Gluten Free Cooking Tips: How To Find Hidden Gluten In Your Food

Hunt Out And Eliminate Lurking Gluten

If you or someone in your family has been diagnosed with celiac disease, you probably already know you've got your work cut out for you. Perhaps you have started memorizing the foods that contain gluten, and you probably have become schooled in reading food labels. You may have started cleaning out your pantry and refrigerator and feel well on your way to becoming gluten-free.

However, like most dietary restrictions, the initial work yields excellent results but the long-term commitment finds us falling back into complacency.

That's why we must be vigilant. We must search out gluten that may be hidden in food products - under the radar, if you will. Let's take a look at some of the questionable food products that should be examined for lurking gluten.

Grains

The avoidance of wheat, barley, and rye is obvious, but what about oats? Even though oats aren't a gluten, they are often processed with wheat products. Most gluten-free folks will avoid oats for that reason. However, you may find specially processed oat products that are guaranteed to be from a 'cross-contamination free' source.

The trick now is to recognize foods that you wouldn't guess grains have been added to,  but they have. Just consider the number of restaurants that add wheat flour to their eggs to make an omelet fluffier. If you're buying prepared foods such as breakfast burritos, for instance, you may think because it's a corn tortilla that it is safe. Read the label. Those burritos may include wheat or other gluten to solidify or fluff up the ingredients. You may also find prepackaged frozen hash browns are coated in wheat flour to keep them from sticking. And, surprisingly, the same may go for shredded cheese.

Proteins

Now, this should be totally gluten-free, right? Not necessarily. Most processed meats (hotdogs, sausage, luncheon meats) contain grain as a filler. That Thanksgiving turkey with the self-basting buttery sauce most likely contains a thickener containing wheat or other grain. Even imitation seafood like the 'krabstick' you see in sushi contains a binder made from wheat or other grain. Any meat which comes in a marinade is suspect because marinades typically include soy sauce for flavor, or an emulsifier.

Any protein (meat, fish, and poultry) that is packaged with a coating should be investigated before eating. Some are obviously coated with a breading, while others are lightly coated with seasoning which can also contain gluten. As mentioned, shredded cheese is often coated with flour to prevent clumping. Roquefort and Bleu cheese may contain bread mold in the processing.

Produce

You can trust fresh fruits and vegetables to be gluten-free. But if you buy canned or frozen produce, you'll need to be vigilant. Most will have some sort of preservative and/or thickener which contains gluten.
Beverages

Any milk with flavoring is immediately suspect. Instant coffee, instant tea, or any flavorings to be added to your coffee or tea most likely will have some gluten added. Stay away from the flavoring syrups for coffee, both at home and at a coffee shop. Beer, root beer, and even wine coolers are not normally gluten-free.

Condiments Etc.

All those bottles and boxes that don't make up an actual food group is in this category. Every seasoning combination, blended dressing, flavored sauce, and marinade must be investigated. Soy sauce, teriyaki, balsamic vinegar, salad dressing, marinade, dips, grill seasonings, bouillon cubes, and even candy have hidden gluten sources.

Ketchup, mayonnaise, and some mustard have added gluten for emulsifying, stabilizing, and thickening. Dry seasoning blends often have added ingredients to keep the blend from getting sticky, and these ingredients are often gluten.  Creamy sauces need emulsifiers to hold together, and these emulsifiers are often gluten. Remember, gluten is used to bind - glue - ingredients together. That's why you find it in blends of ingredients, dry or wet.

Outside the Kitchen

Think about the items you use daily. Many of them are blended. Your favorite lipstick or lip balm needs something to hold it together, and that something is often gluten. Toothpaste and even vitamins need a binder. If it's blended and needs to be 'glued' together, it may include gluten.

With a gluten-free diet, especially for someone who has been diagnosed with celiac disease, there is no room for complacency. The danger of ingesting gluten can cause not only discomfort, but serious pain and damage to the small intestine. Spend time looking for lurking gluten in your kitchen, and throughout the house, and you'll be happy you did.