The Gluten AVOID List

The Gluten-Free “Avoid” List

A guide to hidden gluten — updated for today’s labels and standards

If you have celiac disease and you’ve ever gently said “no, thank you” to someone offering to cook for you, this list is why. It isn’t rudeness — it’s that gluten hides in so many places that even the most loving cook (my own husband included!) can miss it. It takes real study to read a processed label safely.

One of the sweetest kindnesses I ever received was after the birth of one of my babies, when some dear friends brought me a gluten-free meal and saved every single label from the ingredients they used, so I could eat what they’d made with complete confidence. If you want to bless a celiac friend, that’s how it’s done. (My post on Naturally Gluten-Free Foods will help, too.)

Here is a thorough guide to what to avoid — and, just as importantly, some good news about foods that were once feared but are now considered safe.

First, the big picture

All gluten comes from just four grains: wheat, barley, rye, and triticale (a wheat-rye hybrid). Everything on the “avoid” list traces back to one of these. If you learn to recognize these four and their many disguises, you’ve won most of the battle.

The single most important label tip: In the United States, the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) requires that wheat be clearly declared on any packaged food. That’s wonderful — but the law does not require barley or rye to be spelled out. This is why barley in disguise (especially malt) is the sneakiest source of gluten, and why vague terms still deserve a second look.

Section 1 — Always Avoid

Wheat and every kind of wheat

Wheat wears many names, including ancient and heirloom varieties that people often don’t realize are wheat:

Wheat (Triticum)

Durum / semolina

Spelt (dinkel)

Kamut (khorasan)

Einkorn

Emmer

Farro / farina

Bulgur

Couscous

Freekeh

Graham flour

Atta / maida (Indian)

Bran, germ, wheat starch*

Seitan (wheat gluten)

Fu (dried wheat gluten)

Hydrolyzed wheat protein

Vital wheat gluten

Matzo / matzah

Orzo, pasta, udon, kluski

Roux, rusk

Barley — and especially MALT

Because barley doesn’t have to be labeled, this is the group to memorize. Malt is barley.

Barley (Hordeum vulgare), pearl barley, barley grass (can carry seeds)

Malt, malt extract, malt syrup, malt flavoring, malt vinegar, malted milk

Brewer’s yeast (a byproduct of beer) and yeast extract / autolyzed yeast extract

Most beer, ale, lager, and porter (unless made gluten-free)

Rye & Triticale

Rye (and rye bread, pumpernickel)

Triticale (a wheat-rye cross)

Common foods and dishes that contain gluten

Bread, pasta, crackers

Tabbouleh / tabouli

Most soy sauce & teriyaki

Kecap/ketjap manis

Seitan & “mock meats”

Panko & breadcrumbs

Croutons, stuffing

Soba (unless 100% buckwheat)

Communion wafers

Many gravies & sauces (roux)

Battered / breaded foods

Licorice

*A note on the asterisks: Ordinary wheat starch is not safe — but see Section 3 for the important modern exception involving specially processed wheat starch in certified gluten-free products. And “crisped rice” cereal is a classic hidden source, because it’s very often sweetened with barley malt.

Section 2 — Check the Label or the Manufacturer

These ingredients may or may not contain gluten depending on how they’re made. The good news: under U.S. law, if any of these are derived from wheat, the label must say “wheat.” So your job is mainly to watch for barley/rye sources (like malt) and shared-facility warnings.

Natural & artificial flavors, seasonings, spice blends — usually fine, but barley malt can hide inside “natural flavoring.”

Dextrin — can be made from wheat; if so, U.S. labels must declare it.

Hydrolyzed vegetable/plant protein (HVP/HPP) — check the source.

Soy sauce, miso, seafood analogs (surimi/imitation crab) — frequently contain wheat; choose certified gluten-free.

Stock/bouillon cubes, gravy mixes, vegetable broth — may use wheat; read the label.

Smoke flavoring, glucose syrup, non-dairy creamer, fat replacers — usually safe; verify if uncertain.

Communion wafers, medications, and supplements — ask, since these aren’t always clearly labeled.

Section 3 — Good News: Often Feared, But Generally Safe

This is the part of the old list that has changed the most — and it’s worth celebrating, because it gives us back some freedom. Each of these is considered gluten-free by the major celiac organizations today:

Distilled spirits (vodka, whiskey, gin, rum, tequila, bourbon, brandy) — distillation removes gluten, so pure distilled liquor is gluten-free even when made from wheat, barley, or rye. The cautions: flavored liquors, cream liqueurs, pre-mixed drinks, and anything with ingredients added after distilling.

Distilled vinegar & white vinegar — gluten-free for the same reason. So are apple cider, wine, balsamic, and rice vinegars (just avoid rice vinegar with added malt). The one exception is malt vinegar, which is not distilled and does contain gluten.

Caramel color — in North America it’s made from corn, not wheat, and is considered safe. If wheat were ever used, the label would have to say so.

Maltodextrin — safe even if made from wheat; it’s so processed that the gluten is gone (and it’s usually from corn anyway). Don’t let the “malt” in the name fool you.

Modified food starch — almost always corn or potato; if it’s from wheat, the U.S. label must declare “wheat.”

Specially processed (“gluten-removed”) wheat starch — when it appears in a product labeled gluten-free, it has been processed to under 20 ppm of gluten and is permitted. (This was once forbidden across the board; the rules have caught up.)

Yeast — baker’s yeast and nutritional yeast are gluten-free. (Only brewer’s yeast and yeast extract are the concern.)

MSG, most food dyes, and the long list of vitamins and additives that used to raise alarm — considered gluten-free.

And a word about oats

Oats are naturally gluten-free, but they’re very often grown and processed alongside wheat, so ordinary oats are cross-contaminated. Certified gluten-free oats are considered safe for most people with celiac disease. A small number of celiacs do react to the protein in oats themselves, so it’s wise to introduce them carefully and see how your body responds.

Section 4 — Reading a Label in 2026

When this list was first written in the 1990s, a “gluten-free” claim meant whatever the company wanted it to mean. That has changed for the better:

The 20 ppm rule. Since 2014, any food the FDA regulates that is labeled “gluten-free” must contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten. Why not zero? Because 20 ppm is the lowest level that can be reliably detected, and eating normal amounts of food at or below it keeps daily gluten well within a range considered safe for most celiacs.

Wheat must be named. Thanks to FALCPA, wheat is always declared — but remember, barley and rye are not, so malt stays sneaky.

Look for certification. A third-party mark like GFCO (the Gluten-Free Certification Organization) means the product was independently tested to an even stricter standard. When in doubt, trust the mark.

Watch for “made in a facility that also processes wheat.” The ingredients may be clean, but cross-contamination is real. This is exactly why so many of us still say “no, thank you” — not from fear, but from experience.

Keep this appendix handy, tuck a copy in your wallet, and share it freely. Knowledge like this isn’t a burden — it’s the very thing that lets us eat with joy and confidence instead of worry.

With much love, 

— Steffanie

This information was reviewed and updated as of 2026 and reflects the guidance of major celiac organizations and current U.S. labeling law. Ingredient sourcing and regulations can change, and standards differ from country to country (for example, Europe permits Codex-quality wheat starch under its own rules). Always read current labels, and when a product or a symptom leaves you uncertain, check with the manufacturer and your own healthcare provider. This appendix is educational and is not a substitute for medical advice.