Gluten-Free Grocery Shopping Without the Overwhelm

If grocery shopping gluten-free feels exhausting — reading labels, second-guessing ingredients, and wondering if you’re missing something — this episode is for you. 

Gluten-free grocery shopping doesn’t have to take forever or leave you feeling overwhelmed. Today, I’m sharing how I approach gluten-free grocery shopping in a way that feels calmer, more confident, and much less stressful. 

This isn’t about being fast — it’s about having a system that works. And at the end, I’ll share the mindset shift that made grocery shopping feel manageable again.

 This episode is brought to you by Find Me Gluten Free—your go-to app for discovering safe, gluten-free dining options wherever you go!
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Because dinning out gluten-free shouldn’t be a guessing game! 

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome And Safety Disclaimer
• 0:07 Why Shopping Feels Overwhelming
• 0:21 Shift The Goal To Calm
• 2:31 The Section-By-Section Store Route
• 3:40 Building A Core Safe List
• 4:59 Smart Label Reading And Notes
• 6:09 What To Stop Doing
• 6:45 It Gets Easier With Routine
• 7:16 Mindset Shift And Newsletter
• 8:00 Closing And Resources

Transcript

Carrie Saunders: 0:00

Quick reminder before we get started on this episode. This podcast is based on my personal experiences and isn't medical advice. If grocery shopping gluten-free feels exhausting, reading labels, second-guessing ingredients, and wondering if you're missing something, this episode's for you. Gluten-free grocery shopping doesn't have to take forever or leave you feeling overwhelmed. Today I'm sharing how I approach gluten-free grocery shopping in a way that feels calmer, more confident, and much less stressful. This isn't about being fast, it's about having a system that works. And at the end, I'll share the mindset shift that made grocery shopping feel manageable again. Let's dive in. Welcome to the Gluten Free Engineer Podcast. I'm your host, Carrie Saunders. In 2011, I was diagnosed with celiac disease, a moment that changed everything. But I was determined not to let it hold me back. With my two engineering degrees, I set out to reverse engineer the gluten-free lifestyle, breaking down recipes, safety tips, travel hacks, and everything in between to rebuild a life I love. Whether you have celiac disease, gluten intolerance, or simply choose to live gluten-free, this podcast is for you. Join me each week as we simplify the gluten-free lifestyle, make it fun, and prove that you don't have to miss out on anything. Welcome back to the show. Today we're talking about why gluten-free grocery shopping can be overwhelming and how do we make it not so? So when your first gluten-free, gluten-free shopping can really feel very hard. It might even still feel hard, even if you've been gluten-free for a while. Because you're learning a new language, you're unlearning assumptions about safe foods, and the mental load can be very heavy. It's not just the time it takes, but it can just be really stressful and heavy. And feeling overwhelmed is very normal and not a failure. So then even if you've been gluten-free a while, hopefully these tips in today's episode is going to help make it even easier on you. So we want to shift the goal. We want to have calm shopping over speed. Faster shopping comes later after you're more veteran at this. And the real goal is fewer decisions and less anxiety. And can we say yes? We have so much decision fatigue in today's world, the fewer decisions, so much better, right? And confidence builds through repetition and not perfection. So we want to repeat those processes that are working already and then add in other new, you know, exploratory grocery shopping items as we build our confidence. We have a routine when we go grocery shopping. We usually shop the same sections first. First, we start in the produce because everything there should be gluten-free. Everything's a whole ingredient food. And unless you're getting something like salad dressing or something that's multi-ingredient, everything in the produce would be gluten-free. We go next to the meat and seafood aisle. And this is how we used to shop at first. It was literally produce, meat and seafood, and then we would go to dairy or dairy alternatives, and then we might find some pantry staples. So we don't go down every grocery aisle in the store. We go down only the aisles where we know there's food that we need or want. So as you get better and better at this, as you know where to find those pantry staples, you know, the rice or maybe the gluten-free pasta that might be your side dish when you're in a pinch, you then can just go down just those specific aisles once you start finding those and figuring those out. So add those in little by little so you don't feel like you're wandering down every single aisle and trying to find all the things you can eat. Our grocery store used to have all the gluten-free items in one place, but then they had this brilliant idea of, you know, well, people aren't going down the aisles because all the gluten-free stuff is here, and so the gluten-free people are not going down the aisle, so let's spread it across the whole store. So our gluten-free items are now spread across the whole store, and we have to go aisle by aisle if you really want to look at everything. And that's just exhausting. So just pick those aisles where you know there's something that you want or need. And like I said, add one in at a time, add one in a month or something. That way you aren't feeling so exhausted when you're grocery shopping. And I rely on a core list of safe foods, foods that I already trust, brands that are dedicated gluten-free, or brands that I already that I know you know have a gluten-free, certified gluten-free symbol on them when I go to get that item. I also rely on meals I know how to make. Start simple, start with what you know, add more as you go. And new items should be the exception and not the rule. And this goes for veterans as well. We tend to not add new items very often, just simply because I want to know what works for me, and I know what works for me, and I don't want to experiment that often. It's just a little bit harder on your body and sometimes your mental load. And I only read labels when I need to. So new brands or products, items that say they've had changed formula, anything processed for sure. I would double check the label unless I do see that certified gluten-free symbol on the front. This alone can cut out so much mental fatigue and so much decision fatigue. I also keep a mental or a notes app safe brand list. This can help you save time. It can build you confidence, it helps prevent repeat mistakes. So if you can't keep this in your head, I do have this in my head. Definitely use the notes app on your phone and make those lists of your favorite items that are safe so that you know where they are. And then another tip too is when you're in that grocery store, most of them, I think pretty much all of them, honestly, have an app. If you can't find what you're looking for, search it on the app or ask a staff. That way you don't feel like you're going down every aisle trying to find everything that you need. And some things that I don't do anymore is I don't browse every gluten-free product. Here we get back to decision fatigue. If you're browsing every gluten-free product, you're going to get decision fatigue. So minimize this as much as possible. I also don't try new foods when I'm tired or rushed. That's a really great way to make a mistake. And I also don't assume gluten-free actually means it works for me because I have other food sensitivities. So I have to double check all the ingredients. You might find certain things bother your tummy more than others. So you're going to probably want to kind of vet, you know, how process is this food? Because I'm assuming we're probably looking at processed foods at this moment when we're, you know, picturing this in our mind. And is this going to be easy on my tummy? And then grocery shopping gets easier over time. Familiarity replaces fear. Label reading becomes much faster. You stop second guessing yourself, and overwhelm turns into a routine. And it just gets like second nature. So if you're not there yet, where it's not like second nature to you, know that that will be coming. It, you know, it varies between person to person and how long it takes, but know that will be coming one step at a time and make it simple and reduce your decisions. And if you want practical gluten-free trips, make sure to go ahead on over to the glutenfreeengineer.com and sign up for our newsletter. We send it currently every other week. It's a very low-volume newsletter with great tips in it. And the biggest thing that made grocery shopping easier for me was giving myself permission to keep it simple. You don't need a cartful of specially gluten-free products. Many of them are overprocessed anyway and may be hard on your stomach. A handful of safe foods you trust can carry you through the week. And that's more than enough. And I hope this helps you have a much less stressed grocery shopping next time you go. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Gluten Free Engineer. If you found value in this story, please share it with someone who might need encouragement on their own gluten-free journey. For more tips, recipes, resources, and even links to my YouTube channel, head on over to theglutenfreeengineer.com. It's your one-stop hub to make gluten-free living simple, fun, and full of flavor. And don't forget to subscribe so you never miss out on an episode. And we will see you next week. The Gluten Free Engineer Podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. I share my personal experiences and stories about living with celiac disease and navigating a gluten free lifestyle. This podcast does not provide medical advice. Always consult with a qualified health care professional for medical questions, concerns, or advice specific to your health.