What is gluten and where is it found?

So what is gluten?

Gluten is a protein that is naturally present in wheat, spelt, rye and barley. Many foods are made from these cereal grains and their flours, including bread, pasta, cakes and pastries. Gluten may also be present in. ready meals, spice mixes, sauces, sausages and prepared meat products, and beverages.

Gluten helps the ingredients in baked goods stick together. However, gluten is not essential for our body. For people with the autoimmune condition ‘coeliac disease’, gluten causes inflammation of the small intestine. People with coeliac disease must follow a life-long gluten free diet.

IMPORTANT: It is essential that you don’t make any changes to your diet until you have consulted a healthcare professional. If you believe gluten may be the cause of your symptoms, speak to your doctor about arranging suitable testing for coeliac disease. You must continue to consume gluten regularly throughout the testing procedure. 

Naturally gluten-free

To maximise health and wellness whilst following a gluten-free diet, it’s important to eat a varied and balanced diet. Many foods are naturally gluten-free, including:

• Fruit, vegetables and potatoes
• Milk and dairy products
• Eggs, fish and meat
• Fat, butter and oil
• Pure herbs
• Condiments such as salt and pepper

Gluten-free cereal alternatives include millet, rice, maize and buckwheat, and even oats, providing they are labelled as ‘gluten-free oats’.

It’s important to keep in mind that for flour, pasta, bread, crackers, biscuits, cake and other baked goods, gluten-free alternatives to the conventional items made of wheat, spelt, rye and barley are needed.

Discover hidden gluten

Gluten can also be contained in a number of other foods, even where you might least expect it.:

• ready meals
• spice mixes
• sauces
• sausages and processed meat products
• beverages.

For this reason, it is especially important to always carefully check the list of ingredients.

Gluten-free foods are labelled

Foods are defined as gluten-free if they contain less than 20 mg gluten per kg (= 20 parts per million). Only products that contain less than 20 ppm gluten can be legally labelled as gluten free, therefore you can be assured that these foods are safe to eat on a gluten-free diet. For other foods, always refer to the ingredients list. All gluten-containing cereals, no matter how small the quantity used, will be highlighted in bold font.