Even if you’ve only just dipped your toes into health circles, it would be difficult to have never heard of gluten.
In fact, you only need to step into your local supermarket to see the words 'gluten free' standing out on certain food labels.
To those of us who are uninitiated, it may be hard to know the role that gluten plays in the health of the average population.
Do you have to be gluten intolerant to avoid gluten?
How do you know if you are gluten intolerant, anyway?
These are difficult questions, and they are best answered by a health professional such as a naturopath. In the meantime, stocking up on some basic information about gluten will help you to be better informed.
What is gluten?
Gluten is a natural protein found in certain grains such as wheat (including spelt), rye and barley. Gluten makes up 80 percent of all proteins found in wheat, and is responsible for giving dough its elastic quality.
Gluten has gained a lot of attention in health related fields because a proportion of our population has some sensitivity to it, such as an allergy or intolerance.
What’s the difference between gluten allergy and gluten intolerance?
According the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Allergy Unit in Sydney, an allergy is an immune response to a food protein, whereas intolerance does not involve the immune system at all. Technically, intolerances involve an irritation of nerve endings and can be caused by a large variety of different food components, and this can cause uncomfortable symptoms. True intolerances usually cause more minor symptoms than true allergies.
In reality, though, the terms ‘intolerance’ and ‘allergy’ are often used interchangeably, even in scientific literature. This is why things can get a little confusing.
Which foods contain gluten?
Gluten is found only in certain grains. These include:
- Any type of wheat (eg, semolina, durum)
- Barley
- Rye
- Bulgur
- Spelt (an ancient form of wheat)
- Triticale (a cross between wheat and rye)
- Oats
Foods that contain these grains, such as pasta, noodles, cous cous, bread, cakes and biscuits, also contain gluten. While these foods are fairly easy to detect, there are other foods in our modern food supply that are less obvious.
For example, the following foods may also contain gluten:
- Meat products – these can be made with breadcrumbs or batter, and sausages and processed meats may contain gluten unless labelled 'gluten-free.'
- Dairy products – malted milk, some cheese spreads and some soy milks.
- Canned and sauced products – thickened soups, canned vegetables or fruits in sauces
- Textured vegetable protein (TVP) - found in some vegetarian products
- Drinks – beer (most beers contain gluten, although some boutique beers don't), cereal coffee substitutes and milk drink powders
- Condiments – salad dressings, sauces, malt vinegar, some mustards, relishes, pickles, gravy and yeast extracts, some icing sugar mixtures and baking powder
- Snacks – some lollies and chocolates, liquorice, packet savoury snacks and some flavoured potato and corn chips.
Also, some vitamin or nutritional supplements and pharmaceutical medications may contain gluten.
Gluten-free grains
Grains that do not contain gluten include:
- Corn
- Rice
- Soy
- Buckwheat
- Millet
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
Gluten-free grain-based foods
- Breakfast cereals and flours made with gluten-free grains
- Polenta
- Psyllium
- Most rice crackers
- Corn cakes
- Rice crispbreads
- Corn tortillas and corn taco shells
- Gluten free pasta, rice noodles, rice or bean vermicelli and 100 per cent buckwheat noodles
General gluten-free foods
- Legumes and pulses – brown, red and green lentils, moong dahl, red kidney beans, lima beans, chick peas
- Fruits and vegetables – all if fresh, or canned or frozen without sauce, potato, pumpkin, sweet potato, nuts and nut butters, fresh fruit juices
- Meat products – fresh meats that haven't been processed, fish, chicken, bacon, ham off the bone and meats that are frozen or canned but with no sauce.
- Dairy products and eggs – all eggs, full cream milk, low fat milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk, fresh cream, processed or block cheese and some custards and soy milks.
- Condiments – tomato paste, tahini, jam, honey, maple syrup, cocoa, all kinds of vinegars (except malt), some sauces and some salad dressings.
- Snacks – most plain chips and corn chips, popcorn and plain chocolate.
- Drinks – tea, coffee, mineral water, wine, spirits and liqueurs.
References available on request