Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. Many foods, including some candy bars, contain gluten. While most people can eat food with gluten, those with a digestive condition called celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten and must eat a gluten-free diet to avoid causing damage to the intestinal tract. Fortunately for sufferers of this condition, most popular candy bars are gluten-free.
Gluten-Free Candy Bars
According to the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), the following candy bars are gluten-free, as of October 2010: Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars, Regular and with Almonds; Almond Joy; Mr. Goodbar; Pay Day; Baby Ruth; Reese's; Snickers; 3 Musketeers, Regular and Mint; Milky Way Midnight Bar; Dove Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter; Butterfinger, excluding Butterfinger Crisp; and York Peppermint Patties. Besides these candy bars, some popular candies which are gluten-free include: Starburst; Skittles; M&Ms, Plain and Peanut; Lifesavers; Hershey Kisses; Tootsie Pops; Tootsie Rolls; Milk Duds; Junior Mints; Nestlé Raisinets; and Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, among others.
Other Gluten-Free Treats
Some other gluten-free sweets that can be enjoyed by people with celiac disease include gluten-free ice cream -- Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins and several other major ice cream companies offer gluten-free ice cream products -- as well as gluten-free cupcakes and cookies. Additionally, tapioca puddings, JellO-brand gelatin and pudding snacks, Sunkist Fruit Rolls and Welch's Fruit Snacks are sweet snacks you can add to your child's lunchbox if he cannot eat gluten. The healthiest gluten-free "treat" food is fresh fruit.
Sweets with Gluten
While there are numerous gluten-free treat options for people with celiac disease, many sweets contain gluten. Unless they are labeled "gluten-free," cakes, cookies, ice cream and doughnuts should be avoided by people with celiac disease, as these are likely to contain gluten. Although many candies don't contain gluten, people with celiac disease and parents of children with celiac disease should avoid buying candy unless it is labeled as "gluten free," since certain candies contain gluten. For example, according to R.O.C.K., or Raising Our Celiac Kids, a support group for parents of children with celiac disease, Twizzlers candies contain gluten.
Considerations
According to NFCA, the gluten-free status of any candy is subject to change, as manufacturers are not required to provide notice of ingredient or manufacturing process changes. Therefore, if you or your child has celiac disease, always check the ingredients and/or check with the manufacturer each time you purchase a candy bar product. Another thing to be aware of is that many people with celiac disease also have lactose intolerance. If you have celiac disease with lactose intolerance, you will need to avoid certain candy bars, including candy made with milk chocolate, even if the candy is gluten-free.
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