The Hidden Sources of Gluten
Like a lot of foods, wheat has several varieties, each with its own name (just like apples come in Granny Smith, Fuji, etc). Various wheat products may have their own names as well. Learning all of these is an important step for anyone who's attempting a gluten-free life!
Like a lot of foods, wheat has several varieties, each with its own name (just like apples come in Granny Smith, Fuji, etc). Various wheat products may have their own names as well.
Here are some of the more common wheat varieties and products:
- Bulgur: which is a mix of several types of wheat
- Durum: a type of wheat commonly used in pasta
- Semolina: another name for the flour made from Durum wheat
- Farina: a wheat cereal commonly made from semolina flour
- Spelt: one of the earlier cultivars of wheat
- Dinkel wheat: another name for spelt
- Emmer: A group of wheat varieties often used to make farro
- Farro: a mix of three types of emmer
- Einkorn: a variety of wheat native to Turkey and the Middle East
- Kamut: a variety of Middle Eastern wheat
- Triticale: actually a wheat/rye hybrid
- Graham: a type of whole wheat flour
- Bran: a part of the wheat kernel that’s been removed for consumption
- High Protein Flour: the protein that they are referring to is added gluten
- Matzo: made from wheat flour
- Seitan: food made from gluten that has been refined out of wheat flour
- Fu: dried gluten
- Atta: chapati flour
Keeping an eye out for these ingredients is a good start, but that’s not all. Some ingredients are derived from wheat, rye, or barley and can still have enough gluten in them to cause symptoms in sensitive individuals. Look for the following items on your food label and avoid those foods if you are maintaining a gluten free diet:
- Malt, malt flavoring, malt extract (comes from barley)
- Malt vinegar
- Beer
- Brewer’s yeast
- Dextrin
- Malodextrin
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- Soy sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
Taking just a few extra minutes at the grocery store can make the difference between food that makes you feel good and food that makes you (or your gluten sensitive child) feel ill. And remember - if you get tired of reading all those labels, you can always reach for more whole fruit and vegetables, which are guaranteed gluten-free.
Here are some of the more common wheat varieties and products:
- Bulgur: which is a mix of several types of wheat
- Durum: a type of wheat commonly used in pasta
- Semolina: another name for the flour made from Durum wheat
- Farina: a wheat cereal commonly made from semolina flour
- Spelt: one of the earlier cultivars of wheat
- Dinkel wheat: another name for spelt
- Emmer: A group of wheat varieties often used to make farro
- Farro: a mix of three types of emmer
- Einkorn: a variety of wheat native to Turkey and the Middle East
- Kamut: a variety of Middle Eastern wheat
- Triticale: actually a wheat/rye hybrid
- Graham: a type of whole wheat flour
- Bran: a part of the wheat kernel that’s been removed for consumption
- High Protein Flour: the protein that they are referring to is added gluten
- Matzo: made from wheat flour
- Seitan: food made from gluten that has been refined out of wheat flour
- Fu: dried gluten
- Atta: chapati flour
Keeping an eye out for these ingredients is a good start, but that’s not all. Some ingredients are derived from wheat, rye, or barley and can still have enough gluten in them to cause symptoms in sensitive individuals. Look for the following items on your food label and avoid those foods if you are maintaining a gluten free diet:
- Malt, malt flavoring, malt extract (comes from barley)
- Malt vinegar
- Beer
- Brewer’s yeast
- Dextrin
- Malodextrin
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
- Soy sauce
- Teriyaki sauce
Taking just a few extra minutes at the grocery store can make the difference between food that makes you feel good and food that makes you (or your gluten sensitive child) feel ill. And remember - if you get tired of reading all those labels, you can always reach for more whole fruit and vegetables, which are guaranteed gluten-free.
