So gluten does not mean wheat? Not exactly. In fact, gluten is a part of wheat, or a general name for many of the proteins that are found in wheat, rye, and barley. The purpose of gluten is to bind ingredients together and to trap gasses within the cooking processso think any food that has a dough or needs to rise like a cake, bread, muffin, etc.! There are, of course, other nuances to the gluten diet, but that is a basic idea to think about most of the items that include gluten. Things like rice and oats are safe, so not every grain contains gluten.
