March 20, 2008

Gluten Aliases

Gluten is a protein substance contained in wheat and many other grains. It is what makes dough elastic, which allows dough that contains yeast to rise. Gluten gives the cohesiveness to many products that we use daily. Unfortunately, many of us cannot tolerate the gluten as it can cause inflammation of our bowel walls as well as becoming a morphine-like substance in our children with autism and related disorders. But, when removed from our diets, our systems can return to normal, no longer poisoned by the gluten.
Foods to Avoid...
  • Wheat (Bulgur, durum, einkorn, farina, graham, kamut, semolina, and spelt are all forms of wheat)
  • Barley
  • Oats
  • Spelt
  • Rye
  • Triticale
  • Kamut
  • Malt
  • Semolina
  • Teff
  • Far
  • Farro
  • Mir
  • Couscous
  • Rue (used in soups to thicken and contains wheat)
  • Quinoa (This grain is considered to be gluten-free but may not be tolerated by some)
  • Millet (This grain has one of the lowest amounts of gluten and may be "safe" for many)
  • Buckwheat (Buckwheat is often cross-contaminated by other gluten-containing grains. Also, dark Buckwheat flour is ground Buckwheat with extra hulls added and is the most allergenic form. Standard Buckwheat flour is ground buckwheat with the hull but without additional hulls added. Light Buckwheat flour is considered to be the most tolerable as the hull has been removed and the inside is ground. White Buckwheat is ground with the hull and is lighter in color. The exterior is light brown, not dark like the more commercially available Buckwheat)
  • Amaranth (This grain is considered to be gluten-free but may not be tolerated by some)
Gluten Containing Additives...
  • Cereals and Cereal Grains
  • Caramel Coloring
  • Colorings
  • Emulsifiers (palm oil, rapeseed oil, soy bean oil, sunflower oil or lard/tallow... which one contains gluten??? not sure this is correct)
  • Flavorings
  • Malt
  • Hydrolyzed Plant Protein (HPP) this can be made from corn, peanuts, soy, rice, casein or wheat.
  • Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein (HVP) this can be made from corn, peanuts, soy, rice, casein or wheat.
  • Preservatives
  • Starches
  • Modified Food Starch
  • Vegetable Gum
  • Malt Vinegar (Distilled Vinegar is safe because its made from corn.)
Here is a listing of some food items that surprisingly contain gluten...
  • Ketchup (The vinegar in ketchup may contain gluten)
  • Canned Tuna Fish
  • Soy Sauce (Try Tamari Gluten-Free Soy)
  • Maple Syrup (unless labeled 100% pure)
  • Sauce Mixes
  • Corn Starch (flour is added as an anti-caking ingredient. Purchase ARGO or KINGSFORD's Corn Starch. They can be purchased anywhere.)
  • Rice Syrup (unless labeled gluten-free)
  • Imitation Crab (Love my California roll)
  • Spices (flour is often added as an anti-caking ingredient)
  • Healthcare Products such as shampoo, conditioner, and soap may contain gluten. (Here are the Gluten-Free Nazi's at work! Are you going to ingest these things? a Gluten molicule is much larger than your pores and can not be absorbed through your skin. If your gluten allergy is not Celiac related then avoid it)
Call the manufacturer or do not purchase food if you aren't sure the product is gluten-free. Be suspicious of food additives labeled as "natural flavorings", or "spices", or if the word "extractives of" is part of the ingredient listing. If the ingredient does not state what it is, be suspicious! For example, the FDA does not require some food additives to be listed such as monosodium glutamate (MSG) and hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) to be specified in some cases - both additives often contain gluten. Food manufacturers are not required to list all ingredients on products for various reasons. Sometimes they can get away from listing ingredients just because the packaging is small, or if they receive the food additive from an outside supplier. If in doubt, don't purchase the product.

The information in the post was found at http://www.dietarysupport.com/glutenaliases.html

Another list of "Forbidden foods" can be found by clicking here.

1 comments:

Michelle (GFF) said...

Teff is actually Gluten Free (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teff).

Betty Hagman uses teff flour in her gluten free graham crackers (which are pretty decent, by the way. I freeze them and then use them for graham cracker crusts, although you have to be careful and not use too much melted butter).

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What is Celiac Disease?

Celiac disease is a disease of the small intestine. The small intestine is a 22 foot long tube that begins at the stomach and ends at the large intestine (colon). The first 1-1/2 feet of the small intestine (the part that is attached to the stomach) is called the duodenum, the middle part is called the jejunum, and the last part (the part that is attached to the colon) is called the ileum. Food empties from the stomach into the small intestine where it is digested and absorbed into the body. While food is being digested and absorbed, it is transported by the small intestine to the colon. What enters the colon is primarily undigested food. In celiac disease, there is an immunological (allergic) reaction within the inner lining of the small intestine to (gluten) that are present in wheat, rye, barley and, to a lesser extent, in oats. The immunological reaction causes inflammation that destroys the lining of the small intestine. This reduces the absorption of dietary nutrients and can lead to symptoms and signs of nutritional, vitamin, and mineral deficiencies.

I found this information at the link below.
http://www.medicinenet.com/celiac_disease/article.htm

BTW I dont claim to be an expert or doctor. This is information I have found or what has worked for me.