Cereals
Some of the leading gluten-free rice cereals are :
- Nature’s Path Rice Cereal
- Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps Cereal
- Kellogg’s Gluten-Free Rice Krispies.
#Best Gluten-Free Cereals for Babies
They include:
- Nature’s Path
- Lucky Charms.
High Fiber Gluten Free Cereal
If you are looking for high fiber gluten cereal for your diet plan, just try these following products.
#Van’s Cinnamon Heaven Cereal
Van’s Cinnamon Heaven Cereal is popular for many good reasons. It is a good option to take especially if you are looking for a cereal product that is both gluten-free and high in fiber.
This cereal comes with 5 grams of fiber. This is 20% of fiber intake recommended by nutritionists. Aside from high fiber, Van’s Cinnamon Heaven Cereal is also low in sugar.
The cereal only contains 8 grams of sugar, making it lower than most cereal products in the market. Not only that but the cereal doesn’t contain artificial colors, flavorings, and fructose corn syrup.
#Kay’s Naturals Gluten-Free Protein Honey Almond Cereal
Kay’s Naturals Honey Almond Cereal has 4 grams of fiber in their packages. It is also high in protein that is about 12 grams in each serving. What makes it healthier is that the cereal also contains 3 grams of sugar, the lowest you can find in the market.
#Thrive Market Coconut Flakes
Being primarily made of coconut, Thrive Market Coconut Flakes are naturally sweet. With 5 grams of fiber contained in each serving, Thrive Market Coconut Flakes are also an ideal option for a gluten-free and high-fiber cereal.
Gluten Free Breakfast Cereal
Gluten free breakfast cereal will be a healthy option especially if you want to lose weight fast.
#Nature’s Path Organic Gluten-Free Sunrise Crunchy Maple
This cereal is perfect for breakfast and makes you fuller for a longer time. Nature’s Path Organic Gluten-Free Sunrise Crunchy Maple comes with a lot of healthy ingredients.
These include contains quinoa, flax, rice, amaranth, buckwheat, and corn. Additionally, the cereal also has 0.15 grams of Omega-3 per serving which is equal to 11% of the daily value recommended by experts.
#Love Grown Chocolate Power O’s
Not only certified gluten-free, but Love Grown Chocolate Power O’s are made of navy beans, garbanzo beans, brown rice, and lentils, making it a healthy option for your breakfast. In each cup of serving, the cereal contains 6g of protein, 4g of fiber, 2g of sugar, vitamin E, and 1.5g of good fats.
#HighKey Cocoa Almond Cereal
If you are looking for a gluten-free, healthy, warm, and tasty cereal for breakfast, you can consider this HighKeu Cocoa Almond Cereal. This product is also low sugar but high in fiber and protein.
Gluten Free Cereal Rice Krispies
As the name suggests, Gluten Free Cereal Rice Krispies are made of rice. That makes this product naturally gluten-free. Here are some best gluten-free rice crispies cereals you can put under the radar.
#Nature Path’s Rice Cereal
Nature Path’s Rice Cereal is certified gluten-free. What makes the product a healthy option for your gluten-free diet is that it is made of organic ingredients. These include molasses, cane sugar, brown rice flour, and sea salt.
However, this cereal might not be an ideal option if you are following a keto diet due to the 29 g carb per serving. Nature Path’s Rice cereal might not be keto-friendly but it will help you to stay fuller for a longer time.
#Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps Cereal
Find your tasty and gluten-free rice-crispies cereal in Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps Cereal. It is a certified gluten free cereal and the ingredients contained will be perfect the most for vegans.
This Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps Cereal comes with only 1-2 grams of sugar per serving. That is why the cereal is also considered a gluten-free product with the lowest sugar in the market.
Instead of adding molasses and cane sugar, Barbara’s Brown Rice Crisps Cereal uses organic pear juice concentrate to sweeten their rice crisps.
#Kellogg’s Gluten-Free Rice Krispies
Kellogg’ Rice Krispies is one of the long-time players in the industry. But, despite being labeled gluten-free, Kellogg’s Rice Krispies might contain additives and ingredients that are not entirely free of gluten.
The manufacturer adds malt syrup to sweeten the cereal. You need to know that malt syrup is a kind of sweetener that is made of barley. Just like rye and wheat, barley is a type of grain that contains gluten naturally.
In this way, you might need to be careful when consuming the cereal if you are having celiac disease. The malt syrup used in the product might lead you to experience symptoms of the disease.
Gluten Free Baby Cereal
Most babies love cereals. Aside from the tasty flavors and textures that are easily liked by your kids, babies who are introduced to cereals at the age of 4 to 6 months, tend to have lower risks of celiac disease.
But, for infants who are already having celiac disease, giving them cereals that are certified gluten-free will be a good solution to take. But, which baby cereal to choose? These gluten baby cereal products will help you narrow down your choices.
#Nature’s Path
Nature’s Path cereal is made of chocolate. As you know, most children love chocolate, and having the ingredient in their cereals will make them love their breakfast more. Another thing that makes this cereal good for your kids is that it doesn’t contain artificial flavors and colors.
#Lucky Charms
Lucky Charms are loved by toddlers due to the ingredients used in the product. This gluten free cereal uses marshmallows to create the flakes.
Lucky Charms is colorful cereal and smells good that will easily attract kids’ attention. Providing the cereal for your toddlers’ breakfast will give them the same amount of nutrients as in an oatmeal serving.
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