Wheat Free Foods

Wheat Free Foods

Wheat is a term that you have no doubt heard before, but as our diets have become more sophisticated over the past few years, the term has become a little more confusing. It is tough to tell the difference between wheat, whole wheat, gluten, grains, and many other terms that we see on packages. If you have a wheat, gluten, or another grain allergy, then this distinction will be very important to your health and well-being, and it may not be obvious what you are allowed to eat and what you should avoid. We have broken down the term wheat for you a little so that you can proceed with your wheat free diet in confidence! Keep reading to learn more about wheat free foods and ways you can eat a wheat free diet with ease.

What Is Wheat?

Wheat Free Foods _ Bobs Red Mill Wheat is our most common grain and has been cultivated as a food source for over 10,000 years, according to archaeological records. As a crop, wheat has the largest land area of any other crop in the world. So to say that wheat is important would be an understatement. Technically, the wheat plant is a grass and is cultivated for its seeds, and this seed, called a wheat berry, is the most important cereal grain in the world today. Though there are many species of wheat, the most prevalent is called common wheat and will be what we use for our references today. The wheat berry is made up of three partsthe bran, the germ, and the endosperm. These are not extremely important for our purposes today, but it is important to know there are different parts of the wheat berry.

Why Avoid Wheat?

People most often need to avoid wheat due to an allergy or intolerance. You can be allergic to the proteins that are found in wheat, or you can also have an intolerance to gluten, which is a mixture of protein fragments in wheat. This means that all wheat contains gluten, but not all gluten is found in wheat. Typically, people who are allergic to wheat will have more immediate and dramatic symptoms, whereas a gluten intolerance can range from slight gastrointestinal discomfort to full-on celiac disease, which has more severe symptoms. If you are sensitive to gluten, then keep in mind that while you will need to avoid wheat in your diet, there are other grains including rye and barley, for example, that also contain gluten. These tips will be for a wheat free diet, so they are perfect if you have a wheat allergy, but be careful to avoid other gluten rich grains as well if it is the gluten that negatively affects you.

Common Wheat-Containing Foods

At a base level, to avoid triggering a wheat allergy, you can simply avoid products that contain wheat, or opt for gluten free products whenever possible. Often, wheat is listed on an ingredients label as wheat, wheat bran, or whole wheatso do not eat any of those foods! However, there are also a ton of places where wheat is listed in a different form, so you should watch out for any foods that contain bran, bulgur, couscous, most flours, semolina, wheat germ, cereal binder/filler, modified starch, durum wheat, farro, panko, udon, orzo, or spelt. These are only a few ways that you may see wheat on your labels, so if there is any question, it is always better to give unknown ingredients a quick search before eating thembetter safe than sorry! Wheat is also commonly found in some other foods, but it will depend on your exact brand, so always be sure to check the labels. Some foods to watch out for are:
  • Baking powder
  • Breakfast cereal
  • Breadcrumbs or breadings
  • Bottled sauces of all kinds
  • Bread (unless they are specified as wheat-free)
  • Cakes, buns, muffins, scones, and all baked goods (unless specified as wheat free)
  • Cereal binder
  • Chapatis, poppadams, naans
  • Cheese spread and dips
  • Curry powders
  • Instant hot drinks
  • Monosodium glutamate
  • Pancakes or waffles
  • Pasta or noodles (unless specified)
  • Pastries
  • Pita bread
  • Pizzas
  • Ready-to-eat microwave meals
  • Rye bread and crackers
  • Many salad dressings
  • Sausages
  • Semolina
If you are avoiding wheat, then these foods should raise a red flag. There are a lot of special substitute foods for all kinds of diets, so if something is certified as wheat free, then you can feel safe to eat it.

Substitutes?

Yes, there are plenty of substitutes out there for any dietary needs you may have, so you should be able to find a safe alternative if you look hard enough. The most common place to find wheat is in flour, so there have been a few gluten free or wheat free flours developed using other alternatives, like buckwheat (surprisingly wheat free!), barley, potatoes, beans, oats, and other ingredients. Nut flours like almond, hazelnut, coconut, and cashew are popular as well! These lack gluten, which is what helps the dough to rise, so you may find it slightly tougher to work with to create cakes and breadsbut there are so many options that you will likely be able to find one that works for you. Xanthan gum is often used as a gluten substitute to help dough rise. At Bobs Red Mill, we carry 15-plus types of wheat free flours, so try a few to find your favorite. Some common foods that you may think you need to avoid, but are in fact wheat free, are rice, oats, and corn, so load up on these other grains and you won't even notice wheats absence from your diet! For cakes and biscuits, polenta and oats are a common alternative, and for crackers try oat varieties or nut crackers. Pasta made of rice, quinoa, and eggs are always great options for a wheat free diet, and if you would like to chow down on some pizza, you can make crust out of cauliflower or even zucchini. No matter what foods you are trying to make, you will almost always be able to find a substitute out in todays market.

Alcohol

Grains and wheat are often used in alcohol, especially in beer, so if you are eating grain free, then you will want to be careful about this. It is fairly easy to find gluten free certified beers, which will avoid all wheat as well. All ales, beers, malt liquors, and lagers are brewed with grains, so try to only drink the gluten free varieties of these. Almost all wines will be fine, but wheat can be used (very rarely) in some parts of the wine-making process, so if your allergy is very severe, then check your labels. A pretty comprehensive list of alcohols without gluten can be found here. Like we mentioned before, gluten free and wheat free are not necessarily the exact same thing, so you may be okay drinking some alcohols that are on this list if your allergy is to wheat specifically. However, those lists are a little harder to come by, so if you stick to fully gluten free, then you will definitely avoid any wheat.

Eating Out

Eating out can be tricky no matter what your health concerns arethere are a million and one tricky marketing terms used to entice you to order more and overeat on everything unhealthy. When you are eating wheat free, you may find it tough to visit certain types of restaurants, like Italian places or bakeries, where there are a lot of foods that naturally contain wheat. You will want to avoid pasta places, sandwich places, as well as many restaurants that specialize in baked goods. However, we do not want to sound too dramatic, because many of these restaurants have developed gluten free menus that will work for a wheat free diet as well. You can always call ahead or visit their menu online to determine the best option for you before visiting. There are a few apps that also can help you navigate these waters, by identifying restaurants that are friendlier for your particular dietary needs. When in doubt, Mexican restaurants are a good option, as long as you opt for corn tortillas, as well as Asian restaurants that typically have rice noodles on the menu! These are both safer than wheat noodles, so you should find plenty of options. You should never feel uncomfortable questioning your server, however, and alwayswe repeat, alwaysinform your server of your allergy so he or she can guarantee that there are no contaminants when making your dishes. Overall, the rise of gluten free diets has benefited those with gluten intolerance as well as any of you who simply have a wheat allergy. Although the two are not interchangeable, anything that is gluten free will also be wheat free by nature, so you can feel safe eating anything in that category. If you pay attention to your labels, avoid certain items, and do not hesitate to question foods that raise even a yellow flag, then you will be able to maintain a wheat free diet with ease. The prevalence of wheat alternatives and substitutes has never been greater, so we recommend you give a few a try and let us know what you think!
Bob's Red Mill
October 28 2017

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