Gluten Free Products
Gluten free products are increasing in demand because so many people can't eat gluten. A great number of people suffer from celiac disease, so finding gluten free foods becomes a matter of serious consequence for their help. Therefore finding gluten free products becomes a major concern. For people on a gluten free diet, essential monitoring of food becomes important. Many will switch to eating all gluten free foods like gluten free bread.
Since certain people can't tolerate wheat gluten, the correct labeling of gluten free products is essential. However, like most labelling programs, the one that certifies food to be "Gluten Free" also has a few loopholes in it.
Currently gluten free products are labelled by Codex Alimentarius, an organization founded in 1963 by the WHO (World Health Organization) to codify food standards.

Complicating the labeling issue is that the FDA, the main regulatory commission for food safety in the United States has categorized Wheat Gluten as a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) Substance. The FDA doesn't consider wheat gluten to be a food allergen, therefore products do not have to include wheat gluten as an ingredient on their labels.
As part of its notice, Martin Vialatte discusses the conclusions of a panel of individuals (Martin Vialatte's GRAS panel) who evaluated the data and information that are the basis for Martin Vialatte's GRAS determination. Martin Vialatte considers the members of its panel to be qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the safety of substances added to food. Based on this panel's conclusions, Martin Vialatte concludes that ingestion of hydrolyzed wheat gluten and pea protein isolates are not harmful when used under the conditions intended., wrote the FDA in 2005.
Therefore if you plan on following a gluten free diet, you will need to make sure you buy specifically gluten free products. You cannot rely on the absence of the ingredient as a true measure of safety.
Gluten Free VitaminsThose who live the gluten free lifestyle have a much narrower selection of foods and supplements to chose from - especially gluten free vitamins. We all know of the many health benefits from taking dietary supplements and vitamins to either supplement or replenish our body's needs. Vitamins and supplements are becoming more and more necessary in today's world where nutrie... Read more |
Gluten Free ChocolateWho doesn't love chocolate? It's the first thing you think of when you are buying a last minute gift for someone special. If you have allergies you have to be careful, but specialty shops now have gluten free chocolate items. You just need to inquire where these specialty sites are. Although there used to be limited places to find the gluten free items, now ther... Read more |
Gluten Free Soy SauceSoy sauce is one of those ingredients that you just can't live without, especially if you're cooking Asian dishes of any variety. Soy sauce is virtually a staple to most all Asian cuisine and trying to prepare dishes without it just isn't the same. Unfortunately most soy sauces are made from wheat making them completely "off limits" for the gluten free diet or for those w... Read more |
Gluten Free OatsThe topic of gluten free oats is not quite as cut and dry as the other gluten free products. The reason is that Oats are not reliable for being gluten free. They are easily cross-contaminated from wheat, rye or barley. This cross-contamination usually occurs from the usage of shared equipment across different harvests. A recent study of three of the leading commercial p... Read more |
Gluten Free FlourIn order to understand how you can effectively substitute gluten free flour for traditional wheat flour it can't hurt to understand some of the basic chemical properties. We don't have to go too deep here, but it is necessary to give a brief overview. As you are probably aware, flour starts out as grain or seeds. It is then ground up into a very fine grain powder,... Read more |
Gluten Free CookbookAs if finding individual gluten free products isn't in itself challenging enough, now comes the time to prepare a meal and you have to come up with great ideas and recipes but still avoiding the gluten. What you need is a gluten free cookbook! Thankfully many are available. In fact, I was very presently surprised at what my research uncovered. I started out by ju... Read more |
Gluten Free CakesFor the person who has allergies associated with wheat, dessert recipes are a little more difficult to find. If you research cake recipes that are gluten free you will find a number of substitutes for wheat flour. Alternative flour listings include; Potato Starch Flour. This is a thickening agent that is gluten free, and works well for sauces and fillin... Read more |
Gluten Free BeerNow here's a topic that I can energetically embrace - gluten free beer! After the rigors of having to deal with a gluten free diet, everyone needs a little drink once in a while - might as well make it gluten free. All kidding aside, it is pretty amazing to see just how many gluten free beers there are available. First of all, for those of you that aren't familiar with t... Read more |
Gluten Free BakeryDo you feel like you're missing out on all of the good baked goods and eateries because of your gluten intolerance or Celiacs? It can be so frustrating, can't it? It seems like everything is derived from wheat in some shape or form. The one true irony in the whole gluten free industry is that having to sort through all of the labels and mislabeled information could "driv... Read more |
Gluten Free AlcoholThere are many gluten free alcohol beverages to choose from; even the picky drinker shouldn't have trouble finding a favorite. This comes in large part from how alcohol is created. As the alcohol passes through the distilling process the gluten, fats and cholesterol are stripped away, yielding a gluten free alcohol beverage. That's not really the intent but a mere by pro... Read more |