by Margaret Braae, MHSc, RD, CD, CSP
Pediatric Outpatient Dietitian
There’s been a lot of talk in the press recently about eating gluten-free. Why would someone need a gluten-free diet? Well…the best reason would be if you have celiac disease. Celiac Disease is a genetic, autoimmune disease. An autoimmune disease is a condition that occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys your body’s tissue. You might think that celiac disease is uncommon, but we know that it affects about 1 in 133 Americans. That means many kids and adults are walking around undiagnosed.
We now know that there is a separate condition known as non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which is also treated with a gluten-free diet. At present, there is no test or defined set of symptoms to diagnose this condition. Please check with your primary care provider before embarking on a gluten-free diet if you suspect non-celiac gluten sensitivity.
A gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. It’s pretty cool to think of treating a life-long condition with food, not drugs.
What is Gluten and Where is it Found?
Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, as well as some other grains because of contamination. We eat a lot of wheat in the United States and wheat is fairly easy to avoid as it’s one of the top eight food allergens and always has to be labeled on packaged foods. Rye is not generally a problem, because it is only used in rye and pumpernickel breads and rye crackers. Many people mistakenly assume we don’t eat very much barley, but we turn a lot of barley into malt. Malt is a flavor-enhancer, so it is added to many packaged foods. Malt does not have to be listed on a food’s ingredient list, but it usually is.
If you’ve been paying attention to the goings-on in the gluten-free world, you may know the FDA finally issued a national gluten-free standard in August 2013. This brings the United States in line with the many other countries that have standards around gluten-free.
What is the New FDA Gluten-Free Standard?
The new standard which will take effect August 5, 2014 requires that foods that are labeled “Gluten-Free” have less than 20 ppm (parts per million) gluten. This brings the United States in line with other gluten-free standards throughout most of the world. However, one very annoying aspect of the United States standard is that companies do not have to test their products before claiming they are gluten-free. I’m sure that many reputable manufacturers of gluten-free products who already test will continue to do so, but there will also be those who don’t.
The FDA ruling will allow the words: Gluten-Free, No Gluten, Free of Gluten and Without Gluten to all mean gluten-free. Unfortunately, the terms “Made with No Gluten-Containing Ingredients” and “Not Made with Any Gluten-Containing Ingredients” may be used on a label, but DO NOT mean that the food is gluten-free.
You may also see a “Contains Wheat” statement on a food that also claims to be Gluten-Free. Whoa…what’s going on here? This means that gluten-containing grains, such as wheat starch, have been refined and processed so much that the final food product contains less than 20 ppm gluten. As a parent of a child with celiac disease, or for yourself, if you have celiac disease, you will have to decide whether these are foods you want to include in your diet. In many parts of the world, these foods are commonly consumed by people with celiac disease without ill effect.
You will also see gluten-free claims made on foods that never contained gluten, such as bottled water and carrots! This is a great marketing ploy for food companies, so use common sense when purchasing gluten-free products and keep in mind that you can save a lot of money and eat in a more healthy manner by basing your diet around foods that are naturally gluten-free.
Resources for Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet
- You can read more about the new FDA Gluten-Free Standard on their website.
- If you would like a nutrition consultation with a registered dietitian at Primary Children’s Hospital for a child with celiac disease you can call the Outpatient Dietitian Schedulers at (801) 662-1601.
- If you would like a nutrition consultation for yourself or another adult in your family with celiac disease, visit Intermountain Healthcare’s Nutrition Website.
