Uncovering Gluten: Common Places It Hides in Foods
When people start a gluten free diet, cutting out major sources of gluten such as bread, pasta, cookies, crackers, and other similar foods is usually the first step. Removing these foods with obvious sources of the wheat, rye, and/or barley (the grains which contain the gluten protein) from the diet is indeed a big accomplishment in the quest for a gluten free lifestyle, but even when these obvious foods have been removed, gluten can still be hiding in sneaky places many people would never suspect. Achieve true gluten free success by avoiding these sneaky places gluten hides!
Sauces, Dressings, and Dips
Stop yourself before you pour dressing over your gluten free salad. Many packaged dressings, sauces, and dips often contain gluten as a flavoring or thickening agent. Check labels, or better yet, make your own for a healthier and gluten free option!
Soups and Broths
Soups can seem like a good gluten free alternative to sandwiches, but many soups, even clear broth based soups, are often thickened with wheat flour.
Nuts
With healthy fats and protein, nuts can be a great snack, but the coatings on nuts can contain gluten so be sure to always be sure to read the labels.
Oats
Though some websites and bloggers list oats in their “gluten free” recipes, because of the way they are grown, oats are almost always cross contaminated with gluten. Look for oats specifically certified as being gluten free, or try a grain that’s unlikely to be cross contaminated, like quinoa or buckwheat.
French Fries
Though potatoes are indeed a safe gluten free option, if your fries have been fried in a fryer that has also fried items like fried chicken fingers the fries can become contaminated with gluten. Additionally, some premade packaged fries have a coating that is made with gluten containing ingredients such as hydrolyzed wheat.
Crisps
There are plenty of reasons to avoid processed crisps, from their refined carbs to artificial preservatives and more. Now you can add hidden sources of gluten to the list of reasons to skip crisps. Wheat and barley are commonly used to flavour a wide variety of the crisps that line your supermarket shelves.
Asian Inspired Foods
With rice as a staple, it seems as though Asian dishes would be a great choice for a gluten free diet. The problem is that soy sauce contains gluten. Always ask for tamari (gluten free soy sauce) or coconut aminos to make your Asian favorites gluten free.
As you can see from the list above, gluten hides in many unsuspecting places so always make sure to check your ingredients carefully.
