When my mom had to go gluten-free (GF) for her autoimmune health four months ago, my entire family has been adamant about helping her throughout her journey. Since she has eliminated many foods from her diet, I have had the opportunity to try some great (and not-so-great) foods. While GF foods can be seen as trendy, people with gluten allergies truly have a tough time finding something edible, especially at a normal grocery store. Even though going completely GF is unnecessary unless you have a sensitivity or allergy, the food items made from unique flours (think almond, brown rice, chickpea, and oats) are a healthy alternative to your everyday eating schedule.

Here is my tried-and-true list of tasty GF items:

Simple Mills

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Source: Whole Foods

If you see my mom in the corner of my Zoom class, there is a safe bet that she is going into our pantry to eat one of the many stashed boxes of Soft Baked Dark Chocolate Toasted Coconut Cookies. I personally love the Farmhouse Cheddar Almond Crackers and Sun-dried Tomato Basil Almond Flour Crackers; the cheddar ones taste similar to Cheese-Its, and they are perfect to snack on. I’ve been known to eat half the carton in one sitting, resulting in my mother demanding we get 4 boxes of each flavor from Whole Foods so we don’t run out!

2. Tate's Cookies

Source: Tate’s Bake Shop

If you love the beloved Southampton company’s crunchy cookies, then you’re in luck! Tate’s makes a variety of fan-favorite flavors, including Oatmeal Raisin and Coconut Crisp. However, my mom is obsessed with the Ginger Zinger since ginger is known to have properties of helping with inflammation and fighting infections. I am partial to the Double Chocolate Chip because who doesn’t love double the chocolate! My only complaint is that I wish they made a GF version of my all-time favorite: Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies.

3. Bob’s Red Mill

Bob’s Red Mill has a gigantic product line of some organic and health-conscious products, but my mom swears by these oats for multiple reasons. The Old Fashioned Whole Grain Rolled Oats are super filling; they taste great when paired with a crunchy GF granola and are super healthy for you. Making overnight oats with chia seeds and milk, then adding fruits like raspberry or blueberries, is an easy and tasty breakfast option for anyone on the go. They also make a great alternative for a crunchy apple crisp recipe.

4. Back to Nature Plant-Based Snacks

Source: Back to Nature

Similar to Bob’s Red Mill, Back to Nature also has an extensive line of products, with an emphasis on being plant-based. They offer vegan options for their different crackers and cookies, but I happen to be obsessed with their crunchy granolas; some of their granolas are also keto-friendly. Perfectly paired with oats or on its own as a snack throughout the day, Chocolate Delight Granola and Vanilla Almond Agave Granola are my favorite flavors.

5. Bob’s Red Mill

Another Bob’s Red Mill item, Organic Quinoa Grain, is a sacred ancient grain that the Incas have been eating since the dawn of civilization. I love quinoa since it is a great alternative to add in the right amounts of carbs into your diet. A single serving cooked is a sizable portion to use multiple times. As a good source of protein and iron, quinoa is easy to make and holds flavor to your liking. You can add them to some of your favorite meals such as salads, sushi, soups, and stir fry.

6. Mary’s Gone Crackers

We stumbled upon Mary’s Gone Crackers while doing a wine tasting this summer. From super seed to thin, the company’s sole focus is cracker happiness. While the Seaweed & Black Sesame Seeds look daunting from the packaging, they taste quite good, especially when paired with a charcuterie board of cured meats and spreadable cheeses. With ingredients like whole grain quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and brown flax seeds, the crackers are a source of calcium, iron, and potassium.

7. Siete

Another keto-friendly option is the Lime Grain Free Tortilla Chips. Bear in mind these chips do not taste like an ordinary tortilla chip, but I promise you will crave them if you go into it with an open mind. My mom, my grandfather, and I have used the chips to justify eating a jar of nacho cheese!

8. Beanfields Bean Chips

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Source: Beanfields

For a more traditional tasting tortilla chip with a kick, Beanfields Bean Chips in Jalapeño and Nacho are all the rage in my house. I love to eat these as a substitute for Lays Chips with my sandwiches. I am not going to say that I have an addiction, but I admit that I currently have 7 bags of the jalapeño flavor in my pantry.

9. Udi’s Bread

The Multigrain Sandwich Bread can be a hit or miss depending on who you ask. My mom thinks it is the closest she will ever get to real carbs ever again, while other people have poorly reviewed it. I am neutrally-positive on this one because GF bread can never replicate real bread; you have to think of it as a separate food entirely.

10. Kind

Source: KIND Bars

With so many different flavors to choose from, KIND bars have been an ideal choice of mine for a long time. As a snack or a quick breakfast, all bars have a delicious mix of nuts, chocolate, and fruits. My preferred choices include Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew, Caramel Almond and Sea Salt, Dark Chocolate Nuts and Sea Salt, and Dark Chocolate Mocha Almond.

With so many different GF foods across the market, my mother and I continue to try and experiment with diverse products that also contain health-conscious ingredients. Along the way, we have made some great discoveries of products everyone in our house can eat and enjoy. As with many specialty foods that are made from smaller companies, GF foods have a reputation for being overpriced. While some of the items can be on the more expensive side, the health benefits found in choosing certain GF products definitely justify the price points. As her GF journey continues, I have gained respect for how my mom can restrain herself from eating her favorite foods in order to keep her body healthy.

10 Best Gluten-Free Foods That Actually Taste Good