Optimum Nutrition is a subsidiary of the cheese and nutritional ingredients group Glanbia. It offers nutritional products in every category, including protein powders, nutrition bars and vitamin supplements, according to the Optimum Nutrition website. While many of these products are gluten-free, including most of the 100 Percent Gold Standard protein powder flavors, the manufacturing plant is not a gluten-free facility. If you require a gluten-free diet, use caution when considering the 100 Percent Gold Standard Protein powder from Optimum Nutrition.
Gluten
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye and any food products containing these ingredients. Most people can safely consume gluten without any problems. If you have a condition such as celiac disease or gluten-intolerance, however, you need to avoid foods containing gluten to prevent illness. When people with celiac disease or gluten-intolerance consume foods containing gluten, their body's react by attacking and damaging the digestive system, causing malabsorption and malnutrition.
Avoiding Gluten
If you have to follow a gluten-free diet you need to avoid all foods containing wheat, barley and rye. This includes most breads, pasta, crackers and processed foods. Eating even a small amount of gluten is harmful to your digestive system and health. Reading food labels can help you identify foods you need to avoid. It is also important that you avoid foods that may have come in contact with gluten, causing cross-contamination. For example, a toaster used to toast regular wheat bread is considered contaminated with gluten, and a separate toaster should be used to toast your bread.
100 Percent Gold Standard Protein Powder
Optimum Nutrition's 100 Percent Whey Gold Standard is a protein powder containing mostly whey protein isolates. The protein powder is used as a dietary supplement to help build muscle. One rounded scoop of protein powder contains 120 calories, 1 g of fat, 60 mg of sodium, 3 g of carbohydrates and 24 g of protein. The nutrition powder comes in a variety of flavors including Banana Cream, Caramel Toffee Fudge, Chocolate Malt, Cookies and Cream, Delicious Strawberry and Tropical Punch.
Gluten and Protein Powder
Because the protein powder comes in a variety of different flavors, it is important that you check the label and ingredients of each mix to determine if it contains gluten. According to Rebecca Johnsen, the consumer affairs representative from Optimum Nutrition, the only flavor of the protein powder that contains gluten is Cookies and Cream, all other flavors are gluten-free. Though the other protein powders do not have any added gluten, she said the company cannot 100 percent guarantee that they are gluten-free because the same equipment is used to make both the gluten-free and gluten-containing products.
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