Gluten has long been recognized for posing a problem for people with celiac disease; public awareness of the many faces of gluten intolerance has gradually been increasing. It is becoming more commonly accepted that a sensitivity to gluten can be a contributing factor in some skin, neurological and autoimmune diseases, not to mention digestive disorders. Whatever the manifestation of the sensitivity, people who cannot tolerate gluten must avoid a few specific grains and the many foods that contain them.
Wheat
Wheat is on the top of the list of gluten-containing grains. It is by far the most prevalent grain in the North American diet and therefore perhaps the most difficult to avoid for those with gluten intolerance. Unless otherwise specified, baked goods, including breads, packaged brownies, cakes, cookies, doughnuts and pie crusts, contain wheat. If "flour" is listed as an ingredient, it means wheat flour, even if the item in question is not a whole-wheat item. Any other type of flour will be listed by name (i.e., oat flour, barley flour). Other common foods containing wheat include baking mixes, pasta (semolina is a type of wheat), couscous, cereals, crackers and some candies. Wheat flour is commonly used as a thickening agent in commercial food production, so it is wise to check foods you might not expect to contain flour, such as condensed soups, gravy mixes, sauces (including soy sauce) and some frozen foods, to ensure that they are gluten-free.
Barley
A few other gluten-containing grains must be avoided by the gluten-sensitive; barley is one of them. While far less common than wheat flour, barley flour may be an ingredient in some commercially baked products. If a food is wheat-free, that doesn't necessarily mean that it is gluten-free. One particular brand of natural foods replaces wheat flour with barley flour in its cookies and advertises them as "wheat-free"--while the claim is true, it does not mean that they are safe for the gluten-intolerant.
Oats
Oats do not inherently contain gluten; they do, however, tend to be rotated on land that also grows wheat. In addition, oats are processed on machinery that also processes wheat. Therefore, oats and oat products have been found to contain an unacceptable amount of gluten by the time they reach the shelves of the grocery store. Unless an oat product specifies that it is gluten-free, it is not safe for the gluten-sensitive; this includes oats, oatmeal, oat flour, cookies, cereals and other products made with oats.
Other Grains
Some other gluten-containing grains are rye, spelt, kamut and triticale; any flours, pastas or products that include these grains are off-limits to the gluten-intolerant.
Hidden Glutens
A few other, unexpected items on food labels may contain gluten. These include modified food starch (which may be wheat starch), hydrolyzed vegetable protein (which may be derived from wheat), malt products (derived from barley), and dextrin (which may be made from wheat). If there is some doubt about an ingredient or its source, check with the manufacturer.
References
- The Gluten Connection; Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., C.N.S., F.A.C.N.; 2007
- The Gluten-Free Gourmet: Living Well Without Wheat; Bette Hagman; 1990
