Gluten intolerance, or celiac disease affects millions of people and drastically affects their diets. When you are gluten intolerant, you have to avoid some of the most popular grains in the Western World, wheat, rye, oats and barley.

To be allergic to wheat in America is akin to being allergic to rice in China. In other words it is hard to find food to eat when you can't eat gluten products. However, there are gluten free grains that can often be used as substitutions for gluten-laden foods. Rice is one of them.

Don't Rely On Rice, However

Although any kind of rice is considered by most medical experts to be gluten free, the jury is still out by gluten intolerance sufferers. Some report that they get symptoms from rice, especially white rice.

There are many kinds of rice in the world, including red, brown and long grained wild rice. Try these as opposed to the white rice, you might have better results. There are also substitutions for rice, in case you become intolerant to rice in any of its forms.

The Major Gluten Free Grains

The following is some of the most popular gluten free grains available in most supermarkets, health food stores and ethnic specialty cooking supply stores in the real world and online:

* Quinoa: This is a nutty, rice-like grain from South America that can be used as a substitute in any rice, couscous and some pasta recipes. It takes a couple of tries to get used to it, but a little goes a long way.

* Corn: Yes, corn, and all of its wonderful variations. Not all of it has been converted to ethanol yet. Not only can you eat corn, but you can eat anything made from corn flour and you can substitute cornstarch for wheat flour in gravy recipes.

* Millet: Considered one of the first cultivated grains, let alone being one of the gluten free grains. This is cheap and plentiful.

* Buckwheat: Nice and confusing, isn't it? Despite the name, buckwheat does not contain wheat, so it's on the gluten free grains list. Some commercial products like frozen waffles are made of buckwheat and not wheat wheat.

* Sorghum: You see this more and more often in all kinds of foods, whether gluten-free or not. Gluten free beer is often made from fermented sorghum. It looks a lot like sugar cane. It's a popular ingredient in commercial ice cream.

Other Gluten Free Grains

Other, less well known gluten free grains include amaranth, montina (otherwise known as Indian rice grass), teff (a tiny Ethipoian grain found in ancient Pyramids as well as modern dinner bowls) and wild rice. They may take a little more research to find. But if you see them as ingredients in any commercial foods or condiments, then you know they are safe.

Remember that if you are gluten intolerant the best way to tell if you can or can't eat something is to read the ingredients. Look out for gluten, wheat, rye, oats or barley as ingredients.

If you are having a hard time finding gluten free foods, you can get a gluten free eating guide. They are easy to find in bookstores and on the Internet. These guides are loaded with all the info you need, as well as recipes, to make some of your favorite dishes at home, gluten free