After transitioning to a gluten-free diet or being diagnosed with celiac disease, you quickly learn which grains contain gluten. However, it’s not as simple as looking for wheat, barley, and rye on food labels. It’s not that food brands are trying to trick you, it’s that wheat, barley, and rye are versatile ingredients. As such, they’re used to create a long list of food products. Let’s dive into the other names for gluten you must learn to avoid digestive discomfort
Do I Have to Read All Food Labels?
Unless a food product is labeled “gluten-free” you must read the label. This will save you from the rapid and extremely uncomfortable side effects of gluten intolerance.
Thankfully, the range of gluten-free options has never been better. You’ll quickly identify go-to brands that are 100% celiac-friendly, or who at least have GF options. However, not all gluten-free products are labeled as such. So, you’ll have to read the ingredients. Even if a product has one ingredient with a tiny bit of gluten, it can trigger your celiac symptoms.
What Are Some Hidden Gluten Ingredients?
Ever eat something you were certain was a safe choice, only to be left in discomfort a few hours later? It likely contained one or more of the ingredients below.
You’re probably aware of at least a few of these ingredients, but there may be some that aren’t on your radar. The list is long, so snap a photo on your smartphone to quickly pull up this list when grocery shopping. Or use an app that scans the barcode of food products to check if they’re safe for you to eat. Gluten Free Scanner is a top option.
Gluten ingredients to avoid include:
- Atta flour
- Barley ingredients
- Brewer’s yeast
- Brown rice syrup
- Bulgar
- Chapati flour
- Durum wheat
- Einkorn
- Emmer
- Farina
- Faro
- Fu
- Graham
- Graham flour
- Hordeum vulgare
- Hydrolyzed wheat protein
- Kamut
- Malt (maltose) extract
- Matzo meal
- Secale cereale
- Semolina
- Semonila
- Spelt
- Triticale
- Triticum spelta
- Triticum vulgare
- Udon
- Wheat berries
- Wheat bran
- Wheat germ
- Wheat starch
Do Restaurants Know These Other Names for Gluten?
The next challenge you face after learning these other names for gluten is dining out in restaurants. With low and zero-carb on the rise, many local chefs and nationwide (and global) restaurant chains have at least a few wheat-free and gluten-free options. Or they can quickly and easily guide you to gluten substitutions. However, some are unaware of the ingredients above.
If a restaurant doesn’t have a dedicated GF menu or the waiter hesitates when you ask and doesn’t double-check, order something you know is safe for you. You can also find GF restaurant menu apps but don’t expect to find your local restaurants in these apps.
Going Gluten-Free Gets Easier!
If you’ve been recently diagnosed with celiac disease, don’t lose heart. The transition period can be overwhelming, but it’s balanced out by how much better you feel! With time you’ll learn new at-home recipes and what new food products to substitute in your current go-to recipes.
Check back to Oh No Gluten soon for more tips on navigating gluten-free living!