There are many reasons why some people require a gluten free diet.
Coeliac Disease
IBS
General Intolerance
Note that in order for a product to be defined as gluten free it needs to contain less than a certain amount of gluten although the precise figure differs from country to country. Currently in Europe the definition is 200 ppm (parts per million), in the US the FDA defines it as less than 20 ppm. In Australia and New Zealand I think it is 6 ppm.
Legislation comes into force in Europe in 2012 to redefine gluten free to the less than 20 ppm level, with 21 ppm to 100 ppm labelled as ‘very low gluten‘ and 101ppm – 200ppm to be ‘low gluten‘
Gluten is a molecule found in many cereal crops (Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats etc…) although there are differences between the particular molecule found in different cereals. If someone has a problem with wheat gluten then they will also need to avoid rye and barley products as well.
Avoiding the base products is fairly simple – check the ingredients and if it contains wheat, rye or barley it is definitely not suitable. The difficulty is identifying all the derivative products and even production processes that introduce gluten to foodstuffs. There are many ingredients in processed food which can be derived from multiple sources, some safe for the gluten intolerant and others not.
Unfortunately in the UK there is no requirement to state the what an ingredient is derived from, so many individual products have to be discounted simply because of inadequate labelling. For example starch can be created from any carbohydrate source, ie corn (common in US), potato, rice which are all safe and wheat (common in Europe), barley, rye etc… which aren’t. In the UK unless the starch ingredient specifically states it is from a non gluten source we have to assume it is unsafe.
Product ingredients which similarly can be derived from multiple sources are..
starch
flour
vegetable oil
glucose, dextrose, dextrin, maltodextrin, fructose etc… in fact most sugar forms.
vinegar (even spirit vinegar can come from grain)
vodka – most vodka is made from barley grains but traditional potato vodka can still be found.
Further complications arise when you consider the potential of cross contamination. For example substituting wheat flour with cornflour might seem a safe option, however if the cornflour has been processed in a plant which also processes wheat grain, it is unlikely to be gluten free.
See the menu on the left for more information.
The BBC food website has now included some information on gluten free diets and has recipes categorised as gluten free. Making a good resource for recipe ideas.
Gluten Free
A guide to providing Gluten Free food
There are many reasons why some people require a gluten free diet.
Note that in order for a product to be defined as gluten free it needs to contain less than a certain amount of gluten although the precise figure differs from country to country. Currently in Europe the definition is 200 ppm (parts per million), in the US the FDA defines it as less than 20 ppm. In Australia and New Zealand I think it is 6 ppm.
Legislation comes into force in Europe in 2012 to redefine gluten free to the less than 20 ppm level, with 21 ppm to 100 ppm labelled as ‘very low gluten‘ and 101ppm – 200ppm to be ‘low gluten‘
Gluten is a molecule found in many cereal crops (Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats etc…) although there are differences between the particular molecule found in different cereals. If someone has a problem with wheat gluten then they will also need to avoid rye and barley products as well.
Avoiding the base products is fairly simple – check the ingredients and if it contains wheat, rye or barley it is definitely not suitable. The difficulty is identifying all the derivative products and even production processes that introduce gluten to foodstuffs. There are many ingredients in processed food which can be derived from multiple sources, some safe for the gluten intolerant and others not.
Unfortunately in the UK there is no requirement to state the what an ingredient is derived from, so many individual products have to be discounted simply because of inadequate labelling. For example starch can be created from any carbohydrate source, ie corn (common in US), potato, rice which are all safe and wheat (common in Europe), barley, rye etc… which aren’t. In the UK unless the starch ingredient specifically states it is from a non gluten source we have to assume it is unsafe.
Product ingredients which similarly can be derived from multiple sources are..
Further complications arise when you consider the potential of cross contamination. For example substituting wheat flour with cornflour might seem a safe option, however if the cornflour has been processed in a plant which also processes wheat grain, it is unlikely to be gluten free.
See the menu on the left for more information.
The BBC food website has now included some information on gluten free diets and has recipes categorised as gluten free. Making a good resource for recipe ideas.