Celiac disease causes a person to be unable to eat gluten, which is a protein generally found in wheat, rye and barley. These grains are in many foods, requiring you to know which ingredients to watch for. Gluten can also be found in some medications and vitamins. The treatment for celiac disease is maintaining a gluten-free diet. Celiac disease can also be referred to as celiac sprue or gluten intolerance.
Meats
Meat sources of gluten include self-basting poultry, imitation bacon or seafood, luncheon meats, hot dogs, sausage, crab cakes, meatballs, meatloaf and processed or imitation meats. Many of these meat products contain added ingredients or fillers that include wheat gluten. Textured vegetable protein is used in many meat substitutes and that contain wheat as well.
Grains and Starches
Grains that contain gluten include wheat (including wheat bran, wheat germ and wheat starch), rye, barley, bran, bulgur, couscous, durum, einkorn, emmer, farina, faro, graham flour, kamut, matzo flour/meal, orzo, panko, rye, seitan, semolina, spelt, triticale and udon. Oats are questionable as they can be contaminated during the milling and processing. Consult a doctor or nutritionist when determining whether or not to add oats to your gluten-free diet.
Processed Food
Other processed food sources of gluten include bouillon cubes, brown rice syrup, chips, candy, communion wafers, French fries, gravies and sauces, rice mixes, soups and vegetables in sauce. Bread, cereal and pasta are sources that are often made with wheat-containing ingredients. There are specialty products that are made gluten free, many having a rice flour base in place of wheat. Wheat is often used as a thickener in many processed foods.
Questionable Ingredients
There are some ingredients that are questionable as to whether or not they contain gluten. Just because a product is wheat free does not mean it is gluten free. If you are unsure about an ingredient, contact the company to verify whether or not there is gluten in the product. Many companies can be contacted online. These ingredients include blue cheese, brown rice syrup (frequently made from barley), caramel color (sometimes made from barley), dextrin (sometimes derived from wheat), dry roasted nuts, Emergen-C raspberry or mixed berry flavor, malt or malt flavoring (frequently made from barley), malt vinegar, modified food starch, Ricola cough drops, starch and soy sauce. Also beware of hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), vegetable protein, hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), and hydrolyzed soy protein in addition to the textured vegetable protein listed under Meats.
Alcohol
Most alcohols like scotch, rye and vodka are made from glutinous grains, but these products are distilled. Distilling is a process that removes gluten, making these products safe to consume. Beer and lagers contain gluten due to the grains they are made from.
