Gluten-Free Eaters : Are you missing any nutrients?

Are you getting all the nutrients you need on your gluten-free diet? This week while I was grocery shopping I wondered if my family was missing any vitamins, particularly B vitamins. I decided to do some research to try to figure out if we were missing foods that had important nutritional value.

Doctors recommend people on a gluten-free diet take vitamins to supplement their food, but if you also want to try to work the nutrients into your diet here is a list of the ones gluten-free eaters usually miss and foods high in those missing vitamins that can help reduce those deficiencies.

Iron :
Red meat, egg yolks, beans (lentils, chick peas and soybeans), fruit (dried prunes, raisins), and vegetables (parsley, spinach, olives) are all high in iron.

Fiber :
Rice bran, corn bran, and gf oat bran are all high in fiber.  Beans (kidney, navy, black, chickpeas), fruit (raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, oranges), vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, leafy greens), and nuts are also excellent sources of fiber.

Folic Acid :
People on a gluten-free diet should eat lots of green leafy vegetables, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils to get adequate folic acid.

Niacin (vitamin B3) :
Fish, chicken and turkey, pork, liver,  peanuts, beef, mushrooms, sunflower seeds, fresh green peas,  and avocados are all high in niacin.

Thiamine (vitamin B1) :
Yeast extract, sesame butter (tahini), dried herbs and spices (coriander, poppy seeds, dried sage, paprika, mustard seed, rosemary, and thyme), pork chops, fish, pine Nuts, and pistachios are all sources of Thiamine.

Calcium :
Calcium as we all know is found in milk and dairy products.  It is also found in dark leafy greens, bok choy, okra, broccoli, snap peas and almonds.

Vitamin B12 :
Shellfish (cooked clams, oysters, mussels) is off the charts for vitamin B12.  Cooked clams have over 1000% percent of the recommended daily value. Liver is also very high.  Fish, crustaceans, fortified gluten-free cereals, beef and lamb, dairy and eggs all have vitamin B12.

Phosphorus :
Phosphorus is found in seeds ( pumpkin and squash), cheese (romano, parsmesean, goat cheese, mozzarella, gruyere and swiss), fish, shellfish, nuts, pork, beef, dairy, soybeans (edamame), and beans and lentils

Zinc :
Here are some foods that contains high amounts of zinc : oysters, crab, and lobsters, beef and lamb, spinach, pumpkin and squash seeds, nuts, chocolate, pork and chicken, beans (chickpeas and kidney beans), and mushrooms.

After doing  this research I will try to add more nuts to our salads and will make them more available in bowls around the house, try to use paprika and sage in more recipes,  and work shellfish and crustaceans into our meals more often!  Very interesting.  I think I will refer back to list often while I am planning our family meals.