Finding Hidden Gluten in Your Foods

Following a gluten-free diet can be challenging at the best of times, and successfully avoiding gluten requires a bit of detective work. It may not be obvious when reading a food label that a particular food contains gluten. Below is a list of the many food ingredients and additives that may contain hidden gluten. If you are gluten intolerant, it is important to verify specific foods to ensure that they do not contain hidden gluten.

Baking Powder
Binders
Blue Cheese
Brown rice syrup
Caramel colorings or flavorings
Cereal fillers, protein or starch
Citric Acid
Coatings
Colorings
Corn Starch
Curry Powder
Dextrins
Dispersing Agents
Emulsifiers
Excipients (in prescription medications, for consistency)
Extracts (in grain alcohol)
Fillers
Flavorings (in grain alcohol)
Flours made from wheat, barley, oats, and rye
Grain alcohol (beer, ale, rye, scotch, bourbon, grain vodka)
Gum base
Homeopathic remedies
Hydrolyzed protein, Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP), Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)   
Malt or Malt Flavoring (barley malt, malt vinegar)
Maltodextrin
Modified starch, Modified food starch (made from wheat)
Mono- and di-glycerides (made using a wheat starch carrier)
Natural flavorings
Oils (wheat germ oil and others with gluten additives)
Preservatives
Soy sauce (when fermented with wheat)
Spices (if anti-caking agent used)
Starch (modified food starch, edible starch)
Textured vegetable protein (TVP)
Vegetable gum
Vegetable protein or starch
Vinegars (white, or malt)
Vital wheat gluten (common in soy products)
Vitamin E oil

Written by Elizabeth Daeninck, MS, RD
Published in November 2008
(HealthCastle.com)

Celiac Disease/Gluten Intolerance, Food Allergies Intolerances/Sensitivities