Read every ingredients list every time!   But reading ingredients lists is a waste of time if you don't understand what all the terminology means.  Food manufacturers are obligated to place an ingredients list on every package but are not obligated to make these lists readable, to define the terms they use, or to inform consumers when ingredients change.

Wheat is officially defined as an allergen and so manufacturers are required to state that a product contains wheat. That is a good start. It enables us to quickly exclude may gluten toxic items. But we still need to look for signs of barley, rye, or oats. To complicate this further, you will seldom see the words barley or rye on any list. Instead, synonyms are used. There are several lists of these terms are available.

Celiac.com publishes lists of safe and unsafe ingredients.

This list is published by the Celiac Disease Center at the University of Chicago.

The largest and most comprehensive lists is published and sold by the Celiac Sprue Association in a book that is published annually and covers many aspects of gluten free living.

The one thing these lists have in common is that they are much too bulky to carry with you when you are shopping. I suggest that you study them and make whatever notes you need. When you return home, double check your purchases. Return what you can’t use or give it to someone who can.

 There is much controversy about the role of oats in the gluten free diet. I won’t go into that here, but keep in mind that oats are generally cross-contaminated unless they are grown under special conditions. The word “oats” in an ingredients list is a warning signal.

Published 06/12/08