GLUTEN FREE MYTHS

In a recent issue of Gluten Free Living magazine, there were some very interesting articles on those long-lasting myths that never seem to die no matter what science-based evidence disputes them. Below is a recap of these important facts that the newly diagnosed celiac, in particular, needs to hear:

· Fermented soy sauce from wheat is NOT gluten free. The fermentation process does not make the sauce GF. Some good substitutions are Lay Choy brand soy sauce and San-J Wheat Free Tamari sauce.

· McDonald‘s no longer maintains a GF menu on their website. The website says the fries and hash browns contain wheat because the vegetable oil had wheat as a starting ingredient. It is your personal choice whether you eat the fries or hash browns. As an option, Chick-fil-A offers GF waffle fries and uses a separate fryer for the fries.

· In the U.S., distilled vinegar is gluten free...period. Any food item that contains vinegar (ketchup, mayonnaise, pickles, salad dressings, etc.) are safe. The only vinegar that a person on a GF diet needs to avoid is MALT vinegar, which is not distilled. Because of the new labeling law, any food item should have the word ―Wheat‖ listed on the ingredients if it is in the product.

· Mono and diglycerides are gluten free.

· Maltodextrin is gluten free.

· Glucose syrup and citric acid is gluten free.

· If you see ―Modified Food Starch‖ on a label, it should also list the grain from which it started. Wheat will be listed if it is Wheat Starch. Most is made from corn, potato or tapioca.

· Flavorings: If a flavor has wheat in it, it will be listed on the label. Barley is usually labeled if it is in a flavoring too.

· Spices are gluten free. Wheat is not used to make a spice ―free-flowing‖ Wheat would be listed on the ingredient label if it happened to be in a spice, but it‘s not likely.

· If a product contains a wheat-based hydrolyzed protein, it will be listed on the label, but it would be rare.

· Pure, uncontaminated oats, grown especially to be gluten free, are safe for people on a gluten free diet. Oats are an important grain to add to your diet and dieticians have recommended 1/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups a day to add fiber to your diet. A doc-tor‘s advice for the newly diagnosed celiac about adding oats to your diet, should be taken into account. It‘s best to add oats after complete gut healing on a new gluten free diet. There are many companies that now sell safe, gluten free oats and now even an instant oatmeal version in individual servings that make them good to travel with. Many gluten free food companies are now adding these safe oats to granola, cookies, and other great treats.

· There are two categories of cheese: Real (specialty, hard or artisan) and processed cheese. Real cheese is made from milk, cultures, enzymes and possibly salt. They are gluten free, even the blue cheeses. Processed cheeses are made from a combination of ingredients like stabilizers, emulsifiers and flavor enhancements. They are likely, but not guaranteed to be gluten free. Check the labels be-cause wheat will be listed if it‘s there. Shredded cheese may use potato, corn, tapioca starch, a form of calcium, natamycin or silicone dioxide, all of which are gluten free, to help with the cheese sticking together.

· In recent testing by the Canadian Celiac Association, all blue cheeses tested were gluten free The amount of gluten that might be present in 100 grams of a blue cheese could be 0.00274 mg of gluten, a minuscule amount.

· In the U.S., most dextrin is made from corn. If wheat is used, it will be listed on the ingredient label. Dextrose is made from starch (rice, corn or wheat), but it is so highly processed that the end product is gluten free.

· There is no gluten in envelope glue or stamps. In the U.S., all glue for these types of products is made from corn.

· Malt flavoring is not gluten free, even when it‘s used in a dry breakfast cereal. There are plenty of options for a gluten free dry cereal.

· Gluten cannot be absorbed through the skin, but it can from breathing it, or getting it in a mucous membrane such as the nose, mouth, or eyes.

Gluten Free Living is a magazine that I highly recommend subscribing to, along with GIG National‘s magazine. Both have very informative