Is barley malt extract gluten free?

[Flecmac]

I have followed a gluten free diet since before Christmas which doesn’t seem to have made much difference. I sometime have Rice Krispies, and read that BME can be tolerated by celiacs, however this seems debatable. I’m now unsure if this could be why being GF hasn’t made a difference to me. Any ideas? Thanks.

[helvella Administrator]

Have a look at Coeliac UK's page about just that:

coeliac.org.uk/glossary/bar...

[Flecmac in reply to helvella]

Thank you. Hmmmmm maybe not Rice Krispies then.

[Cooper27]

It's complicated. Barley malt extract is NOT gluten free, however, some products can contain barley malt extract and still be classified as gluten free, if the amount of barley malt extract is small enough. Gluten free means the gluten content is <15ppm, which is why small quantities are permitted.

[Flecmac in reply to Cooper27]

So maybe I’m wasting money buying gf porridge then as normal oats are gluten free but processed in non gf environment. Gf porridge is very expensive!!!

[Cooper27 in reply to Flecmac]

The thing is, you want to do your best to avoid gluten for a period of 1-3 months, so I would buy GF porridge oats just for those 1-3 months. When you try gluten again, it can take up to 3 days for symptoms to show up. If you do react to gluten, that is when I would experiment with normal porridge oats. If you get on ok with them, then save the money. The problem is that if you keep eating normal porridge oats in the meantime, and the gluten content is too high, your gut won't heal properly and you won't get the same benefit.

Around 76% of those with Hashimotos notice an improvement in their symptoms when they adopt a GF diet, but around 54% need to avoid dairy, and 42% soya - if symptoms don't improve from cutting out gluten, you may need to look at other triggers. I'm actually trying the AIP paleo diet as a way to work out my triggers - it's worth looking into.

[geoffharry in reply to Flecmac]

First of all, barley malt extract is definitely full of gluten, though Cooper is right that it may be tolerated in low concentration. Even coeliacs vary in their sensitivity. I'm coeliac but not as sensitive as some, and I can eats tandard cornflakes containing BME. But if my daughter ate cornflakes, she would be in bed for a week!

The problem with oats and porridge is quite different. Normal farming practice is to rotate crops year by year, so a field of oats might well have grown wheat, barley or rye the previous year, and inevitably some of the seed is dropped during harvesting, which grows the next year. So oats are normally contaminated with gluten containing grains. Gluten free oats are grown in fields where there is no possibility of such contamination. That's why they cost more. In fact oats contain avenin (a protein similar to gluten) which most coeliacs can tolerate, but a few can't. I'm coeliac and love porridge, but I make it from GF oats.

[Jazzw]

I can’t do barley malt extract. Really miss Maltesers. :’(

[Slabs]

Are you celiac, or just experimenting with a GF diet? There is nothing more than anecdotal evidence to suggest a GF diet improves thyroid symptoms. As a celiac, I wouldn't go near barley malt, but if you're not celiac, it's unlikely to make a difference either way.

[Flecmac in reply to Slabs]

Thank you, experimenting re-autoimmune thyroiditis. Wondering if this could be why gf diet hasn’t made a difference.

[Slabs in reply to Flecmac]

I think it's unlikely. Remember that if you're not coeliac, you won't respond to small traces of gluten in the same way. It's not likely to make much difference one way or another. Also, many people with Hashi's report that a GF diet made no difference to their symptoms.

[Learner1 in reply to Slabs]

This is not true. The thyroid and gluten molecules are very similar and when the body learns to attack one, it can learn to attack the other due to "molecular mimicry."

This doctor's website has a good description:

amymyersmd.com/2016/08/is-g...

You might try a grain-free diet, too, like a Paleo diet.

[Rmichelle]

Hi im celiac barley is a big no!!! Watch out for hidden gluten aswell-malt vinegars etc , sauces, gravys and if you like a drink, whiskies, wines, beers, liquors-i have to be so on the ball, i was poisoned the other week with a bit of malt vinegar in a meal my mother in law made-i was throwing up for 24 hours!!😕

[penny]

Nothing to do with celiac but...I made some lovely ‘maltesers’ at Christmas with lactose-free milk chocolate (I make my own white chocolate) for my husband. They didn’t keep well but that didn’t matter too much.

[sianbarn in reply to penny]

Could you send me the recipe?

I love Maltesers! 🤗

[Annkapp]

ALL GRAINS have gluten! When the term gluten is commonly used it refers to wheat gluten but all grains contain gluten So rice has rice gluten, oats have oat gluten, etc

I am not celiac or allergic to wheat gluten but I am sensitive to wheat gluten.

I found that just cutting out wheat gluten didn’t help. I didn’t get relief until I cut out ALL gluten that means ALL Grains. So I am sensitive to all types of gluten.

I do cheat occasionally but my symptoms come back. A little gluten (say a few bites of rice = a mild reaction), a bowl of rice = a bigger problem. For me oats (even “gluten free”) are really bad.

So I would suggest you try cutting out all grains for a period to see if you get relief from your symptoms.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Annkapp]

Annkapp, Plain Rice does not contain gluten.

glutenfreeliving.com/gluten...

Safe: Gluten-Free Foods

Foods made from whole grains (and grain-like plants) that do not contain harmful gluten, including:

Corn in all forms (corn flour, cornmeal, grits, etc.)

Plain rice in all forms (white, brown, wild, basmati, enriched rice, etc.)

Amaranth, arrowroot, buckwheat (kasha), cassava, flax, millet, quinoa, sorghum, soy, tapioca, teff, polenta and fonio

Flours made from gluten-free grain, nuts, beans and coconut, including buckwheat flour, millet flour, almond flour, chickpea flour, amaranth flour, brown rice flour and coconut flour. Look for products labeled gluten free to avoid cross-contamination.

[Flecmac in reply to RedApple]

Thank you

[Rmichelle in reply to RedApple]

Yes you are right rice is not gluten!!