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When starting a gluten-free diet, learning all the hidden sources of gluten in processed foods can be a challenge. These ingredients may have simple, vague names like flour or food starch. If you have celiac disease or gluten intolerance, you will need to avoid gluten-containing additives to prevent unwanted side effects. Consider printing out a list of gluten-containing additives to take with you when shopping.
Protein additives
Gluten is the protein found in grains such as wheat, rye, barley, and triticale, to which some people have adverse reactions. Many food manufacturers use these grains in meat products and vegetarian foods to boost protein content or reduce costs. Names of potential gluten-containing protein additives include sheitan, hydrolysed wheat protein, wheat protein, hydrolysed vegetable protein, and textured vegetable protein.
Texture additives
Gluten gives products a soft, pliable, and moist texture and can help to bind and preserve products. Additives used to improve texture are often found in baked goods, desserts, pastas, sauces, snacks, and prepared foods. Texture additives that contain gluten are: flour, emulsifier, food starch, modified food starch, dextrin, maltodextrin, and vegetable gum. Some of these additives may be derived from gluten-free sources such as corn or rice, but when in doubt, avoid the product to prevent unwanted side effects.
Flavoring additives
Sometimes gluten-containing additives are introduced into foods to improve their flavor. Soy sauce, for example, adds a distinct savory flavor to food and is made using wheat flour. Other times, additives will have vague names, and it is unclear what they are or where they come from. Examples of flavor additive names that may contain gluten are: artificial flavoring, flavoring, spice, miso, natural flavoring, smoke flavoring, spices, and vegetable broth.
Food coloring
Sometimes even food coloring comes from grains containing gluten. The most common is caramel color, often found in sodas, candies and snacks. Caramel color is produced using barley malt or wheat, both of which contain gluten. Other names for additives that may contain gluten are artificial color and food coloring. If the product label is unclear about the gluten content, contact the company directly – the customer service center can usually tell you if the product is gluten-free.
If you want to find out about sources of gluten, check out our article on this topic: Hidden sources of gluten.
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