Sources of Gluten - Celiac Disease Foundation
The following grains and
their derivatives are sources of gluten:
·
Wheat
·
Varieties and derivatives of wheat such as:
o
wheatberries
o
durum
o
emmer
o
semolina
o
spelt
o
farina
o
farro
o
graham
o
KAMUT® khorasan wheat
o
einkorn wheat
·
Rye
·
Barley
·
Triticale
·
Malt in
various forms including: malted barley flour, malted milk or milkshakes, malt
extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring, malt vinegar
·
Brewer’s Yeast
·
Wheat Starch that
has not been processed to remove the presence of gluten to below 20ppm and
adhere to the FDA Labeling Law*
There
are many food items that may contain these sources of gluten, often in hidden
or unexpected ways. Always read the labels of any food
products you are buying if gluten-free is not specified on the label. See our Label
Reading tips to learn more about what to watch out for.
Products
labeled wheat-free are not necessarily gluten-free. They
may still contain spelt (a form of wheat), rye, or barley-based ingredients
that are not gluten-free (GF). To confirm if something is gluten-free, be sure
to refer to the product’s ingredient list.
*According
to the FDA, if a food contains wheat starch, it may only be labeled gluten-free
if that product has been processed to remove gluten, and tests to below 20
parts per million of gluten. With the enactment of this law on August 5th, 2014,
individuals with celiac disease or gluten intolerance can be assured that a
food containing wheat starch and labeled gluten-free contains no more than
20ppm of gluten. If a product labeled gluten-free contains wheat starch in the
ingredient list, it must be followed by an asterisk explaining that the wheat
has been processed sufficiently to adhere to the FDA requirements for
gluten-free labeling.
Common foods that contain
gluten:
·
Pastas:
o
raviolis, dumplings, couscous, and gnocchi
·
Noodles:
o
ramen, udon, soba (those made with only a percentage of buckwheat
flour) chow mein, and egg noodles. (Note: rice noodles and mung bean
noodles are gluten free)
·
Breads and Pastries:
o
croissants, pita, naan, bagels, flatbreads, cornbread, potato
bread, muffins, donuts, rolls
·
Crackers:
o
pretzels, goldfish, graham crackers
·
Baked Goods:
o
cakes, cookies, pie crusts, brownies
·
Cereal & Granola:
o
corn flakes and rice
puffs often contain malt extract/flavoring, granola often made with
regular oats, not gluten-free oats
·
Breakfast Foods:
o
pancakes, waffles, french toast, crepes, and biscuits.
·
Breading & Coating
Mixes:
o
panko breadcrumbs
·
Croutons:
o
stuffings, dressings
·
Sauces & Gravies (many
use wheat flour as a thickener)
o
traditional soy sauce, cream sauces made with a roux
·
Flour tortillas
·
Beer (unless
explicitly gluten-free) and any malt beverages (see “Distilled
Beverages and Vinegars” below for more information on alcoholic beverages)
·
Brewer’s Yeast
·
Anything else that uses “wheat flour” as an ingredient
Foods that may contain
gluten (must be verified):
·
Energy bars/granola bars –
some bars may contain wheat as an ingredient, and most use oats that are not
gluten-free
·
French fries –
be careful of batter containing wheat flour or cross-contamination from fryers
·
Potato chips – some
potato chip seasonings may contain malt vinegar or wheat starch
·
Processed lunch meats
·
Candy and
candy bars
·
Soup –
pay special attention to cream-based soups, which have flour as a thickener.
Many soups also contain barley
·
Multi-grain or “artisan”
tortilla chips or tortillas that are not entirely
corn-based may contain a wheat-based ingredient
·
Salad dressings and
marinades – may contain malt vinegar, soy sauce, flour
·
Starch or dextrin if
found on a meat or poultry product could be from any grain, including wheat
·
Brown rice syrup –
may be made with barley enzymes
·
Meat substitutes made
with seitan (wheat gluten) such as vegetarian burgers, vegetarian sausage,
imitation bacon, imitation seafood (Note: tofu is gluten-free, but be cautious
of soy sauce marinades and cross-contamination when eating out, especially when
the tofu is fried)
·
Soy sauce (though
tamari made without wheat is gluten-free)
·
Self-basting poultry
·
Pre-seasoned meats
·
Cheesecake filling – some
recipes include wheat flour
·
Eggs served at restaurants –
some restaurants put pancake batter in their scrambled eggs and omelets, but on
their own, eggs are naturally gluten-free
Distilled beverages and
vinegars
Most distilled alcoholic
beverages and vinegars are gluten-free. These distilled products do not
contain any harmful gluten peptides even if they are made from
gluten-containing grains. Research indicates that the gluten peptide is too
large to carry over in the distillation process, leaving the resulting liquid
gluten-free.
Wines
and hard liquor/distilled beverages are gluten-free. However, beers, ales,
lagers, malt beverages and malt vinegars that are made from gluten-containing
grains are not distilled and therefore are not gluten-free. There are
several brands of gluten-free beers available in the United States and abroad.
Other items that must be
verified:
·
lipstick, lipgloss,
and lip balm because they are unintentionally ingested
·
communion wafers
·
herbal or nutritional
supplements
·
play-dough:
children may touch their mouths or eat after handling wheat-based play-dough.
For a safer alternative, make homemade play-dough with gluten-free flour.
Cross-Contact
When
preparing gluten-free foods, it is important to avoid cross-contact.
Cross-contact occurs when foods or ingredients come into contact with gluten,
generally through shared utensils or a shared cooking/storage environment. In
order for food to be safe for someone with celiac disease, it must not
come into contact with food containing gluten.
Places where
cross-contact can occur:
·
toasters used for
both gluten-free and regular bread
·
flour sifters
·
deep fried foods cooked in oil shared with breaded
products
·
shared containers including
improperly washed containers
·
condiments such as
butter, peanut butter, jam, mustard, and mayonnaise may become contaminated
when utensils used on gluten-containing food are double-dipped
·
wheat flour can stay airborne for
many hours in a bakery (or at home) and contaminate exposed preparation surfaces
and utensils or uncovered gluten-free products
·
oats – cross-contact
can occur in the field when oats are grown side-by-side with wheat, select
only oats specifically labeled gluten-free)
·
pizza – pizzerias
that offer gluten-free crusts sometimes do not control for cross-contamination
with their wheat-based doughs
·
French fries
·
non-certified baked goods e.g.
“gluten-free” goods from otherwise gluten-containing bakeries
·
bulk bins at
grocery stores or co-ops
Easily contaminated
foods:
·
oats (look for
oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free)
·
pizza (pizzerias
that offer gluten-free crusts sometimes do not control for cross-contamination
with their wheat-based doughs)
·
French fries
·
non-certified baked goods (e.g.
“gluten-free” goods from otherwise gluten-containing bakeries)
If In Doubt, Go Without!
