One in every seven people has a problem digesting gluten. Gluten is a protein that is found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt and millet. For this reason, if products are labeled as “Gluten-Free”, they will not contain any wheat. For the purposes of this article, “gluten-free” ingredients are the goal, as they will assist the greatest number of people.
If a product is labeled “wheat-free”, this means it is safe for those with wheat allergies, but that it most likely contains other gluten ingredients. One example of this is the Oreo-like product Newman’s Own Organics “Wheat-free, Dairy-free Newman-O’s” , which is a product made primarily from barley flour. Individuals with no problem with gluten ingredients, but with wheat sensitivity should definitely check out these treats! They wouldn’t fool someone who eats Oreos daily, but they are quite delicious.
Pure “Wheat” and “Gluten” Ingredients
Naturally, the words wheat, rye, barley, oats (or oatmeal), spelt and millet should be red flags for anyone skimming an ingredients list for gluten. This includes partial terms such as “hydrolyzed wheat protein”, “sprouted wheat”, or “barley malt”.
It is important to note - oats and millet are both gluten-free grains, but they are often processed on contaminated machinery. Be sure the oats and millet are marked gluten-free, and avoid them when they are in ingredients lists that are not specifically gluten-free.
Likewise, some ingredients don’t name the source of the protein, but rather just the protein itself. Take it seriously if the ingredients include words like “high-gluten flour, ”vital gluten”, or ”wheat gluten”.
Slightly less obvious are the words that refer to the specific kind of grain or wheat. Wheat can be “bulgar”, “durum”, “farina”, “macha”, “matzo or matza”, “kamut”, “graham”, or “semolina”. The scientific name that refers to wheat is “triticum”.
In foreign foods, “semolina”, “seitan”, “Fu”, “udon”, “couscous”, and “tabbouleh” are all gluten-containing grains.
When Ingredients Lists Aren't Specific Enough
Food manufacturers are listing ingredients in increasing detail, but sometimes they will simplify their nutrition facts with general terms (which contain a number of ingredients themselves).
These generalized terms which should also be avoided include:
- Malt/Malted milk/malt extract/malt syrup
- Soy sauce/Teriyaki sauce
- Flour
- Beer (most contain barley or wheat)
- Bran
- Germ
- Orzo (pasta)
- Cookie crumbs/cookie dough
- Bread crumbs
- Gravy
- Seafood analogs (imitation crab contains wheat)
- Bouillon or broth
Extracts (including vanillin extracts) can also use grain alcohol in preparation. Those with a higher degree of sensitivity will also need to avoid these as well.
"Vegetable Protein" and Other Mysteries
Ingredients including "hydrolyzed vegetable protein" (HVP) and "textured vegetable protein" generally contain either a form of gluten or soy, or a combination of the two plant proteins.
Similar mysterious ingredients that frequently (if not always) include gluten are: hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), isolated vegetable protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, vegetable protein, modified food starch, food starch, dextrin, maltodextrin, emulsifiers, flavouring. Celiac.com has a very detailed list.
"Caramel Color" can also Indicate Gluten
Caramel coloring can be made from the heat treatment of one of any number of food-grade carbohydrates. This ranges from molasses or corn sugar to barley malt syrup or wheat starch.
This includes other related ingredients such as “artificial color”, “caramel flavoring", “clarifying agents”, or “coloring”.
When in doubt, always contact the manufacturer with your questions and concerns. Hopefully, many of the mysterious ingredients will be brought to light as the FDA food labelling requirements become more robust!
Alicia King - Alicia King has been writing for Suite 101 since June of 2007. For over a year, she was the Featured Writer for the Suite section about ...
