Are gluten free foods also wheat free?
A common question we get asked is ‘are all gluten free foods also wheat free?’. Well, the simple answer is YES. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and oats. So any food that is labelled gluten free will automatically not contain wheat. The only exception to this is glucose syrup derived from wheat. This is used in some gluten free products. It is still gluten free, as the glucose syrup is so highly refined that the gluten is actually destroyed in the manufacturing process. If you have a wheat allergy or intollerance, you may need to avoid this ingredient if you are extremely sensitive.
For further information, see www.allergy.org.nz/
Buy wheat free food online at Gluten Free Life. Ingredients are listed for each product.
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By Leah Hetherington, June 27, 2008 @ 9:48 PM
Hey i have recently had allergy tests adn wheat was on the list of things that i cannot have im wondering if i can have the glucose syrup from wheat? there are 100 ideas out there i need some help… Thanks
Leah Hetherington
By admin, June 28, 2008 @ 9:09 PM
Hi Leah,
Thanks for your comment. It would be best for you to talk to your dietician or doctor before consuming any food that contains ingredients made from wheat.
Jason
By Helen, June 29, 2008 @ 1:21 AM
Hi
I would just point out a small change to the above blog statement. All gluten free foods are not necessarily wheat free not only for the glucose syrup reason stated.
Some manufacturers do use wheat starch that has had the gluten removed. It’s rarer because it’s a more expensive process, however I have seen some food items, usually bread based, with “wheat starch (gluten removed)” listed in the ingredients. So it pays to be a little cautious and still read the ingredients list even on foods marked gluten free.
Plus you may also find that products containing spelt will be listed gluten free. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat and the majority of wheat allergic people can’t tolerate spelt, despite what the manufacturers would like you to believe.
Helen
By admin, June 30, 2008 @ 4:46 PM
Helen,
I’d be interested to know which gluten free bread uses wheat starch and/or spelt. You are correct in noting that spelt is wheat, however I’d like to point out that if spelt is included in food it cannot legally (in Australia and New Zealand at least) be labelled as gluten free. In fact, the same goes for wheat starch. I still stand by my statement that most gluten free foods are also wheat free. Of course, anyone with an allergy, food intollerance, or CD should be reading the label on every product they buy. Any ingredient containing wheat and/or gluten will be listed on the nutritional panel as this is a mandatory requirement in Australia and New Zealand.
Jason