Scary Ingredients: Is Glucose made from Wheat Gluten-free? (Shudder)

“Is glucose made from wheat gluten-free?” Sometimes, you just want to eat your presumed safe candy and pop a piece into your mouth, chewing happily. Then suddenly, you get that sinking feeling as you spot a terrifying ingredient on the label and are furiously Googling…again!

Ok…honesty time here: I FREAKED OUT when I saw “gluten made from wheat” on Riesen Chocolate Caramels and After Eight Thin Chocolate Mints. I seriously thought that the universe was conspiring against me. Like, WHY would you use wheat for sweetener???  What the hell is wrong with sugar?  Do you really hate us Celiacs that much that you’d deny us your candy??? I needed to know right then and there if glucose made from wheat was gluten-free — or not.

Deep, cleansing breaths….yes, I do yoga for a reason…

So, let’s talk about this ingredient. It looks scarier than any given episode of American Horror Story. But yet….

…it’s not.

Why?  Because glucose made from wheat is so highly processed that the protein component is completely removed from the glucose…yep…the gluten is all gone. The Canadian Celiac Association says so here. Remember, we Celiacs have a specific issue with gluten.  Regardless of the source, no gluten = no problem. That’s why knowing that glucose made from wheat gluten-free is important. It makes ingredients easier to navigate and opens up more options for us that don’t need to go on our personal no-fly lists.

Let’s call it the “vodka factor.”  Not because I’m a complete alcoholic or anything, but because it’s a similar principle:  if you distill or refine a gluten grain enough to remove all the protein component, you remove all the gluten, rendering it safe for us Celiacs.

I know some of you there may have specific grain sensitivities or allergies. That is different. Celiac disease requires gluten to get into your stomach and destroy the intestines from there.

So if you want a sweet treat, don’t fret about glucose from wheat…which should really be labeled as “gluten-free glucose.” Wouldn’t that be amazing if companies could reassure us that all was fine and that glucose made from wheat is indeed gluten-free? Why is that too much to ask?

When I’m elected Queen of the World,  I’ll make that labeling my first Executive Order…