For those of you who are celiac or aallergic to barley, avoiding barley may not seem so bad. After all, it is much less common that wheat.
There are a few things to watch out for, and some of them are literally trick questions. Some ingredients look safe, but are in fact made from barley.
Here is a list of foods and food ingredients that contain (or may contain) barley or are derived from barley.
NOTE: This is not a complete list, but it will be updated as we discover additional information.
Ingredients Derived From Barley
Watch for the following on lists of ingredients. Many of these ingredients could be made from a variety of sources, including barley. Other than food that is specifically labeled “gluten-free”, you can’t be sure exactly what these ingredients are made from, and it may change over time and manufacturers use different suppliers.
If your favorite food contains one of these ingredients, try calling the manufacturer and asking them what the ingredient is derived from.
As general awareness in the food industry increases about gluten allergies and celiac disease, some manufacturers may shift from barley-derived ingredients to corn-derived ingredients.
- Brown rice syrup (often made from barley)
- Caramel color (sometimes made from barley)
- Malt or malt flavoring (usually made from barley. Could be made from corn which is OK)
- Malt vinegar
- Maltose (often made from barley)
Foods Made From Barley
These foods are made from barley or can contain barley. Read ingredients to be sure.
- Coffee substitutes.
- Beer (could be made from wheat)
- Whisky (generally ’safe’ due to the distillation process, but highly sensitive individuals must research specific brands to be sure they are safe).
- Mugicha (Japanese and Korean drink)
- Soups and stews (check ingredients)
- Fructan (a sweetener made from Barley)
- Health foods (check ingredients)
Barley-Free Ingredients
Some ingredients look like they might be made from barley but are not:
- Maltodextrin – may be made from potato, corn or rice. In some cases it can be derived from wheat, but must be labels as such in the US (other countries may have different labeling laws).
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Yeast Allergy
Is distilled vinegar okay?
Maybe
I’ve not heard a definitive answer on that.
Most experts will say to avoid it.
If your symptoms are not too serious, you can try distilled vinegar after you have cut out all possible yeast products, and found out what “normal” is (in other words, when you feel better).
The chances are you won’t be drinking it by the glass-full, and if it does have any yeast in it, the amount will be slight.
In other words, you might get away with it, but make sure that if you are new to a yeast-free diet, you start off strict. You can always loosen up a little later and see if that’s still OK.
Allergy
My problem is that, when I drink some alcohol beverage (specially beer), I get allergy after that. My whole body gone itchy. Then when I eat too much of bakery goods, i got burn mouth. I wonder is this the symptom of allergy to the yeast? If this is so, i wonder whether there are any yeast in the rice noodle?
Yeast allergy possible
The correlation between fermented beverages and baked goods could indicate a yeast allergy, but does not prove it.
Rice noodles are yeast free (I’ve never heard of noodles made with yeast).
Yeast Allergey
See Barley Allergy. Beer is made from Barley and most baked goods contain Barley, Malt, Maltodextrin and or Fructan (all from Barley).
Barlet and Malt allergy
Hi. My partner is allergic to barley and malt so anything with vinegar in is potentially dodgy for her. Can you tell me wether white or spirit vinegar is ok for use in pickled foods or as a condiment? Thanks
Barley Allergy
I am allergic to barley. Should I stay away from wheat and gluten as well?
Barley allery vs. wheat and gluten
That’s a tough call, Debbie.
It depends on a few things. Do you know you are allergic to barley as a result of an allergy test, or from your own experience? Have you been tested for celiac disease?
If you find you have celiac disease, you must avoid all gluten period. There are a lot of cases of “sub-clinical” celiac, meaning people without the obvious signs of celiac, but with diseases such as lupis or osteoporosis or many others, that turn out to be caused by celiac disease.
That is a gluten issue, not an allergy per se.
If you don’t have celiac disease, then it is a matter of how seriuos the barley allergy is.
If you avoid barely due to some relatively minor symptoms, then you can decide for yourself if wheat or other members of the grass family (oats, rye, rice etc.) are also a problem for you.
If you cut out such foods for a while, you’ll be able to tell if you feel better than average. If you then start eating them again and feel worse than you have been, then you will have your answer.
Hope that helps.