Gluten Free 101: Which Ingredients to Avoid
by Melissa Olson - July 21st, 2009.Filed under: Gluten Free Diet Basics, gluten free diet.
One of the hardest aspects of following a gluten free diet is reading the ingredient lists of all the packages in the store, trying to determine if it is safe for you to consume. Talk about eating up a lot of your time! Although the United States requires wheat to be listed on allergen-containing foods, it isn’t always there for items that are from another country, plus what about all of those additive/stabilizer ingredients? So here is a handy list you can print out and carry with you to the grocery store to help save time:
Grains & Ingredients to Avoid:
- Wheat (wheat germ, wheat bran)
- Rye
- Barley (barley malt)
- Bulgur
- Couscous
- Dextrin – questionable ingredient unless non-wheat source is identified, such as “Tapioca Dextrin” or “Corn Dextrin” or if the company has certified gluten free on the package
- Spelt
- Kamut
- Semolina
- Triticale
- Einkorn
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Soy sauce if wheat is listed as an ingredient
- Malt extract, malt flavoring, malt syrup, malt flour, malt vinegar
*Ironically maltodextrin is safe unless it lists wheat as a source, ie. “Maltodextrin (wheat)”
Grains & Ingredients that are Safe:
- Rice
- Corn
- Millet
- Teff
- Sorghum
- Wild Rice
- Buckwheat (despite the name!)
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Caramel color
- Dextrose *Note that this is usually made from corn in the US, so unless the product identifies a wheat source as they are required to do in the US, it is likely a gluten free ingredient.
- Hydrolyzed soy protein
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (as long as wheat is not indicated as a source)
- Malic Acid
- Maltodextrin (as long as wheat is not indicated as a source)
- Modified food starch (as long as wheat is not indicated as a source)
- Mono- and diglycerides
- Starch (it’s just cornstarch)
- Vinegar
- Yeast
Also, please see my previous blog regarding oats to see if it is safe or not for you!
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