Dates and Malt Vinegar can be a Hidden Source of Gluten [Video]

Hello, Dr. Vicki Peterson here. Today, I wanted to share a couple of places where gluten might still be sneaking into your diet without you being aware. Our labeling laws have improved significantly, making it easier to avoid gluten when buying foods. However, there are still items like soy sauce, especially at ethnic restaurants, where you might not expect gluten. Traditional soy sauce is made with wheat. There are many such items, and you can visit our website for a comprehensive list of foods that contain gluten and those that are truly safe.

Recently, my family stumbled across something unexpected: dates. As you know, dates are very sweet and sticky. If you go to a place like Whole Foods, where they sell dried date pieces, you might notice some white stuff around them, usually oat flour. Although oats are not a glutinous grain, they are often contaminated with gluten because oat fields are typically next to wheat fields. The truck that transports the oats might have previously carried wheat, leading to cross-contamination. Unless specifically labeled gluten-free, oats can be considered contaminated with gluten.

With date pieces, oat flour is often used to prevent them from sticking to the machinery that cuts them. This is fine if you’re diligent about reading labels. However, my son, who has been gluten-free for most of his life, had a reaction after eating trail mix with dates bought from a gas station during a long road trip. He is usually very careful, but the dates caused a digestive response. We realized it wasn’t the dates themselves but the way they were processed. The trail mix didn’t list gluten or oat flour, yet the dates caused an issue.

Another sneaky source of gluten is chips made with malt vinegar. I checked a company that offers gluten-free products, but their salt and vinegar chips, made with malt vinegar, didn’t list gluten in the ingredients. Malt vinegar is not distilled like most vinegars and is made from barley, a glutinous grain, which can lead to contamination.

These examples highlight how gluten can sneak into your diet despite careful label reading. Dates and malt vinegar are specific examples. I hope this information was helpful. Please let me know if you have any questions or topics you’d like me to discuss. I’m here to help, and until next time, I wish you very good health.