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Are you aware that there are a number of hidden sources of gluten in many of the foods you probably consider safe to eat?

The whole gluten-free movement is gaining a lot of ground lately and for good reason. People are beginning to see for themselves the positive effects that they experience just by removing gluten from their diet.

But are you truly gluten-free?

The sad truth is that gluten is still in many foods that you believe are gluten-free which is a big problem for many suffering from Leaky Gut Syndrome. And I’m only going to give you few here so keep in mind that there many more.

And if you have a sensitivity or allergy to gluten and you find yourself still reacting to certain grains or packaged foods then be sure consider the following hidden sources of gluten and remove them from your diet.

Hidden Sources of Gluten in All Grains

Probably one of the biggest hidden sources of gluten is grains. But I’m not just talking about wheat, barley, and rye which are the most commonly associated grains tied to gluten.

There’s actually some form of gluten found in all grains.

For example, the type of gluten found in wheat is called Gliadin. And it’s actually the Gliadin that is responsible for causing the food allergy and inflammation for those who are sensitive to wheat.

But all other grains still contain some type of gluten however most people are typically less sensitive to them. And notice that I said “less sensitive” because many people still do react to these other types of gluten even if they aren’t as severe.

Here’s a list of some grains and the type of gluten that they contain:

Hidden Sources of Gluten from Cross Contamination

Another very common problem with grains is that most are also cross contaminated with wheat gluten.

Most grains are all processed in the same facilities as wheat. And during the processing, there is always going to be cross contamination from left over residue.

This is also why most grains such as oats aren’t allowed to be labeled gluten-free unless they’ve been processed in a facility that does not process wheat.

Hidden Sources of Gluten in Sauces

Sauces are notorious for containing gluten and some you would never suspect.

The obvious sauces that contain hidden sources of gluten are those that have been thickened because wheat flour has been used as a thickener for a long time. A good example of this is with almost any homemade gravy recipe.

And you have to be careful when reading ingredients these days. Gluten is being hidden under different ingredients and thickening agents such as “dextrin” or “modified food starch” on many food labels.

But there are also other sauces that aren’t thickened that are still known to contain gluten because wheat was used at some stage during the processing and manufacturing.

Two good examples of this are most Soy Sauce and most Worcestershire Sauce.

Hidden Sources of Gluten in Seasonings

If you cook with herbs or spices then you most likely have nothing to worry about. Well, besides some of the toxic compounds they put in spices but that’s a whole different discussion.

The much bigger problem is with seasonings which are a blend of herbs, spicing, and other agents. And it’s really the other agents that are the problem.

Most seasonings and seasoning packets contain some sort of thickening agent which as mentioned above, typically contains hidden sources of gluten.

So it’s always a good idea to make your own seasonings from scratch.

Hidden Sources of Gluten in Meats

I know what you’re thinking… Meat in general does not contain gluten however there are many different sources of packaged or processed meats that have hidden sources of gluten in them as additives.

In fact, many different deli meats are now beginning to carry the gluten-free label because so many are being found to contain gluten.

And the problem extends much further than just deli meats alone. Almost all processed meats are being found to contain added or hidden sources of gluten in the form of a filler or seasoning which is all the more reason to avoid anything that has been processed.

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