26/11/2025
Really great info on the many sources of Gluten for anyone who has gluten intolerance, Celiac Disease or Celiac Sensitivity (via Arno Kroner with thanks).
‘If you have Celiac Disease, or non-Celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), but are still having villi damage or residual symptoms, you may still be getting gluten exposure from hidden sources, including non-dietary sources. This comprehensive list will help you identify potential exposures that you weren’t aware of.
For those with Celiac Disease, complete avoidance of gluten is important. Some non-Celiac patients may also be sensitive enough that even tiny exposures are problematic.
Common foods you probably already know contain gluten:
Barley
Bulgur
Couscous
Kamut
Oats (if not specifically gluten-free)
Rye
Semolina
Spelt
Triticale
Wheat
Wheat germ
Common foods that may contain hidden gluten:
Artificial coffee creamer
Beer
Bouillon cubes
Broth/stocks
Candy
Certain ground spices
Certain veined cheeses
Chewing gum
Chips
Cold cuts
Flavored teas
Flavored rice
Fish sticks
Flavored crackers
French fries
Gravies
Hot dogs
Imitation seafood
Instant coffee and other instant hot drinks
Ketchup
Matzo flavor
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Pasta side dishes
Rice mixes
Roasted nuts
Soy sauce
Salad dressing
Seitan (wheat gluten, used in meat substitutes)
Self-basting turkey
Soy and teriyaki sauces
Tinned baked beans
Tomato sauces
Vegetable cooking spray
Veggie burgers
Vodka
Wine coolers
Ingredients to watch out for that may contain gluten:
Artificial color
Baking powder
Barley extract or lipids
Brown rice syrup
Caramel color/flavoring (frequently made from barley)
Citric acid (can be fermented from wheat, corn, molasses or beets)
Coloring
Dextrins (primarily corn and potato, but can come from wheat, rice, tapioca)
Diglycerides
Emulsifiers
Enzymes
Fermented grain extract
Fat replacers
Flavorings
Food starch
Gelatinized starch
Glucose syrup
Glycerides
Hydrolysate
Hydrolyzed malt extract
Hydrolyzed oat flour or protein
Hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)
Hydrolyzed soy protein
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
Malt extract
Maltodextrin (corn, wheat, potato, rice)
Mustard powder (some contain gluten)
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)
Modified food starch (source is either corn or wheat)
Natural juices
Natural flavoring, fillers
Peptide bonded glutamine (hydrolyzed wheat gluten)
Rice malt (contains barley or Koji)
Rice syrup (contains barley enzymes)
Sulfonate
Stabilizers
Starch
Triticum aestivum (common or bread wheat)
Wheat starch
Whey protein concentrate
Whey sodium caseinate
White vinegar or white grain vinegar
Yeast extract
Does it matter if there is gluten in non-food items like cosmetics? Some argue that there is no risk unless the product goes into the mouth or an open sore, yet many accounts have been reported of negative reactions to products and upon further investigation have found that the product contained a derivative of gluten. It really depends on an individual’s degree of sensitivity. Some are more reactive than others and need to avoid any/all exposures. Others do not need to be quite so restrictive.
If you need to know how to avoid gluten in non-food items, here are some common items where gluten can be found and below is a list of common ingredients that may contain gluten.
Here is a link to Skins Matters list of Skincare brands whose entire ranges are gluten free (GF), wheat free (WF), dairy free (DF), nut free (NF), peanut free (PF) and/or sesame free (SF).
Non-food items that may contain gluten:
Dental sealants
Dental plastics (some)
Glue on stamps and envelopes
Hairspray
Laundry detergent
Lip balms
Lotions
Makeup
Medications
Mouthwash
Playdough
Shampoo
Soap
Sunscreens
Toothpaste
Low quality vitamins and supplements
Non-food item ingredients that may contain gluten:
Amino peptide complex (from barley)
Avena sativa (oat starch, extract, flour or oil
Barley (extracts, lipids)
Beta glucan (from oats)
Cocodimonium hydroxypropyl hydrolyzed
Dextrin
Fermented grain extract
Hordeum distichon (barley extract)
Hordeum vulgare (barley extract)
Hydrolyzed wheat protein (HWP) also seen as wheat hydrolysate, enzyme-modified gluten or wheat peptides
Phytosphingosine extract (fermented yeast)
Pregelatinized starch (corn, wheat, potato, tapioca)
Secale cereale (Rye)
Sodium lauroyl oat amino acid
Sodium starch glycolate (commonly potato, but has other starch sources)
Stearidimoium (hydrolyzed wheat protein)
Triticum vulgare (wheat germ oil)
Tocopherol/vitamin E
Wheat germ (extracts, glycerides, oil, protein)
Xantham gum (may be derived from wheat)
Yeast extract
Cross-Reactivity:
If you feel like you have successfully eliminated gluten from your diet and household items and are still experiencing gluten-associated symptoms, you may want to consider the following:
When you are gluten sensitive your body is creating antibodies against gluten. Those same antibodies can also recognize proteins in other foods that have similar structures and mimic the reaction they have to gluten. Which non-gluten foods you may react to will depend on the antibodies your body has formed against gluten. Not everyone will have a reaction to all of these foods (or any of them). This paper studied the cross reaction in the following foods and is a good place to start.
Buckwheat
Sorghum
Millet
Amaranth
Quinoa
Corn
Rice
Potato
H**p
Teff
Soy
Milk (Alpha-Casein, Beta-Casein, Casomorphin, Butyrophilin, Whey Protein and whole milk)
Chocolate
Yeast
Coffee (instant, latte, espresso, imported)
Sesame
Tapioca (a.k.a. cassava or yucca)
Eggs
In those with celiac disease or a gluten sensitivity, increased intestinal permeability or ‘leaky gut’ is common. This can further aggravate the formation of food sensitivities. Healing an unhealthy gut may help alleviate some of these cross-reactions or sensitivities to gluten. See our blog for further reading on leaky gut and what you can do about it.
If you think there’s something missing from any of the lists above, let us know in the comments below!’
‘This article was contributed by Michelle Gottfried, an intern with Dr Fitzgerald. She is currently working on her Masters in Human Nutrition at the University of Bridgeport’
(LINK: https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/2017/02/02/hidden-sources-gluten/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAOTPblleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeShtsZc-RBFd_bxBQ2V4y3zAv-vka4rjjku13KOXkfrTlVPv5maRRIgdJPNw_aem_KTtlY9NOxhHADO26rWq7ag )
If you have Celiac Disease, or non-Celiac gluten sensitivity (NCGS), but are still having villi damage or residual symptoms, you may still be getting gluten
