The Ultimate Gluten + Dairy Free List of Grocery-Store Favorites

A Quick Backstory

I remember the day I found out I was supposed to give up gluten and dairy. It was nearly a year into my Crohn’s Disease diagnosis, and I was tired of the Prednisone, immunosuppressants, procedures, and never-ending diarrhea. Nothing felt like it was working, I couldn’t keep any weight on, and I was mentally exhausted from feeling like shit. (Not to mention, I was depressed AF.)

My dad (who also has Crohn’s) had been in and out of the hospital with various Crohn’s-related complications, including bowel obstructions and surgeries, and if I didn’t do something else I was headed down the same road. It was time to try something different.

To make this long story much shorter, I saw a functional med internist (DABCI), we ran bloodwork, food sensitivity panels, stool samples, and genetic testing. The results were overwhelming, and the consensus was this: I needed to lower the inflammation in my body, and the first step was a diet change. I had a whole list of foods that flagged with inflammatory markers for me, and the biggest were gluten and dairy.

I was overwhelmed when she went through the list, and I remember thinking “Well, what the fuck CAN I eat?” The mere thought of giving up my mom’s mac and cheese, Sonic’s cheddar bites with ranch, Pizza Hut on Grandma’s birthday, and McDonald’s McChickens, had me spiraling.

But I was determined to feel better, tired of being let down by modern medicine, and ready to take responsibility for my own health. So, as an enneagram one (hello, rule follower) with discipline as one of my top five Gallup strengths, I went home that day and threw away every single item in the fridge and pantry that had gluten or dairy.

So listen–if you just found out you need to go gluten free + dairy free (GFDF), I know how you’re feeling. Overwhelmed, sad, and in denial that there is any joy left in the world, probably. The good news is, as the years have gone by, GFDF awareness has increased and there are more and more options available every single day.

And since this blog post has helped so many people, I wrote ANOTHER blog post for you to help you navigate going GFDF around the holidays: How to Host a GFDF Holiday Gathering.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

The Ultimate Gluten Free + Dairy Free List of Grocery-Store Favorites

**Please note, I am not a doctor, and this is not medical advice. I am a regular-ass human sharing the products and brands that I have found, tested, and keep coming back to. I encourage you to continue to do your own research and double-check the labels of all products for gluten and dairy-containing ingredients. This blog post is my opinion only and is not an all-inclusive or comprehensive list of all options and brands available. My favorite places to shop GFDF include Natural Grocers, Whole Foods, Sprouts, Walmart, Target, Aldi, Trader Joe’s and Thrive Market… AKA everywhere. I have not linked the brands included below as this is not an affiliate post and I am not currently getting anything from this blog article other than the joy of helping you or a family member through a potentially tough time.

Naturally GFDF at the grocery store

I would be remiss not to mention the obvious here–focusing on foods that are naturally GFDF will support a healthy and low-inflammatory lifestyle. I mean, duh. A common misconception lives on that people who can’t have gluten are healthier... continue reading past this section and I’ll help bust that myth. 😉

• Meat

• Eggs

• Fruits

• Veggies

• Potatoes

• Corn

• Quinoa

• Rice

“Dairy”

• Unsweetened almond milk [I love oat milk, too, but some of them (Aldi brand, for example) may contain gluten!]

• Daiya cheese

• So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt [[Edited to update: we’ve really been loving Forager’s cashewmilk yogurt lately!]]

• Kite Hill cream cheese

• Good Foods queso

• Ghee (clarified butter)

• Goat cheese + sheep cheese (check with your healthcare provider... as for me, I’m good to go on these!)

• Canned coconut milk (to thicken soups + add creaminess to recipes)

Dry Goods + Snacks

• Bob’s Red Miil gluten-free oats (regular oats at the store may contain gluten)

• Jovial pasta (double-check your pasta sauce for gluten + dairy) [[Edited to add, Aldi’s LiveGFree brand pasta is our go-to these days!]]

• Corn tortillas + tortilla chips (check the labels, but most are straight-up good to go)

• Siete burrito wraps

• Canyon Bakehouse or Udi’s gluten-free bread [[Edit to add: Walmart’s Sam’s Choice brand of GF sandwich bread is amazing too!]]

• Krusteaz gluten-free cornbread

• Daiya mac + cheese

• LiveGfree brand everything––bagels, pretzels, spinach wraps, brownies, cornbread, donuts, you name it (only at Aldi! Skip the bread though, 0/10 recommend.)

• Simple Mills crackers, pizza crust, and baking mixes

• King Arthur gluten free flour + baking mixes

• GoMacro bars (oatmeal chocolate chip is my favorite)

• LaraBars, Luna Bars, Kind Bars (check labels for dairy)

• Quinn peanut butter-filled pretzel nuggets

• MadeGood snacks

• The New Primal or Chomps meat sticks

• Cinnamon Chex, Blueberry Chex, and Lucky Charms cereal

• Hu dark chocolate, Enjoy Life rice milk chocolate

• Schar honeygrams graham crackers

Refrigerated + Frozen

• Daiya pizza

• Sweet Loren’s cookies

• Van’s frozen waffles

• Nadamoo! ice cream

• Daiya cheezecake

• Feel Good Foods egg rolls + potstickers

• Mikey’s “hot pockets”

• Udi’s breads, muffins, and rolls

• Purdue gluten-free chicken tenders

• Alexia tater tots + fries (check the labels on certain varieties)

Sauces, oils + dressings

• Sriracha (world’s greatest condiment and I WILL 100% die on that hill)

• Mayonnaise

• Ketchup + mustard

• Italian dressing, Dorothy Lynch, thousand island, honey mustard, and vinaigrette dressings (check the labels!)

• Olive, avocado, and coconut oil

• Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce

• Primal Kitchen sauces + condiments

• Daiya ranch (RIP Hidden Valley… I have yet to find a grocery-store “ranch” that compares… sorry!)

• Coconut aminos (soy sauce has gluten in it! They also make GF soy sauce but I love the subtle sweetness of the aminos)

Alcohol

• Wine

• Titos vodka

• 1800 tequila

• Drake’s white rum

• High Noons (my personal favorite flavors are watermelon, peach, and pear)

• Topo Chico, Quirk, Truly, White Claw hard seltzers

• Hard ciders

I hope this list is a helpful starting point for you + your family members on your GFDF journey. My doctor recommended this diet for 90 days to give the gluten some time to fully leave my system, and it worked so well I’ve stuck to it for the past five years (and have been able to go off all of my prescription meds!). If you have any questions or are looking for recommendations on something specific I didn’t list, comment below! I’m here to support you. ❤️

xoxo, Megan

P.S. This journey was made so much more stress free and enjoyable with the help of my favorite online marketplace, Thrive Market (like Whole Foods, but better—you can search by your specific dietary restrictions and preferences!) When you use this affiliate link, you can get 40% off your first order!