While trying to keep gluten out of your diet and life, you don't need to risk your health by purchasing a product with "hidden" gluten. Labeling regulations have tightened in recent years with respect to listing present allergens; however, some manufacturers might be unaware of the different forms of gluten.
Some people might wonder about the effects of gluten on sensitive individuals or those with full-blown celiac disease. A listing of symptoms reveals both painful conditions and those that frequently go un- or misdiagnosed. The severity of the symptoms makes it all the more important to know how to identify hidden gluten.
Be on the lookout for the following ingredients and some of the most common items containing them. Often, and depending upon how sensitive an individual is, these ingredients contain gluten, are derived from gluten, or could cause a reaction.
Artificial Colors and Flavors
Artificial colors are commonly found in candy, while artificial flavors show up in many things from cookies to processed boxed food.
Vinegar or White Vinegar
Listed like this, what you are buying is distilled grain vinegar. Instead, look for the words “apple cider vinegar” or “cider vinegar”. Balsamic vinegar and red wine vinegar are gluten-free, too. Distilled grain vinegar is mostly an ingredient in condiments from mayonnaise to ketchup and salad dressings.
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
MSG is found as a preservative or flavoring in frozen dinners, processed foods or Asian food.
Modified Food Starch
This is found as a thickener in many items like canned soups, boxed mashed potato flakes, and vegetarian meat products like veggie hot dogs. Sometimes listed as just “starch”, this is still an ingredient to stay away from. More often than not, “starch” is in fact modified food starch. Modified corn starch, on the other hand, is safe for most people intolerant to gluten.
Dextrose
Often found in cookies, dextrose can also take the form of polydextrose or monodextrose.
Spelt
Spelt is an ancient form of wheat. Some people might not react to spelt like they would to other forms of gluten, but technically, spelt is a gluten product. Spelt is usually a substitute for wheat and wheat flour in items like baked goods.
Sprouted Grain
Most likely, sprouted grains are OK for gluten-free people to consume, but it’s just as possible to cause a reaction in some people, too. Sprouted grains can be found in baked goods or deli-type salads.
Don’t believe a label reading “gluten-free” if you see any of these ingredients. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer. Some of them will respond that they have done a series of tests on the product in question and can assure you of the gluten-free status. In that case, a gluten-sensitive person will have to make a decision to trust the manufacturer, or to not take a chance at becoming sick and not buy the product.
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