How to Find Gluten/Dairy on Food Labels

Food Labels are a headache! Wouldn’t you agree?
So many odd long terrible words. So many of us really don’t know what the heck it is that we are actually consuming!

Hopefully I can demystify this confusion a little bit for you today.
There is a HUGE list of words that pertain to gluten and dairy which I will list for you- Its a list that quite honestly you might find impossible to memorize. Especially for those of you out that on the more scatterbrained side like myself. There are however several words that appear often and are easy to remember.

To begin- here are your basic words that mean Gluten: Wheat, Tricticum, Spelt, Oats, Bran, Farina,Malt and Barley.  You will see these words alone and attached to longer words. For Example: Barley Grass. Or how about this fun one: Disodium Wheatgermamido Peg-2 Sulfosuccinate. You see the Wheat in the word- it has gluten!

The Same Rule applies with Dairy. Look for the Words: Butter, Ghee, Milk, Whey, Lactose, Cream,Casein and Malt. Therefore the ingredients: Calcium Caseinate or Lactoglobumin  are off limits.

I hate to report that this rule does not apply to everything-  as there are other words-BUT it will help you tremendously.

Here is a LONG master List of EVERY Ingredient that contains Gluten and Dairy. You may want to print this out and carry it in a bag or purse. There are also smart phone applications that can help with this -which I will write about in a another post.    As a general rule look for the “Gluten Free” and “Dairy free  or Casein free” emblem first on Food Labels. And ALWAYS look under Allergen information- it will tell you often times what allergens the product may contain.  If no luck -Then tackle the ingredients list.

Now I must add that if you have  been diagnosed with Celiacs disease your situation is more extreme than those with just an intolerance. You cannot eat anything that comes from a factory or plant that may process gluten or dairy even if it is not listed as an ingredient.

Gluten:

• Abyssinian Hard (Wheat triticum durum)
• Unrefined Alcahol spirits
• Amp-Isostearoyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Atta Flour
• Barley Grass (can contain seeds)
• Barley Hordeum vulgare
• Barley Malt
• Beer (most contain barley or wheat)
• Bleached Flour
• Bran
• Bread Flour
• Brewer’s Yeast
• Brown Flour
• Bulgur (Bulgar Wheat/Nuts)
• Bulgur Wheat
• Cereal Binding
• Chilton
• Club Wheat (Triticum aestivum subspecies compactum)
• Common Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
• Cookie Crumbs
• Cookie Dough
• Cookie Dough Pieces
• Couscous
• Criped Rice
• Dinkle (Spelt)
• Disodium Wheatgermamido Peg-2 Sulfosuccinate
• Durum wheat (Triticum durum)
• Edible Coatings
• Edible Films
• Edible Starch
• Einkorn (Triticum monococcum)
• Emmer (Triticum dicoccon)
• Enriched Bleached Flour
• Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour
• Enriched Flour
• Farina
• Farina Graham
• Farro
• Filler
• Flour (normally this is wheat)
• Fu (dried wheat gluten)
• Germ
• Graham Flour
• Granary Flour
• Groats (barley, wheat)
• Hard Wheat
• Heeng
• Hing
• Hordeum Vulgare Extract
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein Pg-Propyl Silanetriol
• Hydrolyzed Wheat Starch
• Hydroxypropyltrimonium Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Kamut (pasta wheat)
• Kecap Manis (Soy Sauce)
• Ketjap Manis (Soy Sauce)
• Kluski Pasta
• Maida (Indian wheat flour)
• Malt
• Malted Barley Flour
• Malted Milk
• Malt Extract
• Malt Syrup
• Malt Flavoring
• Malt Vinegar
• Macha Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
• Matza
• Matzah
• Matzo
• Matzo Semolina
• Meringue
• Meripro 711
• Mir
• Nishasta
• Oriental Wheat (Triticum turanicum)
• Orzo Pasta
• Pasta
• Pearl Barley
• Persian Wheat (Triticum carthlicum)
• Perungayam
• Poulard Wheat (Triticum turgidum)
• Polish Wheat (Triticum polonicum)
• Rice Malt (if barley or Koji are used)
• Roux
• Rusk
• Rye
• Seitan
• Semolina
• Semolina Triticum
• Shot Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
• Small Spelt
• Spirits- Specific types (NOT ALL
• Spelt (Triticum spelta)
• Sprouted Wheat or Barley
• Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Strong Flour
• Suet in Packets
• Tabbouleh
• Tabouli
• Teriyaki Sauce
• Timopheevi Wheat (Triticum timopheevii)
• Triticale X triticosecale
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Flour Lipids
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Extract
• Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil
• Udon (wheat noodles)
• Unbleached Flour
• Vavilovi Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
• Vital Wheat Gluten
• Wheat, Abyssinian Hard triticum durum
• Wheat Amino Acids
• Wheat Bran Extract
• Wheat, Bulgur
• Wheat Durum Triticum
• Wheat Germ Extract
• Wheat Germ Glycerides
• Wheat Germ Oil
• Wheat Germamidopropyldimonium Hydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein
• Wheat Grass (can contain seeds)
• Wheat Nuts
• Wheat Protein
• Wheat Triticum aestivum
• Wheat Triticum Monococcum
• Wheat (Triticum Vulgare) Bran Extract
• Whole-meal Flour
• Wild Einkorn (Triticum boeotictim)
• Wild Emmer (Triticum dicoccoides)

Dairy:

• Acidophilus milk
• Ammonium caseinate
• Artificial butter flavor
• Artificial flavors / flavoring
• Brown sugar flavoring
• Butter
• Butter fat
• Butter flavor
• Butter solids
• Buttermilk
• Calcium caseinate
• Caramel Color
• Caramel Flavoring
• Casein
• Caseinate
• Cheese (All)
• Coconut Cream Flavoring
• Condensed milk
• Cottage cheese
• Cream
• Curds
• Custard
• Delactosed whey
• Demineralized whey
• Dry milk powder
• Dry milk solids
• Evaporated milk
• Fat Replacers – Brands such as Dairy-Lo® and Simplesse® are made with milk protein
• Galactose
• Ghee
• Goat’s milk
• Half-and-half
• High Protein Flour
• Hydrolysates
• Hydrolyzed casein
• Hydrolyzed milk protein
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
• Iron caseinate
• Lactalbumin
• Lactalbumin phosphate
• Lactate
• Lactic Acid Starter Culture
• Lactoferrin
• Lactoglobulin
• Lactose
• Lactulose
• Magnesium caseinate
• Malted milk
• Margarine
• Milk (whole, lowfat, and skim)
• Milk derivative
• Milk fat
• Milk powder
• Milk protein
• Milk solids
• Natural egg flavor
• Natural flavors / flavoring
• Non-Dairy – This does not mean milk-free, it indicates 1/2% or less milk by weight
• Nougat
• Potassium caseinate
• Protein – The added protein in foods is often milk protein
• Pudding
• Recaldent
• Ready sponge
• Rennet casein
• Sodium caseinate
• Sodium lactylate
• Sour cream
• Sour milk solids
• Soy Cheese – Often contains milk protein- always read the label.
• Sweetened condensed milk
• Whey
• Whey powder
• Whey protein concentrate
• Whey protein hydrolysate
• Yogurt
• Zinc caseinate

If You are feeling overwhelmed- Do not fret! With a little practice this will become second nature. And on the bright side the health benefits you will experience will make this learning curve worth the extra effort.

Best Wishes as Always!

-Brittany-