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How To Find The Hidden Gluten In Foods
A surprising number of people don't tolerate gluten. Symptoms of this intolerance include problems ranging from gas and indigestion to intestinal bleeding and celiac disease.
The milder symptoms typically show up after eating bread, pasta and anything made from flour. And since gluten also exists in other grains besides wheat, even avoiding these obvious sources may not solve the problem.
Gluten ("glue-ten") is the protein in grains that makes most baked goods stick together and hold their shape. You find it primarily in four grains, easily remembered using the acronym, "BROW," short for barley, rye, oats, and wheat.
Seems easy to spot, doesn't it?
Unfortunately for those who don't tolerate it well, gluten shows up under a variety of other names that aren't nearly as obvious as looking for just the above grains. But don't despair, by reading the ingredients of packages you can discover these hidden sources.
Here are some additional names that indicate the presence of gluten in what you eat. This list is derived from the Celiac Disease Foundation:
- Modified food starch
- Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
- Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
- Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
- Malt and other natural flavorings
- Vegetable-source imitation meats and seafood
- Any other unidentified starch
- Binders, fillers, excipients, extenders
The last item on this list includes those dietary supplements and medications that use binders and fillers to hold them together. That's one reason you sometimes see the statement, "no binders or fillers" on supplement containers.
You should also review the ingredient list of vinegars and alcohols before you use them. For example, malt vinegars, have gluten in them because they are made from grain and they're not distilled.
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