What is Gluten In?

 

So now we will tackle What is Gluten In?   But bear with me and I will share with you the most comprehensive understanding of where you will find gluten and how to find gluten that I know of and if you have questions check out my Helpful & Trusted Resources.

If you or someone in your family has been diagnosed with celiac disease, you probably already know you’ve got your work cut out for you. Perhaps you have started memorizing the foods that contain gluten, and you probably have become schooled in reading food labels. You may have started cleaning out your pantry and refrigerator and feel well on your way to becoming gluten-free.

However, like most dietary restrictions, the initial work yields excellent results but the long-term commitment finds us falling back into complacency.

That’s why we must be vigilant. We must search out gluten that may be hidden in food products – under the radar, if you will. Let’s take a look at some of the questionable food products that should be examined for lurking gluten.

What Gluten is In:

Grains

The avoidance of wheat, barley, and rye is obvious, but what about oats? Even though oats don’t contain gluten, they are often processed with wheat products. Most gluten-free Celiac folks will avoid oats for that reason. However, you may find specially processed oat products that are guaranteed to be from a gluten free kitchen.  That is what  you  look for, products will state right on the package: This Product Is Produced In A Gluten Free Facility.     You may also find products that state something like: Manufactured in a facility that uses tree nuts and soy and this product would be just fine so long as you are not allergic to tree nuts or soy.

The trick now is to recognize foods that you wouldn’t guess grains have been added to, but they have. Just consider the number of restaurants that add wheat flour to their eggs to make an omelet fluffier. If you’re buying prepared foods such as breakfast burritos, for instance, you may think because it’s a corn tortilla that it is safe. Read the label or ASK! Those burritos may include wheat or other gluten to solidify or fluff up the ingredients. You may also find prepackaged frozen hash browns are coated in wheat flour to keep them from sticking. And, surprisingly, the same may go for shredded cheese.

Here is a basic list of safe and toxic starches for Gluten-Free Replacement choices.

SAFE Grains:  Available as flours, grains as well as in pastas, baked goods, crackers and snack choices

• Amaranth

• Arrowroot

• Buckwheat (purchase only buckwheat labeled gluten-free)

• Cassava

• Coconut

• Corn

• Corn grits

• Cornmeal (preferably whole grain, enriched cornmeal)

• Cornstarch

• Flax

• Legumes

• Mesquite

• Millet

• Montina (Indian rice grass)

• Nuts

• Oats (purchase only oats labeled gluten-free; see section on oats)

• Popcorn

• Potato (preferably sweet potato)

• Quinoa

• Rice (preferably enriched white rice, whole grain brown rice or wild rice)

• Sorghum

• Soy

• Tapioca

• Teff

• Yam

• Yucca

Toxic Grains:

• Wheat (all forms including kamut, semolina, spelt, triticale)

• Contaminated Oats

• Rye

• Barley (including malt)

Proteins

Now, this should be totally gluten-free, right? Not necessarily. Most processed meats (hotdogs, sausage, luncheon meats) contain grain as a filler. That Thanksgiving turkey with the self-basting buttery sauce most likely contains a thickener such as wheat or other grains. I even found a chicken that was injected with gluten!  NOW why on earth?   So READ labels.  Even imitation seafood like the ‘krabstick’ you see in sushi contains a binder made from wheat or other grains. Any marinated meat is suspect because marinades typically include soy sauce for flavor, or an emulsifier.

Any protein (meat, fish, and poultry) that is packaged with a coating should be investigated before eating. Some are obviously coated with a breading, while others are lightly coated with seasoning which can also contain gluten. As mentioned, shredded cheese is often coated with flour to prevent clumping. Roquefort and Bleu cheese may contain bread mold in the processing.

Vegan Protein are loaded with wheat!   So if you want a meat substitute there are very few companies that make them.   I will be listing Gluten Free products and Companies in another post.

Produce

You can trust fresh fruits and vegetables to be gluten-free. But if you buy canned or frozen produce, you’ll need to be vigilant. Most will have some sort of preservative and/or thickener that contains gluten.

Beverages

Any milk with flavoring is immediately suspect. Instant coffee, instant tea, or any flavorings to be added to your coffee or tea most likely will have some gluten added. Stay away from the flavoring syrups for coffee, both at home and at a coffee shop. Beer, root beer, and even wine coolers are not normally gluten-free.

Starbucks hot cocoa mix is gluten free, however it is manufactured in a company that produces gluten products.  So if I were celiac I would not be able to drink this mix.   Since I am only Gluten Intolerant, I allow myself this one possibly cross contaminated product.

Condiments Etc.

All those bottles and boxes that aren’t an actual food group are in this category. Every seasoning combination, blended dressing, flavored sauce, and marinade must be investigated. Soy sauce, teriyaki, balsamic vinegar, salad dressing, marinade, dips, grill seasonings, bouillon cubes, and even candy have hidden gluten sources.

Ketchup, mayonnaise, and some mustard have added gluten for emulsifying, stabilizing, and thickening. Dry seasoning blends often have added ingredients to keep the blend from getting sticky, and these ingredients are often gluten. Creamy sauces need emulsifiers to hold together, and these emulsifiers are often gluten. Remember, gluten is used to bind – or glue – ingredients together. That’s why you find it in blends of ingredients, dry or wet.

Outside the Kitchen

Think about the items you use daily. Many of them are blended. Your favorite lipstick or lip balm needs something to hold it together, and that something is often gluten. Toothpaste and even vitamins need a binder. If it’s blended and needs to be ‘glued’ together, it may include gluten.

With a gluten-free diet, especially for someone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there is no room for complacency. The danger is that ingesting gluten can cause not only discomfort, but also serious pain and damage to the small intestine. Spend time looking for lurking gluten in your kitchen, and throughout the house, and you’ll be happy you did.

Medications

Medications are another area you must be careful with because there are some on the market that contain gluten.  Certain vitamins contain wheat and not many people think about looking at the label for gluten. You ingest these medications and vitamins so it’s important to watch the label and only purchase ones that are gluten-free.

If you have more questions regarding  Gluten…you can check my post Helpful & Trusted Resources.

We will look at Tips for Gluten Free Shopping on our next post, stay tuned!