Gluten

GLUTEN

 

By Jenny Thompson

 

In patients with gluten sensitivity or full blown celiac disease, gluten reduces the small intestine's ability to absorb nutrients. But when you start looking for gluten in your diet, it's sort of like "Where's Waldo?" You know it's there, but it's often hard to spot.

Gluten is a component of several grains. As a primary ingredient of flour, gluten delivers protein and gives bread a higher rise.

Dr. Alan Spreen offers this acronym to help you remember the four primary sources of gluten: BROW. That's barley, rye, oat and wheat. If you're gluten sensitive, give those four a wide berth.

But gluten is often hidden in foods such as soups, soy sauce, low-fat or non-fat products, and even in candy. Which brings us to the problem in answering Panna's question. A list of every gluten product would fill a book.

But don't despair. The best way to steer clear of gluten (besides avoiding BROW) is to know what phrases and terminology to look for on ingredient panels.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF), ingredients that may tip off hidden gluten content include:

Unidentified starch
Modified food starch
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
Texturized vegetable protein (TVP)
Malt and other natural flavorings
Binders, fillers, excipients, extenders
Note that the last item on that list would include certain dietary supplements and medications that use binders and fillers. This is one of the reasons you sometimes see the statement "no binders or fillers" printed on supplement containers