What is gluten?
Gluten is a special type of protein that is commonly found in rye, wheat, and barley. Therefore, it is found in most types of cereals and in many types of bread. Not all foods from the grain family, however, contain gluten. Examples of grains that do not have gluten include wild rice, corn, buckwheat, millet, amaranth, quinoa, teff, oats, soybeans, and sunflower seeds. Gluten can be removed from wheat flour, producing wheat starch. All of the gluten in wheat flour, however, cannot be removed. Still, according the the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), if a certain amount of the gluten is removed, the food product can be labeled “gluten-free.” (This is somewhat similar to food products that can be labeled as 0 Calories even though a serving contains 4 or less Calories.) Gluten helps make bread elastic, providing it with that chewy texture it has when eaten. For this reason, flour that has had most of its gluten removed, produces a sticky dough that feels much like chewing gum. Gluten p
Gluten is the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. It is in most mainstream bakery and prepared foods, including such unsuspecting items as soy sauce and licorice (both made with wheat). People with celiac disease and other forms of gluten intolerance need to avoid gluten-containing foods or else suffer from short- and long-term health complications. Gluten is highly contaminating, that is why it is important for people with related health conditions to eat foods that are tested for gluten-content and proven to be gluten-free. In the great “gluten debate” oats are a controversial grain, once thought to be a substantial source of gluten. Recent research has suggested that oats do not contain the reactive peptide sequence known to be problematic for gluten intolerance. However, most oats in this country are grown, processed or stored near wheat, and are thought to be contaminated at levels too high to be considered safe for people with celiac disease. Therefore, we have chosen not to
