LAUREN & MO on the go:
Nutso-sweet…inspiring nutri-savvy morselicious tastes!!!
Q: Does wheatgrass contain gluten? Should those who avoid wheat and/or gluten also avoid wheatgrass??
A: When wheatgrass is properly harvested it does not contain any glutens. Because the grass is young, it has not yet formed the proteins that can trigger gluten sensitivity or severe allergy. However, especially for those with celiac disease, there is always the concern of contamination with wheat seeds. If there are sprouting seeds, some of the wheat-containing seeds can get into the wheatgrass. So it is important to know how and where to select wheatgrass that isn’t tainted with glutens.
I was able to contact Carol Shilson, Executive Director of The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center. She put me in touch with their registered dietitian, and here’s what she had to say:
“Wheatgrass is questionable if it’s produced in a facility on shared equipment. If it’s tested and it’s less than 20 ppm, then it should be fine.
It should not contain the protein portion of wheat, but I caution patients to always make sure it’s labeled GF. There is an Amazing Grass bar that a lot of patients eat, and claims to be GF, but it’s not approved by GFCO or been tested by anyone but their own company.
They don’t disclose how they are testing for gluten As you know, the processed products become a bit more risky as this one is made in a facility with wheat products, but not on a shared line,” Lori Powell, RD.
Thanks, Lauren!
done!
Thanks! : )
11.11.11 – it has to be a special day! Cheers!!
BTW: my website: http://www.nutrisavvysblog.wordpress.com
Hard to notice, but an ‘s’ is missing in the link you have written above – If you can correct that link at the beginning of this post, that would be great! 🙂