There are lots of foods that are naturally gluten-free no substitutions necessary, that people don't know about. Meals that are easy to make without needing to go out of your way and buy something new.
If you are newly diagnosed, have a family member or friend who is diagnosed, it can be hard. You are now being exposed to something completely unfamiliar to you. And you don't always realize that so much of what we eat doesn't contain gluten. Fruits, Vegetables, meats, dairy, starches. So many other food groups have foods that you can still enjoy, without making any alterations.
And there are even more options that only require minimal alterations with ingredients you probably have at home, it's like becoming vegetarian, you can still eat so much.
The rising popularity of gluten free has both its benefits and limitations. One such benefit is that it is now so much easier to find food that is clearly labeled gluten free. Nowadays most manufacturers are required (at least in the US) to say whether or not they "contain gluten" or are "gluten free". Making it much easier to know what you can and cannot eat if you are newly diagnosed.
The most important rule to remember when cooking gluten free is to check the label for "gluten free" or "contains gluten". These will clearly be written on the front or side of the packaging under the ingredients list. It is also important to note that gluten free and wheat free are two different things. If it says wheat free that does not mean that it is also gluten free, because gluten is not only found in wheat. A good rule of thumb to follow for anyone cooking gluten free is that if you are not sure, it's best to just not buy it. It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Because I have, in a way, grown up gluten-free many meals we eat are naturally gluten free. One such meal is tacos. My family loves Mexican food and we probably have some form; whether enchiladas, tacos, taco salad, or cafe rio salad, every other week. Because vegetables and dairy are naturally gluten free you are safe for all of your toppings. You may need to look at your taco seasonings and salsas however because gluten is often used as a thickener, but it's a simple matter of checking the label. (Because gluten free is much more popular now it is more likely that you should be fine, but always check.) We season our meat with McCormick taco seasoning, which is gluten free. Most salsas are gluten free, but it's always important to check, we use Pace or Tostitos salsa. Also make sure that you are using corn tortillas (they are smaller than flour tortillas) but the majority of shells you get are made with corn, because traditionally tacos are made with corn and cassava flours, making them something a celiac can eat. We use both soft and hard shell corn tortillas when having taco night, as you can find both varieties made of corn.
Another food that we really enjoy are curries. Almost all curries are gluten free. Because we live in Asia, our family does a lot of curries, as the spices, seasoning, and curry packets are more readily available. And because the main grain with curry is rice, your meal is all gluten free.
You can also do basic meals with mains such as chicken, beef, and fish. Just check your seasonings for a gluten free label and prepare as you normally do. You can then serve with a side of potatoes; sautéed or mashed, and vegetables. These are easy meals that take no extra work, and can be prepared the same way as you normally do, while still being gluten free. You can also make fairly simple pot roasts. Some recipes might tell you to dredge the meat before browning, but this is unnecessary, and you don't need to use flour to make the gravy, just cornstarch. Also, make sure to use gluten free bouillon, but this can be very simple to modify in your own recipe.
My family also does many soups, you can use Herb-ox Bouillon for your broth (they say clearly on their container that they are gluten free), chicken or vegetable, depending on your preferences. You can then make your normal soup recipe. We normally do vegetables soups, chicken and rice soup, and, using gluten free noodles, chicken noodle soup.
Now there are many gluten free pastas, my family prefers the De Bole's rice and corn pastas, which can be found in most stores and on amazon. In Phnom Penh, we find these easily at Thai Huot supermarket. Tinkyada also had good lasagna noodles which we use for our family recipe. Most pastas will state clearly on the front of their package if they are gluten free, making it easy to know whether or not you can buy them. You can then just substitute these noodles and pasta into your own recipes and the outcome will be the same. However, you do need to make sure that your pastas sauce is gluten free as wheat is sometimes used as a thickener.
As you can see, you don't need to make many changes, or any at all, to make a delicious gluten free meal that can be enjoyed by everyone.