Label Reading 101

You will add a new skill to your lifestyle: label reading!

Gluten No, No’s: wheat (semolina, durham, spelt, etc.), rye, barley.

Casein No, No’s: milk, casein, caseinate, cream, butter, ice cream, sour cream, cheese, milk chocolate etc.

Thanks to the new FDA rules, you can scan the bottom of the ingredients and in bold it will list the allergens like: “Contains milk, soy, wheat etc.” Glance there first and if any “no, no’s” are listed, you have your answer. But if nothing is listed in bold, go a step further and read each ingredient.

Some things to remember: “lactose-free” is not the same as “casein-free.” Lactose-free “may” be casein-free too, but the label should explicitly say so.

Kosher is good. Anything certified as “Kosher pareve” is probably safe for GFCF’ers. Remember, “they answer to a higher authority!”

Vegan is good. Vegans do not consume anything that comes from an animal, not even milk or eggs. Vegan food products will be casein-free, though not necessarily gluten free.

GFCF Mommy’s Golden Rule: if you see an ingredient you can’t pronounce and you never heard of before, FORGET ABOUT IT!!! It is better to keep it simple.