While shopping at your nearest grocery store, you might have come across food packages that come with labels like gluten-free, vegan, or lactose-free. Have you wondered if condiments contain gluten? If so, then what condiments are gluten free? Why gluten is added to the condiments may also come across as a mystery.
Let us walk through and know more about gluten and what condiments are gluten-free!
1. What Is Gluten: What Are Its Side Effects
Gluten is a protein found in all sources of wheat, barley, and triticale. It is also found in brewerโs yeast and rye. Apart from the obvious foods such as bread and pasta, it is also present in many unobvious food items like condiments. Before buying any condiment, you should check what condiments are gluten-free.
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If you are not careful, it can be harmful to a person suffering from celiac disease or coeliac disease. These are autoimmune diseases that damage the small intestine during the consumption of gluten. Some people sufferย from gluten sensitivity and are not diagnosed with celiac. ย
2. Why Is Gluten Used in Condiments
Gluten is usually used as an emulsifier and thickener which enhances and provides longer shelf life of products especially in processed foods. It is a known stabilizer and is often present in emulsifiers and other fillers
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Apart from using it as emulsifiers and fillers, many condiments are made from gluten sources. In Chinese cuisine, the fermentation of soybeans and wheat produces authentic Soy sauce. Vinegar is also a product of the fermentation of grains such as wheat and barley.
Despite proving, that on the distillation of vinegar, the gluten breaks down into simpler compounds, it is still a topic of controversy among many concerned gluten-free consumers. Vinegar alternatives such as white vinegar and apple cider vinegar are safe and naturally gluten-free.
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3. What Gluten Ingredients to Look for In Condiments
If you are moving towards gluten-free living or avoiding gluten, you should know what to look for. Before buying anything, you should turn the package over and check for these gluten ingredients. These are some common ingredients That contain gluten and are generally missed.
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Wheat/ Wheat derivates
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Triticale
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Rye
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Barley
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Brewerโs yeast
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Barley malt
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Dextrin
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Emulsifier
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Food starch
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Malto dextrin
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Modified Wheat starch
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Malt Vinegar
These are generally some ingredients you will stumble upon in some condiments. Avoid these ingredients, and if you intend to make your lifestyle gluten-free, you have to be careful and mindful about what you eat.ย You have always to read labels and pay special attention to hidden products if you are not sure about the products.
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4. What Condiments are Not Gluten Free
Now that you know, what ingredients on the food labels contain gluten, you should also know what condiments constitute. What if, apart from these ingredients, what are condiments that you should avoid as a whole? Here is a list; though it may not contain all the condiments available, it covers the most popular ones:
4.1 Vinegar
The manufacture of vinegar is mainly done by fermentation of grains such as wheat, barley, malt, etc. These are very rich in gluten, and for a gluten-free diet, it is not advisable to consume vinegar
4.2 Soy Sauce
Soy sauces that are available in the market are not made from actual soybeans, at least not the cheap and readily available ones. They are made from wheat and are not safe for consumption. Most stores do not contain soy sauce, which only contains soybeans. As they are generally expensive, most stores donโt keep them.
4.3 Teriyaki Sauce
You might have heard this name associated with Asian cuisine as it is a very popular condiment in it. The main component in teriyaki sauce is soy sauce, which traditionally contains gluten. Lately, many recipes use tamari soy sauce instead of traditional soy sauce to make it gluten-free.
4.4 BBQ sauce
The preparation of Barbeque sauce includes the use of Worcestershire sauce. Worcestershire sauce is not on the list of gluten-free sauces. That ingredient makes BBQ sauce unfit for consumption by both people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. If you suffer from either, you should avoid unmarked BBQ Sauces.
4.5 Salad Dressings
There are various salad dressings that may be gluten-free, but the ones that are easily acquired and common have many hidden gluten sources, like malt vinegar and soy sauce made from wheat.
5. What Condiments are Gluten Free
5.1 Ketchup
According to What It Means To Be American, 97% of Americans would have a Ketchup bottle in their fridge. Contrary to popular belief, ketchup available in the local grocery store is gluten-free, many popular brands such as Heinz ketchup are FDA-approved and gluten-free. The ingredients listed for ketchup by most brands are gluten-free. The labels for ingredients mention it, but you should still read labels to be extra careful.
5.2 Tamari Soy Sauce
Tamari soy sauce is an excellent alternative to soy sauce if you cannot get your hands on pure one. It is readily available in the local stores and you donโt have to work too hard to locate it too.
5.3 Honey Mustard
Honey is completely and naturally gluten-free, so any of the condiments made from Honey, like Honey mustard powder and honey chilly sauce, are gluten-free.
5.4 Coconut Blossom Nectar
Obtained from the plant sap, the nectar is safe, very popular, and has an amazing taste. This is the reason it is growing extremely popular as a condiment.
5.5 Coconut Aminos
Another plant-derived condiment, coconut aminos, is one of the alternatives to soy sauce used in Chinese foods. They are now gaining a lot of popularity as apart from being a great gluten-free alternative, it is also rich in other nutrients.
5.6 Guacamole
Best paired with chips, guacamole is one of the most famous condiments, usually served with chips. Though chips are known to have higher levels of gluten, guacamole is classified as gluten-free.
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6. Some Gluten Free Alternatives for Condiments
The majority of people transitioning from a normal diet to a gluten-free diet find it difficult to search for alternatives that are gluten-free as they have ingredients have some ingredients that contain gluten.
6.1 Gluten-Free Soy Sauces
The readily available soy sauces in the market are manufactured using wheat, which is not a good choice for people who avoid gluten or have gluten sensitivity.
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But the question still prevails: What should be used instead? Soy sauce can also be made from soybeans purely and does not require gluten. Many companies have started providing gluten-free alternatives to soy sauce.ย
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Tamari is also another good alternative that can be used. It is also termed as the cousin of soy sauce but without gluten. It does not use wheat or any other products that contain gluten. Along with tamari, coconut aminos are also excellent alternatives to soy sauce.ย
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6.2 Gluten-Free Vinegarย
Vinegar is a result of the fermentation of many sources of gluten, but it is possible to easily remove the gluten with the process of distillation. Distilled vinegar, along with other vinegar derivatives, is gluten-free, even if its production is from grains that contain gluten.
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Apple cider vinegar is a very good alternative to vinegar, too. It is made from the fermentation of apple ciders, and no grains are a part of the process. This makes it naturally gluten-free, and there is no need for any alternative. As safe, gluten-free alternatives to vinegar there, distilled vinegar along with white vinegar and vinegar spirit
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6.3 Gluten Free Bbq Sauce
Barbeque is a part of almost every American household, according to CNN News almost 75% of households own a grill, so barbeques require BBQ sauce. Authentic barbeque sauce contains gluten. Gluten-free labels are easily available in the market.
Even if you have gluten sensitivity, you can still enjoy popular foods. Now, many companies make gluten-free counterparts of popular foods. These are readily available in the market and are affordable, too. If you still feel sceptical, you can get a list of foods approved by a registered dietitian.ย
7. Final Note
In the US, according to the FDA, the standard for approving a food as gluten-free is that the gluten content in the food should be less than 20 ppm. If the food product is FDA-approved, you can know that it is safe to eat, and you can consume it. Cross-contamination is a common issue that could cause adverse reactions.ย
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When a person consuming gluten goes gluten-free, it becomes very difficult. Acquiring and finding good gluten-free products. Many people are still not aware that condiments used in their favorite dishes, stir-fries, barbeques, and other foods may contain gluten and can trigger a reaction.
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As a general rule, you should generally avoid soy sauce, vinegar, BBQ sauce, salad dressings, and white pasta sauce. The production of these sauces is from gluten grains or other sources with high gluten content.
Last Updated on by parinaparmar
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