How to Live Without Gluten Products

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Go to:-   Gluten Free Recipes  |   Products & Ingredients containing Gluten |  Food and Health

Introduction

Gluten is a protein found in wheat and also in a number of other cereals including oat, rye and barley. Gluten-free products do not contain gluten, but they may still have other proteins found in wheat (albumins, globulins and starch granule proteins). So these might not be suitable for people who are intolerant or allergic to wheat. It is important to understand that products labelled "wheat free" are not the same as those labelled "gluten free".

If you have coeliac (celiac) disease you need to avoid foods made from these cereals, including most types of bread, pasta, pizza, pastry and cakes. Wheat ingredients are used in many foods, such as some sausages and burgers, over the counter ready-to-eat meals and many sauces. Foods in batter or breadcrumbs are not suitable for people with celiac disease either.

If you have coeliac disease, always check the ingredients on the foods you buy. You will also need to avoid some alcoholic drinks made from barley, such as beer and lager and some medications containing starch.

General Advice

1. Shopping for Gluten Free Foods. Some foods labelled as 'gluten free' may contain small amounts of gluten. This is because some of these contain a special starch that has been treated to reduce the amount of gluten in it and it's impossible to remove the gluten entirely.  Of course, some foods are naturally free from gluten, including potatoes, maize and rice. These are good sources of starchy carbohydrate for people who need to eat a gluten-free diet. Fruit, vegetables and unprocessed meat and fish don't contain gluten, but some processed meats such as sausages and burgers are made with cereals that contain gluten.
    

2. Food Labelling. Since November 2005 food labelling rules require pre-packed foods sold in EU, to show clearly on the label if they (or one of their ingredients) contain any cereal containing gluten – this applies even if the cereal has been specially treated to remove gluten. These new rules should make it easier for you to choose foods that are suitable for you. Bear in mind that there could still be foods on the shelves that were produced before this date. 
    

3. Alternative Gluten products. There are now many gluten free substitutes available to buy including pasta, bread and flour which should make cooking favourite recipes easier. You can also make "home made" substitutes, recipes for which can be found on our Gluten Free Recipes page.

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Warnings

• Several types of "alternative" grains often found in breads and other products from health food stores are actually varieties or hybrids of wheat plants. These include teff, spelt, bulgur, couscous, durum, semolina, kamut, and triticale.
   

• Be careful about ready made smoothies - these are usually just fruit juice and yoghurt, but do sometimes have other ingredients, so just check.
   

• Wine should be gluten free, whether still, fizzy, sweet or dry, but we have had reports that some Australian wines are treated with hydrolysed wheat gluten as part of the fining process. Again, the level of gluten is not detectable in the final product, and it is considered to be gluten free.
   

•  Read every label again. Sometimes manufacturers change the recipes of your trusted favourites, so don’t assume it will be OK.
   

•  Try to avoid cross-contamination. Some people set up dedicated ‘areas’ for gluten free preparation - with dedicated chopping boards, knives, pans etc. Even if you don’t go this far, do think about a dedicated toaster (or buy lots of foil for the grillpan), your own breadbin and even your own pots of butter, jam etc. It only takes someone to dip a knife with gluten crumbs into the butter for you to spend the night in the bathroom.
   

• Do plan ahead for festivities and celebrations.
   

• Consider travelling and days out - an emergency travel pack of gluten free snacks can be invaluable, especially if it is a gluten free child you are travelling with. Don’t forget drinks - these can contain gluten too, whether they are alcoholic or soft drinks. Be careful.

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Gluten Free Foods

• Cereals and grains: rice, maize, quinoa, tapioca, sago, buckwheat, and sorghum

• Meat fish and eggs: all are basically fine - just check any coatings, sauces and spices you add, and check wafer-thin meats too (sometimes wheat flour is added to make them ‘peel apart’)

• Dairy products: milk and most cream, cheese and yoghurt - check any added ingredients, and check ready-grated cheese (sometimes wheat flour is added to stop the slivers of cheese sticking together)

• Flours: rice, corn, potato, maize, gram, soya, chickpea, sorghum, tapioca and chestnut flours are all OK

• Fruit: all fruits are naturally gluten free - check ready-made pie fillings, though

• Vegetables: all vegetables are naturally gluten free - check any coatings, sauces and spices

• Fats: you can eat butter, margarine, oils, but avoid suet and check low-fat spreads

• Puddings and desserts: check every time - meringue, jelly and most ice creams and sorbets will be fine, but unless specifically labelled gluten free, cheesecakes, pies etc will not be good for you

• Snacks: nuts, raisins and seeds are all naturally gluten free, but check any added coatings and check all packets of crisps (chips) and other savoury snacks - we’ve been caught out by these before, especially when the recipe is changed

• Alcohol: wine, spirits, liqueurs and cider. Also sherry, port and liqueurs are gluten free

• Soft drinks: coffee, tea, juices, cocoa, fizzy drinks and most squashes - but check that they don’t contain barley or ‘cloud’ and don’t drink from vending machines

• Spices and seasonings: pure salt, pepper, herbs, vinegar - check spices and mustard powder for added flour.

• Spreads and preserves: jam, marmalade, honey, Marmite (UK only - check in other countries), nut butters

• Cooking ingredients: yeast, bicarbonate of soda and cream of tartar

• Plain, herbal, fruit teas and coffee are gluten free, as should be any milk or sugar that you add, but be wary of drinks from vending machines, as there may be cross-contact

• Pure cocoa powder is gluten free, but check drinking chocolate because this can contain wheat

Sources and Citations

http://tr.wikihow.com/Glutensiz

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coeliac

http://www.colyak.web.tr

http://www.free-from.com/

http://www.eatwell.gov.uk/

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Glutensiz

Based on an article by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual.  All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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