There are a number of different sources of hidden gluten that a person with celiac disease needs to be on the lookout for. Because companies are not required to reveal what is in ingredients in their products there is a huge list of potential foods that could contain gluten. Learning what ingredients to look for is of great importance when reading food labels in search of gluten.

Perhaps one of the most quiet and hidden categories of gluten sources is that of additives, these quiet little ingredients are put in foods for a variety of reasons, they can be a preservative, flavor enhancer, add color, or thicken or add texture to foods. Certain types of food additives are governed by laws different from other foods, allowing manufacturers to not disclose the ingredients of these additives.

Another complication that occurs with these types of foods is that many ingredients and foods are being imported these days and while one food additive may be gluten free the same ingredient made in a different country may not.

Ingredients that you should avoid are Dextrimaltose, Disodium wheatgermamido, sulfosuccinate, edible starch, filler, malt, malt extract, and Stearyldimoniumhydroxypropyl Hydrolyzed wheat protein. Other ingredients that may or may not contain gluten and are best avoided are Artificial color, caramel color, coloring, dextrins, flavoring, food starch, glucose syrup, ground spices, malt dextrin, Maltose, modified food starch, monosodium glutamate, mustard powder, natural flavoring and starch.

As an important side note, the safety of wheat starch is somewhat disputed, with most experts in the US and Canada believing that is not a safe product for a gluten free diet. However in Europe the Codex Alimentarius has deemed that wheat starch is a safe product for a celiac diet. The wheat starch that is available in Europe though is also of higher quality than the wheat starch made in the US or Canada which may explain why it is considered gluten free there and not here.