List of Foods Containing Gluten

From LoveToKnow Diet

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance, a list of foods containing gluten may be the difference between good health and a lifetime of discomfort.

What Is Gluten

To put it simply, gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye. This seemingly harmless protein triggers an immune response in the small intestine of people with gluten intolerance and those with celiac disease. This means the body creates antibodies to fight the gluten, thinking it is a foreign invader. In the process of fighting the gluten, the antibodies also attack the villi of the small intestines, creating all sorts of gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal symptoms and discomfort. Actual symptoms vary, and some afflicted with celiac disease suffer no symptoms at all, but some signs of celiac include:

Gas
Bloating
Constipation
Diarrhea
Abdominal pain
Unexplained weight loss
Anemia
Distended abdomen
Bone pain
Joint pain
Fatigue
Vitamin deficiencies
Mineral deficiencies
Delayed growth in children
Failure to thrive in infants
Tooth abnormalities
Migraines

It's important to note that the intestines are being damaged even without noticeable symptoms, and that's why it's critical for those with gluten intolerance or celiac disease to avoid all foods on the list of foods containing gluten.

Free List of Foods Containing Gluten

Recognizing the grains that contain gluten is the easy part. Wheat, barley, and rye are all off-limits. Experts in the United States feel that oats should also be forbidden due to dangers of cross-contamination. That means that the following items are usually sources of gluten (the exception would be specially-made gluten-free versions):

Bagels
Biscuits
Bread
Bread crumbs
Breaded fish
Breaded meats or poultry
Bread pudding
Cake
Cereal
Chicken nuggets
Croissants
Cookies
Crackers
Croutons
Doughnuts
Dumplings
Flour
Flour tortillas
Fried vegetables
Graham crackers
Hamburger buns
Hotdog buns
Ice cream cones
Macaroni
Melba toast
Muffins
Noodles
Pancakes
Pasta
Pastries
Pie crusts
Pizza crust
Pretzels
Rolls
Spaghetti
Stuffing
Tabbouleh
Waffles

Foods You Wouldn't Expect to Have Gluten

You probably weren't surprised to learn that cakes, cookies, and all the other floury snacks contain gluten. After all, they're made primarily of wheat flour.

The following list, on the other hand, may surprise you. These are foods that usually or often contain gluten. In some cases, wheat is added as a thickener; barley malt is often added as a form of natural flavor. You must read the labels of these items carefully to look for gluten-containing ingredients. Even better, look for products specifically labeled "gluten-free."

Beer
Beverage mixes
Bologna
Candy (many candies are gluten-free, so read labels)
Canned baked beans
Cold cuts
Packaged cereals, even corn cereals
Commercially prepared broth
Commercially prepared chocolate milk
Commercially prepared soup
Custard
Fruit fillings
Gravy
Gum
Hot dogs
Ice cream
Non-dairy creamer
Potato chips
Pudding
Root beer
Syrups
Salad dressing
Soy sauce
Vegetables with commercially prepared sauces

Ingredients with Hidden Gluten

The tricky part is recognizing the hidden gluten. By law, wheat must be clearly identified on labels. If wheat is listed, you know you can't eat the food. Unfortunately, "wheat free" doesn't equate to "gluten-free" and the law doesn't currently require all forms of gluten to be listed. Since barely, rye, oats, and their derivatives are all natural foods, they can sometimes be listed under fairly innocuous sounding names. That's why everyone with celiac diesease or gluten intolerance, including children, must learn to recognize sources of hidden gluten. Study the ingredient list of all prepared foods and avoid those containing:

Barley
Barley grass
Binders
Blue Cheese
Bouillion
Bran
Brewers yeast
Bulgur
Cereal binding
Chilton
Couscous
Durhum
Edible starch
Emulsifiers
Farina
"Fillers"
Hydrolyzed plant protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
Kamut
Kasha
Malt
Malt flavoring
Malt vinegar
Matzo
Modified food starch
Monosodium glutimate (MSG)
"Natural" flavor
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Some spice mixtures
Soy sauce
Spelt
Stabilizer
Suet
Teriyaki sauce
Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
Wheat
Wheat grass
Wheat protein

Although the list of forbidden foods is long, there is a growing abundance of specialty gluten-free foods, including breads, bagels, cake mixes, cookies, and muffins.

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