Help, a guest with gluten intolerance

Gluten in itself is not unhealthy, but people with the autoimmune disease celiac disease (gluten intolerance) or gluten sensitivity do suffer from it. A celiac patient can become seriously ill from a breadcrumb with gluten.

Which products contain gluten?

Gluten is in certain grains, namely wheat, spelt, khorasan wheat (kamut), rye, barley (barley). All products made from these grains also contain gluten. You can think of bread, muesli, oatmeal, cookies, pastry, pizza, pasta, noodles, beer, bulgur and couscous.

Also flour, breadcrumbs, flour and binding agents are usually made from grains with gluten. And these ingredients are often found in ready-made soup, sauces, sausage, desserts and sweets.

Read the label

To know for sure whether something contains gluten, you have to look closely at the label. The group name “gluten” is usually not on the label, but producers must clearly label the individual gluten-containing grains below. So be aware of:

• wheat
• spells
• khorasan wheat (also called kamut)
• rye
• barley
• oats

In addition, packaging sometimes states ‘May contain traces of gluten’ or ‘This product has been processed in an environment where gluten is present’. However, these entries are not mandatory. These products are also not suitable for a guest who does not tolerate gluten.

Gluten-free ingredients

It may now seem that your guest is not allowed to eat anything. Fortunately, many ingredients are also naturally gluten-free.

Being naturally gluten-free:

• All kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables.
• potatoes.
• (Silver fleece) rice.
• The grains sorghum, amaranth, teff, millet and corn.
• Oatmeal, oat flakes, oat flour, buckwheat grains, flours and flakes and quinoa (but only if it says on the package that it is gluten-free).
• Unprocessed fish, shellfish, meat, chicken, tofu and tempeh (a layer of breadcrumbs or marinade does contain gluten!)
• Nuts, seeds, kernels, peanuts (but cocktail nuts are not gluten-free).
• Eggs.
• legumes.
• Milk, yoghurt, quark and Dutch cheese from cow, goat or sheep milk (but dairy products with additives such as custard, fruit quark, cheese spread and foreign cheeses may contain gluten).
• Oil and most margarine and low-fat margarine.

Gluten-free products

In addition, you can buy gluten-free versions of some products that normally contain gluten, such as pasta, bread, toast, cookies, cakes and flour for baking. You can find these in more and more supermarkets, often on the shelf with diet products. Health food stores usually have a decent assortment of gluten-free products. Ask your guest about his or her favorite brand.

If it says ‘gluten-free’ on a label, you know for sure that the product is suitable for people who are not allowed to eat gluten. You can also recognize gluten-free products by a symbol with a crossed ear.

Snacks and sweets

Suitable, easy snacks without gluten are cubes of Dutch cheese, peanuts, nuts, olives, raw vegetables (for example pieces of cucumber and bell pepper, radishes and cherry tomatoes), natural chips, some meat products. Pie is not gluten free (apart from special gluten free pie), but you can treat yourself to chocolate, macaroons, nougat and all kinds of sweets. Always check the label to be sure.

Water, milk, soft drinks, juices, coffee and tea are gluten-free. An exception are some herbal teas. Wine, port, champagne, gin, clear liqueurs, sherry and whiskey are also gluten-free. Beer does contain gluten.

Pay attention in the kitchen

Someone with celiac disease can get sick from the smallest breadcrumb. Just being careful with which ingredients you use is not enough. You should also prevent the gluten-free products from coming into contact with the gluten that is floating around in your kitchen, for example via cutlery, kitchen utensils, a tea towel, the counter or a cutting board.

Preferably make the gluten-free dish (or the gluten-free snacks) first. Wash your hands well beforehand and carefully wash all utensils you will be using. Dry the items with a clean tea towel. Serve gluten-free meals and snacks separately from gluten-containing products. Do not store gluten-free products in the same container or container as gluten-containing products.

Recipes without gluten

Health net has put together a booklet with gluten-free recipes in collaboration with ZonderMeer magazine. Download it free. The Nutrition Center has an extensive database with almost a thousand gluten free recipes.

Your guest is of course a real experience expert in the field of gluten-free food. If you can’t figure it out, don’t hesitate to ask your guest for tips!