I Had to Go Gluten-Free for My Health, and These 9 Amazon Finds Have Made My Life So Much Easier

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Here are the best helpers from Amazon in honor of National Gluten-Free Day—and most are under $40.

Going gluten-free isn’t easy, but there are a few things that can help. Whether you’ve been recently diagnosed with Celiac disease (like me), you’re hoping a diet change could help with other health conditions (like another autoimmune disorder), or you simply want to experiment with the lifestyle, think of this as your gluten-free starter kit.

For more than six years, I lived with undiagnosed Celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder that’s fairly common: One in every 133 Americans have it (most are undiagnosed). It’s a genetic disease that’s triggered by consuming gluten and causes damage to the small intestine.

When the disorder was finally confirmed a year ago, nearly all of the health problems I was experiencing, like daily migraines, gastrointestinal issues, brain fog, and debilitating anxiety (among others) ceased, but going strictly gluten-free has been one of the hardest life adjustments I’ve experienced.

For many, embracing gluten-free foods can be a diet-minded choice, but for me, it’s the only treatment available for Celiac disease—and it only works if you’re extremely strict about it. That means I can’t eat at most restaurants because a spare crumb sticking to a chef’s glove or residue in a pan could make me sick.

Thankfully, my job as a shopping reporter has made this huge change a bit easier to navigate. I’m fortunate to have a lot of product knowledge and resources at my disposal, and in honor of National Gluten-Free Day, which falls on January 13th, I’m sharing all of my favorite finds below. Whatever is behind your interest in going gluten-free, these editor-loved finds can help make the change feel less daunting.

Editor-Loved Finds

• Zip Top Reusable Food Storage Containers, $37

• Mineral Fusion Three-in-One Color Stick, $19 (was $20)

• Packism Clear Toiletry Bag Three-Pack, $11 (was $16)

• Gemice TSA-Approved Travel Bottle Four-Pack, $14

• BareMinerals Complexion Rescue Hydrating Foundation Stick, $30 (was $33)

• W&P Porter Ceramic Lunch Bowl, $40

• Kitchendao Salad Dressing Shaker, $18

• Danielle Walker’s Healthy in a Hurry, $22 (was $35)

• Ninja Oven-Safe Foodi NeverStick PossiblePan, $130

Now that eating at restaurants, cafeterias, and friends’ homes puts me at risk of exposure, I almost always bring food with me, which is where Zip Top’s reusable food storage containers come in handy. While there are many options on the market, I like that these are lightweight, microwave-safe, and easy to clean.

They’re not as expensive as some other containers, and unlike other silicone ones that often resemble sandwich bags, these have a wide opening and stand upright, so they make it feel like you’re eating out of a proper bowl. When I’m hungry at the office, I stick it in the microwave and I can tote it anywhere I want to eat, like the cafeteria or outdoor patio.

To buy: $37; amazon.com.

While the Zip Top dish container is my favorite, it can be helpful to have something that also works for prepping food, like W&P’s ceramic bowl and lid. When I don’t have time to make a full meal before heading out, I’ll throw some veggies, an avocado, hard boiled eggs, and crackers into this bowl to slice and assemble on-the-go. And sometimes, it’s nice to have a container that better blends in with typical dining ware, like this one, which is great for sit-down meals, too.

To buy: $40; amazon.com.

Finding safe places that understand and will accommodate my food needs is now a challenge, which means traveling has also become difficult. If I’m staying somewhere, say at an AirBnB with friends or hitting the sky to head abroad, I’ll need to pack snacks, meals, and foods that I can eat on-the-go. It tends to be a lot to store and organize, which is why I love using Packism’s clear toiletry bags.

For longer trips, I’ll use a few of these to pack pouches of tuna, peanut butter packets, protein bars, and other ready-to-eat foods. I like that I can see everything inside each bag, and just like a packing cube, they can fit a lot into a compact space.

For flights or road trips, I’ll meal prep sandwiches with carrot sticks, a piece of fruit, and some other backup options. I can fit everything I need for a meal, including napkins and utensils in one of these bags, making it easy to organize everything I’ll need for a day. Knowing each one contains a complete meal, I can grab one and go. I couldn’t have traveled to Europe this past summer without these.

To buy: $11 (was $16); amazon.com.

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And though food is the largest consideration for folks with Celiac disease, we also have to be mindful of beauty products. All lipsticks and chapsticks have to be safe, but I also prefer to be pretty strict about everything I put on or around my face, which means all makeup, skincare, and hair care needs to be gluten-free.

Several of my old favorites, like the wheat-containing shampoo and conditioner I used for years, had to get tossed. And it was the same for my go-to foundation. Thankfully, I’ve found two makeup brands that are always gluten-free. The first, BareMinerals, is a popular brand with good-for-you ingredients that’s pretty easy to find at a variety of stores. Its Complexion Rescue hydrating foundation stick replaced my old foundation and concealer, and it’s small enough to throw in my purse for touch-ups throughout the day.

To buy: $30 (was $33); amazon.com.

Mineral Fusion is another brand that’s become a new go-to. It makes all kinds of clean beauty products that are gluten-free and non-comedogenic, meaning they’re great for my acne-prone skin. And many of its products have earned the Environmental Working Group (EWG) Verified Seal for their safe ingredients. The brand’s entire assortment is available on Amazon, so if I’m in a pinch, I know I can snag a new tube of mascara or a fresh bronzer palette and have it delivered in two days.

Mineral Fusion’s three-in-one color stick is my favorite so far. The glowy balm that comes in a tube can be applied as blush, lipstick, or eye color, and I wear it almost every day now. Instead of packing several products when I travel, this one product can replace several, saving me space, and it gives my skin a subtle, healthy looking glow. Plus, it has never irritated my sensitive skin.

To buy: $19 (was $20); amazon.com.

And now that I’ve found shampoos, conditioners, face washes, and moisturizers that are safe and effective, I make sure that I always bring them along when I’m traveling, which is why I invested in Gemice’s TSA-approved travel bottles. The leak-proof and refillable bottles ensure that I can securely bring my staples wherever I go, and they’ve always held up—even during turbulent flights. The variety of pretty colors makes them fun to pack, too.

To buy: $14; amazon.com.

Beyond finding new snacks and recipes that you love, investing in a few handy tools, like the ones below, can make the gluten-free journey feel less overwhelming. Practice and time will make everything feel more manageable, but sometimes, indulging in a little retail therapy—say, treating yourself to a versatile new pan or a fun new cookbook—can help too.

To buy: $22 (was $35); amazon.com.

To buy: $130; amazon.com.

To buy: $18; amazon.com.

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