Reading and understanding an Ingredients List
As you can see the type of Wheat is also established, but if Wheat, barley or rye is in bold then we CANNOT eat it!!!
As a coeliac or someone with an allergy/intolerance, we know that ingredients lists are essential to our health!! I spend my life checking ingredients before every single thing that I eat. Therefore, I felt that it would be helpful to have a page that explains how to interpret an ingredients list and how to know whether it is safe for you to eat.
In an ingredients list the items in bold are the possible allergens. For Coeliac disease/gluten intolerance/allergy we are looking for wheat, barley and Rye.
The next part to look out for are may contain warnings. You will often see at the end of an ingredients list, a list of all the allergens it contains, as above, but then also a little list of may contain warnings.
When I was first diagnosed, I continued to eat foods with this warning, however after becoming ill, I quickly realised that I also couldn't eat these foods. It is a warning that basically means "Eat at your own risk"
Step by Step Guide:
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1.Find the ingredients list on your product.
2. Look for the ingredients in Bold.
3. Are Wheat, Barley or rye in bold? If so, its a definite NO!!!!
4. If nothing is highlighted, look for the may contain warnings. I would advise avoiding anything that is may contain, but its down to you on your sensitivity.
5. Double check!!! and enjoy your gluten free food!!!!
However...
Sometimes on ingredients lists, things aren't written in bold, but are written in capital letters. I have seen this a few times and at a quick glance have thought it was okay. Always take your time reading them to ensure your not missing anything.
To clarify-
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Just because it doesn't say gluten free, doesn't mean you can't eat it!!!
Just check the ingredients for the danger words and then eat in confidence :)
