What’s the Difference Between Gluten-Free and Wheat-Free?

There can be some confusion between what makes a diet gluten-free and what makes it wheat-free. For example, did you know that some foods labelled as ‘wheat-free’ contain gluten?

Let’s take a look at what actually makes a diet either gluten-free or wheat-free.

What is a Wheat-Free Diet?

Wheat-free diets are often mistaken for gluten-free diets, but wheat-free means eliminating wheat from your diet rather than gluten.

The difference between gluten and wheat is that:

• Gluten is a specific protein found in wheat, and it can also be found in grains such as barley and rye.

• Wheat is the grain gluten is found in.

Some of the foods you should avoid on a wheat-free diet include:

• Bread

• Breakfast cereals

• Bulgar wheat

• Crackers

• Crumpets

• Durum wheat

• Many types of bread

• Pastry

• Spelt flour

• Unbleached flour

• Wheat bran

Of course, there are wheat-free alternatives of some of these foods available, but it’s important to check the label before purchasing.

What Does Gluten-Free Mean?

Gluten is a type of protein found in wheat, rye, spelt and barley grains. Some people are intolerant to gluten; Coeliac disease is a condition where the immune system attacks your own tissues when you consume gluten, meaning a gluten-free diet is necessary.

This means that anything containing wheat, rye, spelt or barley is off limits on a gluten-free diet, which includes many types of bread, pasta, cereal, cakes, pastries and beer.

What Can You Eat on a Gluten-Free Diet?

There are so many gluten-free alternatives out there nowadays, which means that a gluten-free diet doesn’t have to feel restrictive, and you can still get the nutrition you need to keep your body healthy.

If you’re following a gluten-free diet, we recommend stocking up on:

• Avocado

• Brown rice

• Buckwheat

• Chicken (avoid breaded chicken)

• Edamame beans

• Fresh fish

• Legumes

• Nuts and seeds

• Olives

• Olive oil

• Quinoa

• Red meat

• Tofu

Gluten-Free Supplements

Help to keep your body healthy when you’re following a gluten-free or wheat-free diet with gluten-free supplements from Garden of Life.

Gluten-Free Protein Powder

Our Garden of Life Raw Organic All-in-One Shake is a great gluten-free, vegan-friendly plant-based protein powder made from whole food ingredients. Available in Vanilla and Chocolate flavours, it’s ideal for adding to protein shakes or smoothies.