When your child is diagnosed with celiac disease, deciding what to eat can feel overwhelming! That’s why we’ve put together a list of safe and unsafe ingredients for kids and parents to reference.
The good news is that there are many gluten-free grains to choose from. Here’s a list of gluten-free and gluten-containing ingredients:
Gluten-Free Grains
Amaranth
Brown rice
Buckwheat
Grits
Hominy
Kasha
Millet
Oats
Polenta
Quinoa
Sorghum
Teff
Wild rice
Gluten-Containing Grains to Avoid
Barley, barley extract, barley malt
Bran
Bulgur
Couscous
Durum
Einkorn
Emmer
Farina
Faro
Graham flour
Kamut
Other Ingredients that Contain Gluten
Breading
Brown rice syrup
Most cereals
Malt vinegar; malt; malt flavoring; malt syrup
Panko bread crumbs
Soy sauce
Triticale
Udon noodles
Wheat bran/germ/gluten/starch
Other Ingredients that MAY Contain Gluten
Bouillon/broth
Caramel color
Modified starch
Dextrin
Starch
Texturized vegetable protein
Flavoring or seasoning packets
Vegetable gum
Natural flavors
Hydrolyzed vegetable protein
For more information, please contact the Celiac Disease Center at 513-636-4415 or celiacdisease@cchmc.org.
This list is a great reminder of how many hidden sources of gluten can find their way into everyday foods. Since certain ingredients like brown rice syrup can sometimes be processed in ways that introduce gluten, families often look for safer options. Choosing products made with organic sweeteners and proteins can help reduce this risk because these ingredients usually come from suppliers that follow cleaner production standards. It also gives parents more confidence when preparing gluten free meals for their kids.