Dr. Barry Sears authored the New York Times' Best Seller "The Zone," which explains his research and what has come to be known as The Zone Diet. The Zone Diet has its own brand of bars but another company, ZonePerfect, also manufactures nutritional bars in line with the dietetic philosophies of The Zone. Zone bars are not marketed specifically as "gluten-free" but several of the ZonePerfect bars are free of glutenous ingredients and may be suitable for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease.
What is Gluten and Celiac Disease?
The term gluten refers to proteins that occur naturally in grains, which are used commonly to make baked products more chewy, give them more flavor, help baked goods stick together and to help dough rise. Most people can eat products with gluten, but for people with celiac disease, the reactions to gluten can be serious. The U. S. Food and Drug Administration says that approximately 1 percent of the population in the U.S. may be affected by celiac disease. People with celiac disease, or gluten intolerance, may have no symptoms or may have abdominal and stomach pain in addition to dental and bone disorders such as osteoporosis, neuropathic problems such as tingling in the legs and feet, muscle and joint pains and anemia. Due to these health problems triggered by gluten, the FDA recognizes a need to label all foods with gluten to protect consumers with these allergies.
"Gluten-free" Labeling
According to the FDA, food must meet certain guidelines to be labeled "gluten-free." Foods must not contain wheat, barley, rye or any hybrid with those grains if they are to meet the FDA's definition of gluten-free. Exceptions are wheat, rye and barley products which have had the gluten removed, such as gluten-free wheat flour. Additionally, wheat is considered a serious allergen thus all food products being sold which contain wheat must say so on the label, according to the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004.
Glutenous and Gluten-free Zone Bars
The Zone Diet official website offers five flavors of nutritional bars: Chocolate Fudge, Cocoa Crisp, Iced Oatmeal Raisin, Roasted Peanut and Sweet and Salty Nut. All of these bars contain wheat and barley thus contain gluten. Nougat Zone bars come in seven flavors, all of which also contain wheat and are not gluten-free.
ZonePerfect also sells Zone bars. They sell 20 different varieties of ZonePerfect bars and some of them have glutenous ingredients. All of the ZonePerfect bars warn that the products were made in a facility that manufactures products with wheat ingredients, but according to the FDA guidelines, some of the ZonePerfect bars can still be labeled "gluten-free." It is important to note, however, that even trace amounts of gluten can cause symptoms in sensitive people, so use caution when considering products that may come into contact with wheat during manufacturing.
Gluten-free ZonePerfect Bars
Approximately one-third of all ZonePerfect bars contain no wheat or other glutenous products and meet the FDA guidelines for "gluten-free." The gluten-free flavors are Chocolate Coconut Crunch, Chocolate Almond Raisin, Chocolate Caramel Cluster, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Fudge Graham, Blueberry and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. The ZonePerfect bars in Dark Chocolate Caramel Pecan and Double Dark Chocolate flavors contain maltodextrin which could come from barley, thus it is best to avoid these flavors if gluten intolerant. The Cinnamon Roll Bar contains malt which also could come from barley and should be avoided. The following ZonePerfect bars contain wheat, rye or barley and do not qualify as non-glutenous: Chocolate Mint, Strawberry Yogurt, Dark Chocolate Almond, Dark Chocolate Cookies N' Creme, Dark Chocolate Strawberry, Peanut Butter Cookie Dough, Cashew Pretzel and Trail Mix. Always check labels, however, before selecting a ZonePerfect Bar.
