Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are . . . Avoiding Hidden Gluten

It’s no secret that living the gluten free lifestyle takes a fair amount of research and a huge amount of diligence. If you’re new on the learning curve, don’t get overwhelmed – it does become second nature after a while. The payoff is big for you or your gluten free family member and I speak from experience, it will definitely get easier. Here are 4 tips for successfully avoiding hidden gluten at the grocery store.

1. Identify your allergy/intolerance/sensitivity

Know the foods that trigger a reaction and study the names they may hide under. Many ingredients go by multiple names, so if you think you may forget all the things you are looking for, bring a list to the store until you feel confident that you’ve got it. There is conflicting information on some gluten ingredients, so do your homework. You can purchase a listing of known gluten free brands as a reference in the form of an iphone app, or in book form (I have Cecilia’s Gluten Free Shopping Guide, by Matison and Matison.)

Speaking of lists – there is a list of hidden gluten at the bottom of the page that requires a disclaimer. I’ve heard that companies must list the source of their maltodextrin and that in the US it is usually corn based. I have found, however that they don’t all know that. I had an experience where the company did not list the source, so I assumed it was not wheat based. It turned out to indeed be wheat based after some investigation of the product and after my son got sick. If some manufacturer lists it, I’m going to avoid it unless they specify that it is NOT wheat based.

2. Read, read, and read again.

Even if you’ve purchased a product dozens of times, check the label each time. Companies frequently change their formulas in order to save money, switch suppliers, or improve lagging sales.

I made my grandmother’s butter cookies for many, many years using her secret ingredient – not butter, but Blue Bonnet Margarine. One time, they flopped. The consistency and flavor were all wrong. Sure enough, the product formula had been altered and it slipped right by me until the result was poor and required some investigation. If that product had been one I was depending on for avoiding ingredients that were dangerous to me or one of my family members, we could have been in real trouble.

3. If needed, contact the manufacturer.

If you’ve gone to the store armed with knowledge of what you’re avoiding, you’ve read the label, and you still can’t figure out if a product is safe, call the manufacturer. Almost all websites list a customer service email or phone number and companies are happy to talk to you about their ingredients and processes.

Just because a product doesn’t say its gluten free in big bold letters on the front, doesn’t mean its not. Many products are naturally gluten free and aren’t necessarily going to call your attention to it. By the same token, I’ve spoken to companies who use a lot of legal jargon to refuse verifying that something is absolutely gluten free even though it is because they are afraid of being sued if you happen to get sick. That happened today with an email response from a household product company. They actually said they will not say if any of their products are gluten free because it is the customer’s responsibility to check. That doesn’t mean none of their products are GF. Just try to wade through the conversation or email and separate out the real story from the legal jargon. If in doubt, proceed to step 4.

4. When in doubt, leave it out!

If your reaction to the foods you are trying to avoid is fairly mild, you may be up for a bite for experimentation’s sake when you are unsure, but for the majority of gluten free folks or those with other allergies and sensitivities, it’s just not worth it!

Are Oats Safe on a GF diet?

There is often confusion among the newly gluten free about oats. Oats can be difficult to digest, but do they contain gluten? It is likely that oats processed on the same equipment with wheat are contaminated, but oats in and of themselves have been found safe by the American Dietetic Association to be safe for Celiac patients and others who are on gluten free diets – assuming they are labeled gluten free and processed in a plant without wheat. Do your homework. (Bob’s Red Mill and a few others sell gluten free oats)

Hidden Gluten Sources

Obviously on a gluten free diet, the main grains to avoid are wheat, barley and rye, and anything derived from those 3 grains. (I saw a video the other day that recommended avoiding all grains on a GF diet, but unless you or your doctor decide otherwise, just avoiding those 3 is usually enough to make most people feel well.)

DISCLAIMER: Anything that contains the following ingredients MAY have gluten. Call the manufacturer or skip it. I’ve come up with this list from different sources, some being manufacturers themselves. I am not a chemist, just a consumer like you, and I hope this is helpful.

Here are some ingredients that MAY have gluten. Some manufacturers will clarify the source of the ingredient if it is not specified on the label.

• Avena Sativa (Oat) Kernel Flour
• Barley extract
• Caramel Color (can come from wheat)
• Cyclodextrin
• Dextrin
• Dextrin Palmitate
• Emulsifier
• Fermented grain extract
• Flavoring
• Flour or Cereal products (unless made with only flours that don’t contain wheat, barley or rye)
• Hydrolyzed Malt Extract
• Hydrolyzed Oat Flour
• Hydrolyzed Plant Protein
• Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, unless its source is corn or soy
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Flour
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein/PVP Crosspolymer
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
• Malt or Malt flavoring, unless its source is corn
• Maltodextrin (See #1 in the list at the top of the article)
• Modified Starch or Modified Food Starch, unless arrowroot, corn, potato, tapioca, waxy maize, or maize is used
• Monosodium Glutimate (can come from wheat)
• Phytosphingosine extract
• Samino peptide complex
• Secale Cereale (Rye) Seed Flour
• Sodium C8-16 Isoalkylsuccinyl
• Soy Sauce or Soy Sauce Solids, unless you know they do not contain wheat
• Stablizer
• Starch
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Gluten
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Starch
• Vitamin E (source can be wheat germ – clarify with manufacturer)
• Wheat Amino Acids
• Wheat Germ Glycerides
• Wheat Germamidopropalkonium Chloride
• Wheat Protein Sulfonate
• Wheatgermamidopropyl Ethyldimonium Ethosulfate
• Yeast Extract

Don’t let this list scare you! There are many, many safe products you can enjoy if you are armed with this basic information!