What Can’t I Eat?


 
Anything made with Wheat or any of it’s derivatives (Abyssinian Hard, Bulger, Durum, Einkorn, Farina, Faro, Filler, Fu, Graham, Kamut, Semolina, Spelt, Triticum, Udon, Wheat germ oil, Wheat grass*, Wheat berry), and the following:
Asian Noodles (chinese wheat, lo mein, chow mein, ramen, somen, udon, egg, yakisoba)
Atta Flour
Barley, Barley malt, extract, grass
Beer (unless GF)
Bran (wheat)
Bread & breaded foods (unless GF)
Brewer’s Yeast (contains malt)
Bulger
Bulgur
Cereal (unless GF)
Chilton
Cookie dough & crumbs (cookie dough ice-cream)
Couscous
Cracker meal
Croutons (unless GF)
Durum
Einkorn
Emmer
Farina
Faro, Farro
Filler
Flour (all-purpose, enriched, any type  – unless GF)
Freekah
Fu
Germ
Gluten
Graham (no graham crackers!)
Granary Flour
Groats (wheat, barley)
Heeng
Hing
Hordeum, Horderum vulgare
Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten, Protein, or Starch (read note below re: “gluten-removed”)
Hydrolyzed oat starch
Kamut
Kecap, Ketjap Manis
Macha
Maida
Malt (syrup, malted milk, extract, flavoring, malt vinegar .. careful some worcestershire sauces contain malt)
Matza, matzah
Matzo flour & meal
Mir
Miso (may contain barley)
Nishasta
Contaminated Oats (oat bran, fiber, gum or syrup)(see Notes on Oats)
Orzo
Panko
Pasta (unless GF)
Pearl Barley
Ramen Noodles
Rice Malt
Roux
Rusk
Rye
Seitan
Semolina
Soy Sauce (unless GF)
Spelt (Dinkle)
Starch (wheat)
Triticale, Triticucm, Triticosecale
Tabbuleah
Tortilla (if made with wheat flour)
Udon
Vital gluten
Wheat, wheat germ, wheatgrass* – wheat anything!
(Buckwheat is ok!)
 
 Read THIS regarding Wheat Grass & Barley Grass!
 
IMPORTANT:  The above are the “obvious” sources of gluten, now review Questionable Ingredients below and then visit  Other Sources of Gluten.
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Questionable Ingredients:

 
The following may contain wheat, barley or rye:
 
Brown Rice Syrup, rice syrup, rice malt
Dextrin & Dextrimaltose (mostly derived from corn or other, but possibly wheat)
Emulsifiers (wheat can be added)
Hydrolyzed (vegetable & plant) protein – HVP, HPP
Maltose (malt sugar)
Modified Food Starch (most likely derived from corn, but could be from wheat – if contains wheat, it should be noted)
Natural Flavorings (majority are derived from corn, but can also be derived from wheat (rare), barley or rye (rare); If wheat, was used it will be declared on label.  Look for barley (malt) or rye in the ingredients.  (note: some worcestershire sauces contain malt).
Stabilizers (mostly made from corn or potato starch, but wheat could be added as an anti-caking agent)
Starch (If other than cornstarch, it should be labeled)
Vegetable Gum (can be made from wheat, should be labeled)
 
 
Points to Consider:
* Though the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) identifies Wheat as one of the top 8 allergens, neither barley or rye are included in the top 8. You will still need to determine if these two are included as an ingredient.
 
*(This refers to Gluten-Free “Labeling” only: Gluten refers to proteins that occur naturally in wheat, rye, barley and cross-bred hybrids of these grains.  The August 2013 FDA ruling states that in order for a product to be labeled “gluten-free”, it cannot contain any of the “glutens” mentioned above.  Therefore, if either wheat, rye, barley or any crossbred hybrids of these grains are included in the product, it should be noted on the ingredients’ label, if the product is labeled gluten-free.  Companies have up until August 2014 to comply with this labeling. (See “Help with Label Reading for more info on this topic.)

*Regarding “Gluten-Removed”  Grains:  The new FDA gluten-free labeling law (which goes into effect August 2014) will allow some ingredients such as wheat starch, hydrolyzed wheat starch, glucose syrup that have been processed to remove gluten (and as long as they test below 20 ppm) to be included in a product labeled “gluten-free”, but again only if they are “gluten-removed”, and so stated on label.
 
*Meat, Poultry, Fish and Egg products are regulated by the USDA, not the FDA.  The USDA does not follow the same regulations of declaring the top 8 allergens.  Therefore, a product could contain wheat (or barley, rye) hidden under “natural flavorings, fillers, or modified food starch”.  Though many manufacturers do voluntarily declare if wheat was included, some do not – so it is best to call to verify.

Tips:
Many processed and packaged foods contain gluten – be sure to read labels.
 
Careful when purchasing “canned” fruits & vegetables as wheat or malt may have been added to the syrup/sauce.
 
Wheat is also used as a filler in some brands of processed meats (hotdogs, lunch-meats).
 
Look out for the words “cured with, natural juices, added flavorings” especially if a meat, poultry, fish or egg product.
 
WHEAT-free does not always mean “gluten-free”, as barley or rye could be an ingredient.
 
If lactose intolerant avoid products with Casein & Whey.
 
Always be a good label reader.
 
At restaurants, you need to ask if GF foods are cooked in the same oil as foods with gluten (especially french fries and tortilla chips!) Read more on dining out safely here

Attention Residents of Canada: Find information on current gluten/allergen labeling here.